It's been another long stretch since my last column. The early deadline for last week's paper didn't work out for me since I was having to pack for another fair that day. It has been a busy three weeks.

We said goodbye to Sandhill members Jon, Angelina and Zoe, who had decided to move back home to Oregon, and we also bade farewell to our intern Pi. The community threw a big party as a send off for all of them after our regular dinner with the Dancing Rabbit folks on August 21st. Our other intern Josie and her visiting brothers Chad and Nick put on a spectacular fire-dancing show for us and the Rabbits.

The rest of the evening was a great mixture of visiting, games and music.

Josie then left with her two brothers to attend an event in Nevada called Burning Man. Josie got back this last Sunday and said that there were over thirty thousand people in attendance there for the week it lasted.

Pi's mom Susan came by to pick Pi up on her way back from California to Wisconsin. She spent the night with us again as our guest. We also had a week's visit with Brianne, who had also been a visitor in 2001. We really enjoyed her ready smile and helpfulness.

Gretchen, Sydney and Sophie have returned as visitors for at least three weeks. Having more children here certainly livens up the place and Renay is enjoying the girls' company.

Our other child, Skyler, is really going full speed these days. He is interacting a lot with everyone and is beginning to call some people by name. New words seem to come tumbling out of him every day. One of his favorite activities is to "walkie-walkie" outside now that the weather is more pleasant.

We have been busy with fairs the past three weekends. Michael and I were at the Antique Fair on the 23rd. Really enjoyed visiting with all our neighbors. Sue, Bekka, Michael and I covered the three days of the Bethel Sheep Fest over the Labor Day holiday. The rain on Sunday made things rather soggy that day and Monday but folks still came out. This past weekend Michael and I were at the Corn Festival in Edina. The weather was perfect and there was a good turnout. It was great to see the Rutledge Renegades in the parades at both Memphis and Edina.

Food processing has been getting a bit less frantic the last week or so. We look in the root cellar and the freezer and we are amazed at how much we have accomplished this season. The energy that members, interns and visitors have put into getting the work done has been fantastic.

We welcomed Bekka home after her extended trip to Boston. Laird left on August 28 for another journey back east. He attended the Twin Oaks Community Conference in Virginia during Labor Day weekend.He is scheduled to attend meetings of the Fellowship for Intentional Community in Yellow Springs, Ohio and will also be doing some consulting work while he is away. He will be back in time for sorghum harvest.

Stan has done a couple of one day inspection trips in Ilinois and Iowa recently. This last week he was busy with the honey harvest. Sorghum harvest is on the near horizon now and several of us are also occupied with preparing for the Sorghum Festival on September 27. The pace of activity doesn't lessen this time of year; it is just the activities that change.