To Be Held at Wire Ridge, Middle Mountain

A CELELBRATION OF LIFE For Barbara Schomer August 8, 1942 – November 2, 2011

To be held at Wire Ridge, Middle Mountain Grant County, West Virginia On April 28, 2012, When the daffodils (and lots of wildlflowers) Are blooming (what Barbara wanted)

The Plan: About 4:00 p.m. begin “formal” celebration and sharing of the wonderful memories of Barbara’s life (stories not eulogies as someone put it). When everyone who has something to share with all of us has had their turn we will put most of Barbara’s ashes in the garden that she picked out. Somewhere around 5:30 or 6:00, depending on how long people talk, we will eat. Somewhere around 7:00 or 7:30 we will have a digital slide show of the highlights of some of Barbara’s adventures.

Following the slide show we’ll have a campfire as long as anyone is awake to put wood on it.

This weekend might be considered the last page of what Barbara called her Last Great Adventure. But her memory will certainly live on.

Logistics: Wire Ridge is three miles up a dirt road off of US 220 about ten miles south of Petersburg and about one mile north of the Pendleton County line. For those who choose not to drive up the mountain, we will have vehicles with drivers available to ferry you up (and down) the mountain. Since this will be a long drive for some of you, there are several options. First, there are about 140 acres of woodland on which you might be able to find a flat spot to pitch a tent. There are also sections of road where it is flat enough to park a van or camper to sleep in. Second, there are motels and B&B’s in Petersburg and Franklin each about a half hour to 45 minutes drive from the cabin, including the drive up the mountain. Contact me as noted below and I can give you more information on accommodations. There should be someone around from about the weekend before until at least the Monday or Tuesday after, so if you would like to come early and/or stay longer, you are welcome. A few notes of interest: the cabin has a well and a septic system (never used by more than five or six people at one time); for back up there is what the Australians call a Dinkum Dunny. Folks who are coming to camp should bring drinking water and food, stove, cooler, etc., since the cabin only has one stove and microwave and is not set up as a field station.

Things to share: Please bring your wonderful memories of your adventures with Barbara, to share with everyone or to share more informally around the campfire. If you have slides or digital pictures on a CD/DVD/flashdrive we should be able to show them. If you get them to me early enough I might work them into what I put together. If you have some special food that you would like to bring to share, especially deserts, please do so, as well as any special beverage.

Things to do before and after: There are plenty of places to hike around the cabin, dirt roads to mountain bike on, there is rock climbing at Seneca Rocks (a bit over an hours drive away), lots of caving, and canoeing on the South Branch of the Potomac River, to name but a few activities. You can just hang out and relax too.

Please bring a chair if you want to sit, there are a few around but they will be taken up quickly. Also, a few folding tables might come in handy.

The phone number at the cabin is 304-257-5022, if that doesn’t work, leave a message and then try Bru’s cell, 412-760-5054.

So that we can plan to have enough food and drink please let us know you are coming, if it has to be a last minute decision, that’s okay too, please come.

Email to [email protected] is best or call one of the numbers above.

Thanks, Bru Randall and all of Barbara’s family