Western North Carolina was my home for twenty-six years. Not only did I raise my children there, but I walked around Lake Tomahawk in Black Mountain often. It became a sanctuary of sorts over the years for me when I sick with Lyme, when my family was struggling, and when my nest became unbearably empty. A place of healing, resilience, and connection. The ducks, the geese, and the herons were beloved friends. I helped Canada geese wrapped in fishing lines, rescued domestic ducks and ducklings carelessly dumped there by folks who didn't know what to do with them, and even aided in the homing of a homeless rooster that once hung out with the ducks! And the lake was a way of connecting to my community as well... stopping and chatting with those I knew not necessarily by name but by our shared love of the lake, smiling at strangers, attending picnics, weddings, and memorial services. My honey and I even celebrated our own 20 year anniversary there among friends and family.
When Hurricane Helene made landfall as a category 4 on September 26, 2024, no one could have predicted that it would make its way north as a tropical storm and violently sweep through Western North Carolina. This "once in a thousand years" storm caused devastation of epic proportions, since being deemed a geological event and one of the worst storms in US history, causing hundreds of landslides, reshaping mountains and riverbeds, washing away roads, bridges, and highways, and wiping out entire towns.
It will take a very long time for Western North Carolina to feel any sense of normalcy. The hurricane left permanent scars, both in the landscape and in the delicate terrain of people's hearts.
I decided to create this special wall calendar as a fundraiser for my Carolina family, using the photographs I've taken there over the years... along with some meaningful words borrowed from one of my favorite writers ever, Mary Oliver. I will devote 100% of the proceeds made from this calendar (minus printing costs) to dear ones who have lost everything and to the many organizations stepping in from all over and working tirelessly to help.
I will venture to say that the calendars are still beautiful, although it was brought to my attention that some have what looks like a somewhat subtle smudge on the black borders around the photographs, and the replacements I have since received have a thin line down every other page. However, I can't bare to just throw them out!
If you would like one, I'm reducing my price on these to a sliding scale:
($5-$20 plus shipping)
and I will continue to send 100% of the proceeds to Western North Carolina toward Hurricane Helene relief efforts.
Please fill out the form below, and once I tally up your shipping cost, I will email you to arrange payment via Venmo, personal check, or paypal (with small fee).
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