Lime Kiln Theater is an outdoor live performance venue on the outskirts of Lexington, Virginia where we have our vacation home. In the spring of 2014, they were rising out of insolvency under new leadership. To minimize costs, they organized a large volunteer force with various skill sets. I contacted them and offered my time in helping them create a new web presence. I chose an approach that would:

• Allow a professional web developer (me) to create an eye-catching website
• Allow other volunteers with modest technical skills to incrementally update the website

​That was was the vision, at least. In practice, however, the volunteers in the other aspects of the organization (sales, marketing, etc.) find it far easier to email me with an update request than to make it themselves. Now that I think about it, I can't blame them. It's a good division of labor in this particular case -- play to your strength.

This week, we announced the concert schedule for 2017, our 4th season working together. In exchange for my volunteer time, they provide me with six season passes. I think it is an equitable arrangement, all in all.

If you ever want to join us for some bluegrass music under the stars that hover over the Shenandoah Valley, let us know.

We celebrated Alison's 55th birthday in Lexington over the weekend. It was a low-key affair, focusing on good food, good drink and a long, solitary walk on the Chessie Trail.

My gift to Alison was a new mosaic featuring a heart-shaped ceramic pendant that we had picked up somewhere in our travels. It sat on my workshop bench for a couple of years before I decided what to do with it. This gift is titled Love at the Double Nickel. Pictures are below.

Should you desire, you can send Alison birthday wishes of your own at [email protected].