The latest issue of the Ramona Home Journal has just been published. This issue was particularily exciting because I had the oppertunity to "dig" into something close to my heart - farm stands! Ramona has a wide variety of options to choose from, I hope that this story inspires the community to explore what's out there and see the value of local agriculture. 

We also highlighted Ramona-grown businesses. It was a pleasure to interview the Lavelle and Kennedy family from Turquoise Barn Cider, as well as Natallie Phillips and Mike Nelson from Smoking Cannon Brewery. Our contributing writers also interviewed the folks from San Diego Sunshine Distillery and The Burritote. 

For Creative Connections, I wanted to try something different. I reached out to Jon Hasz at Ramona Music Center, who recommended I talk to Dove Linkhorn. Dove's music has been featured in TV shows, movies, and commericals, plus he's had an interesting past performing in places like the Vegas strip. He was very fun to talk to!

Lastly, I had the pleasure of interviewing a local graduating senior, Abby Smith. By continuing her education, and drawing on her life experience, she plans to help foster kids. Her story is so inspiring!

Links to these stories are below, but you should also check out RamonaJournal.com for everyone's fantastic stories!

- Char

Abby was such a great young woman to interview - she's positive, motivated, and incredibly driven. If you need a feel good story, this is it!

When the day time temperatures weren't so hot, I ventured out for a hike at Long Logs Trail, at the south end of the park. What I didn't realized was how windy it was! 

The trail follows what appears to be an old road, which leads you to rolling hills covered in big chunks of petrified wood! The details, like burls and bark, are what just amaze me. 

This trip is inspiring me for the next Howdy Joey! book - I want children to be excited about exploring the National Park system - I hope the book will help them look for the little details that make visiting the park an amazing experience. 

But as wonderful as this experience is, I can't ignore what's going on in the world, and what a sharp contrast it is to my life right now. 

Since I left San Diego, there have been protests, riots, fighting, injustice - I don't feel it here at the park, or even in the town of Holbrook, but the signs are everywhere else. I've seen protests taking place near friends and family in NY, and in my town of Ramona. 

It's hard to process everything going on, so I'm just trying to take walks, breathe, and share photos and videos of the peaceful landscape around me so others can take a moment to breathe and relax. 

The evenings have brought some rain and thunderstorms. I'm amazed at the power of nature - this wide open space shows it well.

I am making good progress on the book too.

I wanted to start by getting a feel for the environment, even though I've been here before, I wanted to reflect on what captures my attention and imagination. 

The log book helped solidify that idea - I'm fascinated with how much history is here. It's not just a barren landscape. There has been life here for so long - millions of years! Everything has a story. 

I believe that Joey is going to explore the Petrified Forest through time. These are just a few ideas - they will evolve over time. Once the ideas are a big more solid, I am going to consult with park staff for accuracy and details. 

I'll be working today on some additional sketches, and possibly a sunset painting. Check back soon!

​Char