16 Rawhide Ranch
~ by Chrissy Alspaugh
20 Bill Root’ s Family Home Model
~ by Bob Gustin
24 Weed Patch Music Company
~ by Paige Langenderfer
32 Christmas in Brown County
~ by Chrissy Alspaugh
34-35 Photos ~ by Monique Cagle
40 Christmas in a One-room School
~ by Julia Pearson
38-39 Calendar of Events
42 The Art of MK Watkins
~ by Paige Langenderfer
44 The Rocky Roads
~ by Mark Blackwell
48 Biology at the Bird Feeder
~ by Jim Eagleman
56 Thanksgiving Memories
~ by Jeff Tryon
60-61 Services Directory
Cover: contents
Derek Clifford at Rawhide Ranch
~ by Kathy Jo Rondomanski
contributors
Mark Blackwell makes his home in an area of Brown County where“ the roadway is rough and the slopes are seamed with ravines and present a meatless, barren, backbone effect.” He was born in the last century and still spends considerable time there. He plays music with the“ Lost Shoe String Band” when he can get away with it, writes for Our Brown County, and only works when he has to.
Jeff Tryon is a former news editor of The Brown County Democrat, a former region reporter for The Republic, and a former bureau chief for The Huntsville Times. Born and raised in Brown County, he currently lives with his wife, Sue, in a log cabin on the edge of Brown County State Park. He is a Baptist minister.
Jim Eagleman recently retired from the Indiana Department of Natural Resources after 40 years as a naturalist at Brown County State Park. He hopes to finish his memoirs soon. He and his wife Kay have three sons, all graduates of Brown County High School. Kay and Jim enjoy all outdoor activities, especially kayaking.
Julia Pearson wrote for a secular Franciscan magazine for ten years and served as its human interest editor. She and her husband Bruce have made Lake Woebegone Country their new homebase for life’ s continuing adventures. Julie, Bruce, and four-footed Suki are adjusting well. Julia enjoys traveling and visiting museums of all types and sizes, with her children and grandchildren.
Joe Lee is an illustrator and writer. He is the author of The History of Clowns for Beginners and Dante for Beginners and illustrator of six other titles, including the forthcoming Dada and Surealism for Beginners in the ongoing“ for Beginners” series. He is an awardwinning editorial cartoonist for the Bloomington Herald Times, a graduate of Ringling Brothers, Barnum & Bailey Clown College, and a veteran circus performer. Joe lives with his wife Bess, son Brandon, George the cat, and his dogs, Jack and Max.
Chrissy Alspaugh is a freelance writer and owner of Christina Alspaugh Photography. She lives in Bartholomew County with her husband, Matt and two children. She can be reached at < christina _ alspaugh @ yahoo. com >. View her work at < ChristinaAlspaughPhotography. com > or on Facebook.
Paige Langenderfer is a freelance writer and communications consultant. She writes for numerous publications and is a featured columnist in The Republic. She earned her Bachelor’ s degree in journalism from Indiana University and her Master’ s degree in public relations management from IUPUI. Paige lives in Columbus with her husband and daughter Quincy. She can be contacted at < langenderferpaige @ gmail. com >.
Bob Gustin worked as a reporter, photographer, managing editor, and editor for daily newspapers in Colorado, Nebraska, and Indiana before retiring in 2011. He and his wife, Chris, operate Homestead Weaving Studio in southern Brown County. She does the weaving while he gives studio tours, builds small looms, and expands his book and record collections.
featured photographs
Monique Cagle, a Brown County artist, lives near Yellowwood State Forest, an area where she finds inspiration for her many branches of art. She began taking photos of the landscape around her to use the images for her paintings, and as her photographic eye improved, she went on to capture the story of her life in the country- the seasons, the animals, and the farm where she lives. Some of her art can be seen at < www. sleepycatstudio. com >.