MOUNTAIN LAKE SERVICES LEADERSHIP AWARD presented to PATRICIA WOODS JOHNSON, May, 2009

"Enriching the Lives of People with Intellectual Disabilities, Their Families and Our Communities"

We have stopped for the evening in central Tennessee, having left Cherokee NC late this morning.  The motor home came to life nicely and chugged over the Smokies in proper form.  We coasted down through Pigeon Forge and past Knoxville.  Tomorrow we roll into Henersonville to visit the Davidsons.  From there we have planned stops in southern Illinois and then near St. Louis before arriving in Chicago.  Looking forward to the celebration.

Birding on the beach is often a relaxed affair and, if sunscreen is not neglected, usually without significant adventure.  Even as I write this I am reminded of watching out for polar bears on the coast at Churchill, Manitoba and of a windchill at Barnegat Light, NJ that drove us off despite a multitude of layers one fine winter day.  Still, usually birding the beach means little more than slogging a bit through the sand and scanning the shore and waves.  There is usually little danger of getting lost, being mauled, or sliding down a cliff.