It's Almost Time Folks!

So, Team,


The time is now for me to send a little update... Lightning round stylee...

December:

26-Jan 9: Was in Exmuas, Bahamas instructing an 8 -day Sea Kayak course. New Year's near Stocking Island was amazing! One of our student's, literally, found a message in a bottle... I saw my first water spout, in-person. Dark skies on te last night of course... "like, yikes Scooby!"...

Jan-February: Working in South Florida for NCOBS Sea Programs: 5 day "Group Education programs," working with local private schools, teacing about South Florida Ecology and local lore of Everglades City... what a wild, wild place... *** I will include photos below that depict some views of our EOBC (Everglades Outward Bound Center) Base camp living situation...

Feb-March: I was in Vermont for 1.5 weeks! I stayed with Jarod and Joanna, which was AMAZING. I met some of the most amazing people I have met in a really long time... good friends, beautiful people, I am excited to go back and visit soon! On my way up, I visited with Heather Rudzinski and Christa Ricker, two of my best friends in New Hampshire... I would have seen the one and only Brent Bell, but alas, time shall be on our side for the next passing... On my way down from, I stayed with the wonderful, amazing, ever-inspiring Jess Ross...... AMAZING TIMES!

I was also in West Virginia, visitng my "WV Family," lots of my friends from college were around so we went to my favorite eatin' spot- Black Bear Burritos... hung out on evening with Adventure West Virginia Leaders and spoke a bit about Environmental Interpretation... 'twas a good time, truly. All the while I stayed with my good friends Greg and EmilyCorio (They're having a baby in two months!!! WOOOOHOOOO!). Although it was sweet, it was also a very short visit. I look forward to more next time... Thanks Forrest, Nathan, Joe, Traci, Gin, Elaine, Jan, Carol, Stace, Tom, Greg and Emily and EVERYONE who came out - it was lovely to see you....

Then I spent about 5 days or so in Manassas, VA, my home town. It was there that I visited with both of my dear grandmothers. They are so sweet... I miss them a lot. My parents are doing really well also and it was so nice to see them... I do want to shout out to the Chamberlain Clan. I missed you all this time, butget ready, because in May? I am coming over! This time I hope there is a Molly and a Maggi and a Travis in the house!!!!!! :) And of course a Mr. and Mrs. C :) And cute doggie :) Lucy :) hehe..... she's so cute.

As for now? I am in "pre-course" planning for four days, before instructing my OLC: Outdor Leadership Course at NCOBS. a 50-day course designed to equip participants with the necessary skills to attain entry-level positions at outdoor education facilities around the industry. WFR, Group management, technical expedition skills and interpersonal processing/facilitation skills will be some of many foci for this course. It is truly an honor to be offered this opportunity, and I am ever-grateful for my school (NCOBS), my co-instructor, course director and the entire team that makes this thing happen... Thank you in advance for the next amazing 50 days... Here is a link to the course description from our website:

http://www.ncobs.org/courses/course.php?coursetypeid=3

On this note, I WOULD LOVE TO RECEIVE MAIL FROM YOU! PLEASE! Letters in the field?! Oh my gosh, they really make my week/month... for serious.... :) so.... Please, you can send snail mail to:

Kevin Shon
c/o North Carolina Outward Bound
P.O. Box 279
Jonas Ridge, NC 28641

and larger packages should be sent to our town office address:

Kevin Shon
c/o North Carolina Outward Bound
2582 Riceville Rd.
Asheville, NC 28805

Please, do send letters! ...50 days people!! That's a long time!

Okay... So, as promised... some Florida Pictures, and some Table Rock pictures- my mountains base camp:























Do you know Farlin Black? :)




















This was my house this year- the upper left room....
















This is one reason they call it "Sunset Island."




Josh Harris with his shoulder all laid up, but he still dances pretty seriously.... This is a room called the "Sinker" ...





Bern dogg- my buddy Bernie....shaken, not stirred....



"High School Dance" as perfomed by Mary McWay and John Porter :)




THIS is why we call it "Sunset Island"... dime a dozen around there.....

And now for Table Rock.......



Our Staff Lounge (above) and Hot Tub (smaller wood structure)




My humble little cabin for this year (door on the left) All by myself! Big old bed! Sweet!



My humble cabin (on left) from last year... I'll miss it but I need some "no-roomies" time for a summer...




My buddy, Clay, on his porch playing Harmonica-- he is our L5, or logistics specialist, level 5 -- aka Second in charge of makin' it all happen for Logistics support! (Big man on base camp) :)



The mighty Table Rock looms 400 in the air -- a view from my front porch... no leaves yet means yo can see the entire Eastern Ridgeline of the Lineville Gorge- where I live... Amazing!
Come visit!!! More photos and updates from the field to come!!!! :)

That's all for now..... much love,

Kev

Kshon's Spring OLC 2009 Update!

More coming soon...

Stay tuned!

Amos 5:24

MLK.




Three very powerful letters, when strung together remind me of a figure so prominent, so strong in the movement of social justice. May we pay Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. tribute this day as we recognize our country has much work to do in the arena of equality. For, we live in a world of "...and justice for some." Let us also keep in the forefront of our minds that this man who created a movement across the world, and more specifically in our own country was murdered in cold blood simply because of his efforts to create equality among Americans. Yes, I will dwell on the macabre fact that someone pre-meditatively selected his or her own process for ending the life of Martin Luther King, Jr. Someone consciously chose to end his life. It is easy to let this event stand in our minds- as an object of history, and difficult for this event to forever exist in our hearts. We are separated from the reality of it all when we make it so cerebral.

The reason I so intensely reinforce this otherwise disgusting and reprehensible act of power, of silencing someone to the ultimate degree, is so that we, with the privilege of not needing to remember this fact, will not possibly forget. Is your life really that affected by Martin Luther King Jr.'s death? Were you ever really effected by his life, by his movement? I do not ask these questions rhetorically. I ask them without judgement upon the reader.

What I mean is this: I know that as a white male, and a person of great privilege in this country, I probably could have gone on plain as day with or without MLK- white people never had to use a separate bathroom, or go to a different school, ... Please take careful note of my words - I am merely saying that the dominant culture defined the way we would function and Dr. MLK beautifully challenged that paradigm, that institution of whiteness is rightness and he did so with eloquence, with compassion, with tenacity and a loving spirit towards all. He was the definition of the term passive resistance. Compassionate.

I want to hold on to my anger, to my angst towards his death. Someone had to kill him just because. period. Possibly they felt threatened? Possibly they viewed the world as all backwards and therefore justified the means to the end (thus furthering White power across the world). I want to hold on to my anger for a moment because in can be easy to forget. With our fast paced world of technology and super high speed communication, facts can be lost, experiences not fully processed, and thus, the value of the past lessened and certainly not remembered...

It is too easy to merely put a date on a calendar and say woopdie doo- thanks for keepin' it real and fighting the good fight Mr. King. It's too easy for some. I don't want that. I want us to acknowledge the atrocity of his death - partially so that we may not ever see another. His movement must be continued and we must be ready to fight until we can accurately say "... and justice for all."

That is my soap box for now. if my comments are alarming, I would love to engage in meaningful conversation and clarify anything that is odd or off-putting. I write this with love... may he never be forgotten. May his movement live on. ... We have work to do.


Whew- I didn't even expect for that to come out! I was just going to shoot out a quick update since I have been awol for the long haul. Not really- I have just been way busy in the field, etc.

But here I am! I am here and excited to share my recent adventures! So here goes...:


Well....

I was on the Service Bus with NCOBS for 2.5 months. That was intense. for more on that check out www.ncobs.org/bus.

This involved driving in a Blue Bird mini-bus around the country doing many fulfilling service projects and climbing, paddling, and hanging out with 6 other folks... We met some amazing people along the way and I am excited to share more stories in person with folks.

After Service Bus? We ended up in the Everglades, where I attended "returning staff expedition" where we poled through the saw grass of the Shark River - literally following water flow from Army Corps of Engineers controlled canals through the National Park, out to Highland Beach and Pavilion Key and then back to base at Everglades City. What an adventure..... all of that in 5 days! Can you imagine? Photos to come...

After that expedition, I adventured to the Bahamas for a 7 day Sea Kayak course. Sadly, it was our last course down there for a while, meaning they have shut down the Bahamas operations until further notice, but we made the best of it and ended on a positive note!

Then I returned and had two days off and it was back to work! I just completed a 5 day canoeing expedition with students from Miami's Ransom of the Everglades Upper School. Great set of students, challenging weather (freezing temps at night, 15-20 kt. head winds, 100 meter mud slogs with fully loaded canoes and sloppy Everglades mud banks up to our knees!). The experience was phenomenal for our crew...

Which brings me to now -- where I have been given the privilege to co-Course Direct for the second phase of Ransom students here at the NCOBS OBEC )Outward Bound Everglades Center).

Lightning round... I know. More later- pictures to come. I miss all of you...

the tides of change are upon us. may we support our great country and pay our influential members due tribute.


Kev

Going... Going... But not yet gone.

Wow.

I have been working steadily in the wilderness since April 2008. I have been traveling in a tight-knit community for the past 2,5 months. I have most recently arrived in Everglades City, Florida for two.five months of work with the NCOBS Sea Programs which was kicked off for me with a returning staff expedition through the saw grass swept Everglades, into the back bays of the Gulf of Mexico, I leave tomorrow for a week long Kayaking course in the Bahamas and... I am tired.

Whew.

That was a mouthful - or, rather, a keyboard full...
I am tired, but not down for the count. I am worked, but not- over worked. I am sloughing off the crisp (as opposed to shielding from the burnout; no burnout yet...). It has been forever since I have posted anything here and I deeply want to catch up with my loved ones and family and all of those whom I cherish.

Whoa.

So, my new year's resolution is to continue improving the quality of my work at NCOBS, while also improving my communication (AND face time) with my peeps, while realizing my plans to pace myself and enjoy life to its fullest.

You see, my Kayaking course falls over Nw year's, so I won't be around to share this resolution with you in person- but ahead of time, so that we'll all know where I am at with all of this stuff.
I regret not being in more touch, and this plan is going to address my lack of "hellos", etc.

To work the internet angle of things, I will also be posting photos and stories of this previous year's adventures here for all of us to see, share and understand.

Yo.

And a heads up: this Spring I have been contracted to instruct my first OLC. This means in March I will be instructing for 55 consecutive days, 60 in total after all of the planning is accounted for. This course will officially go from March 6- April 28th. I plan to rest just before and immediately after the course, so, I hope to be spending time with you folks. Let;s be in touch about shcedules and whatnot because I really want to hear from/be with/see all of you.... really.

Really.

So, it is Christmas Day, 2008, and I write to you from my little cottage on Sunset Island in Everglades City, Florida. I hope for you a day to remember, a day to celebrate, and a day to focus on your families as a prioroity. I miss you all very much and I hope you will refer to my posting about the Mountains and Valleys.

To conclude.

I have been to my first small "summit" at NCOBS-- two years of working, serving, and being in and out of contact. Before I push my "professional altitude" to new heights in April, it is my hope that I can proverbially (and who knows, maybe literally), come down to the valley and plains to use my experiences from the mountains and seas to live a richer life outside of that wilderness...
I hope we can all go to the wilderness together someday.

I miss you. I am still out there- growing and fostering growth in others, and I want you to know I care. Have a safe and merry Christmas and may this be a time to focus on our priorities...
For all who do not celebrate Christmas, I am eager to celebrate with you and learn about your traditions, I hope for you a place of focus on what matters in your lives too.

With much love,


Kev
Kshon
alias alias alias


Post Script:

Please e-mail your physical address to kevin.shon@gmail.com with the subject saying:
"address book." I want to have a log of your places to send mail - it's time to write my friends. It is my time to write. Miss you...

Service Bus stories coming soon!