From the Heart

I really love The Grand Barn! More every year.

I was there recently for another eleven fantastic days for the third consecutive year. To get there from Ohio, it’s about a 600 mile drive that takes 10-11 hours depending on how many stops I make. As always, it was worth every mile, worth every minute.

When I arrived, I was pretty well zombied out from the long drive. I was welcomed with warmth and hugs as if I’d just come home from the wars. In a way, that’s not a bad analogy. The Grand Barn feels very much like home to me. It’s a safe haven from all the realities I’ve created and live with through the rest of the year. It’s an escape from the complications, stresses, possessions, and rules of everyday life. It’s a return to the Earth, to personal freedom. It’s a time, always too brief, to live a simpler life, to rediscover what’s truly important. It’s a time to restore both the body and especially the soul.

Peter and Souz, as always, were/are exceptional hosts and great friends, always providing good cheer, excellent food, every comfort, and the environment to make the restoration possible.

It was a time for reviving and strengthening old friendships, especially Neil and Elaine, Wayne and Tracy (herself a total delight!), John, Al, Robert, Marie and Lita. I got to know Jean-Guy and Donna better this year, and enjoyed them both immensely. There was far too little time with Matt and Andrea as they had other commitments. I always enjoy their company. I saw Ron again, and his forever charming Mary Beth. I met Carlos for the first time. He’s a new member (to me anyway) who bought a trailer and spends as much time as possible at The Grand Barn. He marvels over what a fantastic, truly amazing place The Grand Barn is. I couldn’t agree more.

This visit, I spent some time with Thaila and Shawna (who stole my heart ), Pasler, and re-met delightful Yalitsa. I’d met Yalitsa only briefly last year. This year we had some time to chat, but not nearly enough. She’s a busy girl.

I met Celta for the first time this year. In a word, Celta is exquisite. Follow your dreams, Celta. Or if you follow my wisdom and become a supermodel, please send lots of pics. Hell, send pics anyway!

As to The Grand Barn itself, the facilities, and the 250 acres that seem to go on forever, not much had changed at first glance. But Peter had promised a surprise would be there when I arrived. I found it the first day: Desire Lake.

Desire Lake has always been a beautiful, peaceful place to spend some time just listening to the Earth and relaxing in the sun. It had been an like an oasis in a wilderness before, but this time it was very different. Through what must have been a huge amount of work, largely by Jean-Guy and Donna, Desire Lake had become more like a well-manicured park. All the good things are still there and intact. It’s still a wonderful place to go for whatever you want to do, but now it’s even more beautiful than ever before. It’s absolutely breathtaking.

One night at the bonfire, I created a little excitement, and discovered the true meaning of friendship all over again. Wayne, in particular, after making sure I was alive, lol, walked and talked me back to my trailer while Carlos ran to the house to find Peter. In no time at all, my friends filled my trailer. I doubt that T-1 has ever had so many people in it at once, lol. There was genuine and deep concern for me, but I kept insisting I was alright. I was just having a moment, so to speak. Thankfully, Peter, in his wisdom, quietly understood. Still, after I was left alone, he still stopped by to check on me every so often until he was absolutely certain I was OK. The next morning, I was fine, but stronger in knowing that I couldn’t have better friends anywhere than at The Grand Barn.

Another night, Wayne and Tracy even fixed me up with a date! Admittedly, she was kind of a dog, but she was sweet. She didn’t talk much or complain about anything, and was great company. Actually, she really was a dog; a Rottweiler pup. They had somewhere else to go that evening and asked me to keep an eye on her, so rather than watch from afar, I went to their trailer and sat outside with her till they returned. Later Elaine joined me. Elaine has a way of charming the Hell out of me more every time I see her. This time was no exception.

There was more during my visit to The Grand Barn, but there are some things I’d rather just keep to myself and savor the moments.

As always, the only bad thing about The Grand Barn was leaving it. This time it was harder than ever. After I’d packed my car, I was surrounded by Peter and Souz, Neil and Elaine, and Wayne and Tracy, who’d all come by to see me on my way. It was a highly emotional time. There were hugs all around (Tracy’s was noticeably special ) and in my heart of hearts, I wanted desperately to unpack my car again and just stay at The Grand Barn forever. If only I could have.

If you have the chance, visit The Grand Barn by any means possible, even if it’s only for a day. Your visit will be different from mine, and it should be. The Grand Barn gives everyone the freedom to make it their own. Clothing is optional, but so is nudity. Whether you’re nude or prefer to wear an overcoat the whole time, you’ll always be welcome and accepted as a friend. No one will ever judge you. Just relax, breathe in the air deeply, and have the time of your life!

Thanks to all for yet another remarkable stay at The Grand Barn!
Mitch

It is always nice when someone shares their experience at TGB after their visit. I’ve read so many over the years, and they always resonate around the freedom and personality that is so unique at TGB. This one is truly special because knowing the individual who wrote it, only makes the sentiment that much stronger. Be safe my good friend and it was indeed a pleasure seeing you again.

The evolution of things

When ever there is an explosion of a new medium, that which is stable and refined sometimes is over shadowed by the massive influx. Photography is in the midst of such a revolution, but one should not view this in a disheartening light, but see it as a wave of new talents discovering the joy that photography brings to the soul. If one stands on a plateau and views an open field in the summer with its billions of dancing participants playing in the breeze, the eye will always be drawn to the one wildflower as it joyfully dances amidst the fray, such is the allure of the photograph, and such it will always remain. -Alexander Neave

Incredible Youth

Standing on the doorstep of this new electronic frontier, with all the Orwellian fears and paranoia’s set aside. I’m somewhat fascinated how this is all starting to revolutionize almost every aspect of global society. Cyberspace is no longer a concept, a market, or a medium of communication, but has all the earmarks of an independent nation state of sorts. What is incredible is the age of most of its founders, developers and inhabitants.

Where Woodstock proved to a generation that a large number of people could come together for peace love and music, The new social networking avenues of the internet have proven that the same event can take place, and in an incredible leap forward remove the barriers of age, race, and social standing. It’s not perfect, not utopian but if the internet community can do this in such a short time frame, without intent, without the incredible resources that nations have, it begs the question why are the youth of the net able to catapult forward while institutions like the UN travel somewhere between dead stop and dead slow.

The economic gloom that preoccupies most peoples minds these days, maybe the necessary distraction and correction needed to bring the qualities of what we as a society have learned, but conveniently lost to our obsession with consumerism, and hopefully we can return to the forefront of our ideals and priorities, the values that really count in a society. These values merged with the incredible energy and unbiased vision of the youth of this new frontier, revitalizes the dream that we seem to carry from civilization to civilization that we can rise above our ego’s and self serving natures, to prove that we are indeed evolutionary beings, and once and for all break the cycle of repetitive dysfunction. (c)2009 Alexander Neave

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