Latest Write-ups from Mosaicers
Authentic Native American Sweat Lodge Ceremony , Saturday, 19 NOV
Sweaty yet Sweet Experience for 10 at Mosaic's first ever Sweat Lodge
Ten friends of Mosaic attended the Sweat Lodge event coordinated by Yaakov Gothard and facilitated by Flying Red Horse and Tal Quetzal. The Sweat Lodge was a beautiful willow branch and twine dome, covered with blankets, with the dirt floor, lined with rugs. The sweat is ceremoniously heated by fired-hot rocks placed in a pit in the center of the lodge hut. The leader or dance chief, splashes water on the scalding rocks, creating a deep heat in the lodge. Each participant offered prayers for themselves, others, animals, the planet, as well as a releasing segment where we each let go of something we intend to release. The final segment involved asking for your dreams to come true. The dreams you have for your truest self. The dreams of self, you may have forgotten, to remember recently.
Red Horse and Tal Quetzal, as well as their assisting friends provided a gentle dream ceremony sweat lodge experience; intended to cleanse and purify as well as heal the body and spirit of those participating. All but two of Mosaic's participants were virgin sweat lodgers. The overall experience was pleasant and comfortable. The facilitators were knowledgeable and experienced and educated us well on the process and the ceremony in general. No one left dissappointed. It was a nice and cleansing time. Afterward, five participants went to eat together at Bahama Breeze.
Janice L. Metzel
TreeClimbing, Sunday, 13 NOV
Aloha! Note from the Prez:
Somehow, and once again, both Nimrod and Diana, the stately white oaks that serve as classroom at Tree Climbers International, managed to withstand the onslaught of Mosaicers willing to try or enhance their expertise at one of the most fun events on our calendar. And there we were, 14 of us, hanging from ropes, inching our way, seeking new heights in life, under the guidance of Peter Jenkins and the curious eye of an emu next door, ascending to the treetops of Little Five Points. Three generations of the (Kaethe the climber) Solomon family members "were a-danglin'" and branch-dancing", while Pam Kindler, Joel Alvo and Yaakov Gothard made it appear that this was no more than an easy and routine bungee-jump, with multiple yoyo returns to their perches in the sky. (Yours truly managed to hike himself upward to a less than stellar height of about 6 feet, as I was laughing too hard to catch my breath). My hat is off to all, including all of the newbies who showed, once again attesting to the popularity of this event.
For those of you who missed out, or requested yet another go at it, I will be scheduling this again in the MAR timetable. If you do desire to come, please make note when the event is posted for an RSVP - it is essential so that the instructors will be able to both staff the group and set up the necessary rope lines to accommodate us without wait.
See you on the next event,
The Prez (Hank Aldort)
God in Nature – A Chassidic TGI Thursday Wildlife Viewing Story
By Yaacov Gothard, TGI Thursday Trip Leader:
After a long hiatus, Mosaic's weekly wilderness viewing resumed on Oct. 20 with an excited crowd of nine participants ages 8 to 46, with many of the newcomers being the children of two of my Chabad Rabbis, Yossi New and Yossi Lew. (Yes, like many of our more savvy event leaders, I promote my events to Jews in and out of Mosaic). Because most of the attendees this Thursday were Chassidic children, we started the evening by talking about two of G-d's, namely, Adonai and Elochim. I pointed out that the first name refers to G-d in heaven, or G-d in His/Her essence, and Elochim, which is in the plural, refers to G-d in nature, including humans, plants, water, soil, fire…i.e. "everything." Rabbi Lew's oldest son Sholom Ber (14) showed off his New York Yeshiva learning by informing us that in Gematria, or Jewish numerology, all Hebrew letters have numerical values ( i.e. aleph = 1, bet = 2, etc.), and that the total of all the letters of G-d's name Elochim is the same total as all the letters in the words Ha Tevah, which means "The Nature." In other words, according to Jewish mysticism, G-d equals nature, or G-d is nature.
Once we arrived at the Hooch, where we tracked some human and animal foot/paw prints, saw lots of pickled Herons, looked for the elusive brown carp which is gefilte fish before it gets gefilted, I taught the group many of the spiritual sensing techniques I have been learning during my three recent week-long classes with Tom Brown at The Tracker School in NJ. These skills better enabled the group to sense the presence of and locate animals along the walk once we continued through the woods along the river. The following is a story (with misspellings and all) written by 11-year old Faygie Lew with some help from her big sister, who I have known since they were babies, hence the humorous references to my name. So I guess among the many lessons of this story is, bring your kids or bring yourself and your camera to the next Thursday adventure, and maybe that will be the day that you sense, hear and see the elusive family of River Otters or any of the other wonders of nature.
---Peace/Out, Yaacov---
By The Lews, TGI Thursday Participants:
"We went to the chattahuche and Yackov/Jody talked about G-d and nature and how G-d keeps us living and also keeps nature working. We learned how to find animal tracks. Also to walk a walk called a Fox-walk so animals wouldnt hear us. Jody/Yackov told us to wave our hands and spread them out until we couldn't see them anymore this is called wide circle vison. He also taught us how to sence thing that are behind us. Then we went on a nature trail. We saw many herons and ducks and found a few beaver trails. ---Faygie Lew (11) and Chaya Mushka Lew (16)---
By Mark Whiteman, TGI Thursday Participant:
FL Canoe/Camping Trip!
Gators,
Gully-Washers and Hippy Happenings on the Feb 13-15
by Yaacov Gothard, Trip Co-Leader
It bears repeating: The best time you can possibly have in Mosaic is on our Weekend Trips! The friendship, bonding and wildlife viewing is unparalleled, and you come back revitalized from your time spent in nature. Each one is these trips is an experience of a lifetime, and each one you miss can never be repeated. --- For example, this past weekend's Canoe/Camping Trip saw six Mosaicers from FL and GA join 15 Georgia Canoe Association paddlers for a wet and wild(life) weekend in North Florida's Ocala Forest. Minutes after we crawled out of our tents Saturday morning at the Juniper Springs Recreation Area, Seth Towbis from Mosaic of South FL pointed to a tree right above our tents, and we all watched in amazement as a red-tailed hawk stood on a branch just 15 feet over our heads. That was just part of the amazing wildlife we saw this weekend. While driving to the campsite the previous night, Todd Molkner and I saw dolphins and cormorants in the Gulf of Mexico during dinner on the FL panhandle, a large black otter crossing the road near Cross Town, as well as a coyote and a grey fox walking alongside the road in Ocala. While driving during the day we saw two large sandhill cranes standing alongside the road and an extremely large squirrel? with a black face and the biggest tail I've ever seen on a squirrel(?). A masked thief of a raccoon actually stole a bag of hot chocolate from Todds' tent, and was climbing up a tree with it when it dropped the bag after Todd threw his flashlight at it.
Saturday's 6-mile paddling trip from the Juniper River's origin at the springs, featured almost consant rain and very low palm and oak overhangs, and proved challenging for the Mosaicers, who tipped no less than four times. As Seth, who was paddling with Mosaic National Event Chairwoman Elisa Berger pointed out, "at least the water in the river was warmer than the rain water, and that was neat, kind of." After a second night of camping out, Sunday's sunshine proved to be just as beautiful as the previous day's rain, with a 7-mile trip down Alexander Springs (featuring exotic waterfowl, gar in the clear water, and alligators and turtles swimming or sunning themselves). The sunny day ended at a beautiful take-out, where a group of tattoed and dreadlocked "Rainbow" members (a hippy group from the 70's), was capping off a two-week campout by baptizing one of their members on the river. After Todd and I told the gang that we were Jewish, they blessed us and told us that they loved us. And as Todd said, "It doesn't matter who it comes from. A blessing is a powerful thing if you accept it." So the sun had replaced the rain, and we drove back feeling exhausted, exhilirated and "blessed" that we had decided to attend another awesome Mosaic of Georgia Weekend Trip!
Alpharetta Greenway– Dec.25, 2003
A Close Encounter with a Predator
by Yaacov Gothard
Alpharetta Greenway is quickly starting to rival
the Silver Comet Trail as one of Mosaic of Georgia's most popular hiking/biking/blading
destinations, with the added allure of a lot of wildlife. The first time we
did this trail about two months ago, some of the 16 participants saw a deer
on the main trail, and in the swamp boardwalk a rabbit and a non-venemous
four-foot black rat snake lounging in mid-trail.
THE ENCOUNTER
During the Dec.25th X-Mass Day Hike on the Greenway, we had over 30 participants,
discovered a large fort and zip line (which a few of us took rides on), met
old and new friends, and toward the end of the hike I tossed my coat onto
the head of Hazel Berger's five-year old daughter (hey, I carried her part
of the way so fair is fair), and took off on a half-mile run through the swamp/boardwalk
part of the trail. As I rounded a bend in the trail, however, I had to stop
short, as a two-foot-high red-tailed hawk was standing in the middle of the
woodchip trail, eating a dead squirrel it had probably just caught and killed.
At 30 feet away, I got on my knees, and started talking to this impressive
raptor to calm it down as I inched closer and closer.
All the time, the hawk was ripping into the squirrel it was standing on with
it taloned-feet and down-covered legs. When I inched to within 10 feet of
the bird, it started looking upwards, and I froze, as I knew it was probably
looking for a branch to fly up to with its prey if I got any closer. Whenever
I crept closer and the bird got nervous and started to think about flying
off the trail, its tail feathers spread out and upwards like the wings of
a plane getting ready to take off. When I stopped moved towards it, and it
calmed down, its tail feathers came together and moved back down towards the
ground.
During the full five minutes that I was watching this once-in-a-lifetime scene
right behind the stores of North Point Parkway, the bird was ripping bloody
pieces of meat from the middle of the squirrel with its sharp beak, and white
pieces of muscle from near the tail. It was eating fast, too, as if it thought
I was going to try to snatch away its hard earned lunch. At one point, a bloody
piece of meat landed and stayed on the top of its beak. It was never in danger
of loosing its grey-furred delicacy to me, however, because I had a buffet
of my own waiting at the Mosaic Elections Brunch, where I was going to receive
my "Most Lost Hiker" award. Hey, how can I help it if amazing things
like this keep happening to me on Mosaic hikes just a few dozen yards away
from the parking lot.
Anyway, back to da big bird. One two occasions it looked directly at me, and
its piercing brown eyes were so big it almost looked like an owls' face, but
less rounded and with a large hooked orange/brown beak. This may have even
been the same hawk I had seen circling the last group of Mosaic hikers (the
youngest of whom was three and slower than the rest of the pack) as we had
approached the Haynes Bridge underpass 10 minutes earlier. Eventually, when
the hawk had eaten almost all of the meat, and only the spine and the grey
outer coat remained, he grabbed the squirrel and flew with it up to a large
branch 25 feet above the trail. I wished him a Happy Carnivorous Christmas,
and continued running back to the parking lot.
THE LESSON
A spiritual law of life, which I am using more and more these days to really
learn from each experience I have is: Whatever happens to us physically has
a lesson to teach us spiritually, and sometimes is even symbolic of what we
are trying to accomplish in our personal lives. For example, on a hike, if
you like to explore a lot or do the aggressive, long bike rides you might
be searching for something in your personal life, and if you like to hang
out with the crowd, you probably value companionship over adrenaline rushes.
If you counsel people for a living, you are definitely increasing the ability
to counsel yourself; if you join the army, you more than likely have some
inner conflict or fear you are trying to address; if you see a snake you might
be getting ready to shed your old skin (i.e. your old habits) for the new
year, etc. etc.
In the case of the hawk I saw ripping its prey to shreds, combined with the
other three hawks I saw last week sitting in treetops along I-285 scoping
out rodents to pounce on, the lesson for me was "If I identify my goals
with clarity, and keep an eagle eye out for opportunities to achieve those
goals, I will hit each of my targeted objectives with the same success the
red-tail had in catching its prey." The lessons are different for each
one of us, and the encounters happen every day for those who keep an open
mind, a sharp eye, and ask themselves "How does what I just experienced
physically, symbolize what I'm trying to achieve internally?"
Ellijay Weekend Getaway – Nov.8-10, 2002
by Jason Schwartz
The weekend started off with everyone slowly beginning to arrive at 3ish. The first arrivals were kind enough to post signs to prevent others from getting lost in the wilderness. After everyone staked out their claims in the bunkhouses and cabins, we held Shabbat, which was followed by a scrumptious Chinese dinner.
Afterwards, half the crowd headed towards the hot tub, while others hung around the lodge, sharing stories and jokes, all the time trying to remember the names of the 26 new friends they had made. Most of the sensible people made it to bed at a decent hour, in order to be energized for the hike the next morning. The rest of us, well……….you get the idea.
Saturday morning, the troops wandered into the lodge in time frames coinciding with when they went to sleep the previous night. After a hearty breakfast, we were lead on a fairly strenuous hike by the owner of the lodge. We wandered up the steep side of a small mountain, noshing and chatting along the way.
Once we reached the top, we were attacked by a swarm of friendly ladybugs, who did their best to prevent us from enjoying our lunch. Afterwards, it was all down hill, or so we thought, as some hikers had quite a challenge on the steeper slope.
Back at the lodge, many made a bee line for the hot tub to soothe aching muscles. Spaghetti and meatballs was a fitting dinner, as many had worked up a hearty appetite from the hike. Later in the evening, we headed down to an open field, where we sang songs and made s'mores by a roaring fire.
Unfortunately, rain arrived overnight, but did not dampen our spirit, as we all shmoozed in the warmth of the lodge, eating and chatting.
One by one, everyone ventured back out into mainstream society, dirt roads turning into paved ones.
A Connecticut Yankee in Georgia Mosaic’s Court by Joanne Rosenthal
The South has a longstanding reputation for gracious hospitality and the Georgia Mosaic group certainly proved that this reputation is well deserved. I joined Mosaic two years ago after moving to Greenwich, Conn. from NYC . I figured it would be a good way to meet other people in the area interested in the outdoors, and it worked. Several of my new friends enthusiastically endorsed the Mosaic National event that takes place over Labor Day Weekend, and I have since attended the events in West VA and Toronto. I have discovered that attending National is a good news/bad news proposition – I have enjoyed befriending Mosaic members from all over the country, but twelve months is a long time between Nationals to see your new friends. Hence, my visit to Atlanta.
I came to visit with Bonnie Rubin, Georgia Mosaic’s Membership Chair, but everyone participating in the Ellijay weekend made me feel very welcome. I could tell right away that this was going to be a great weekend, and I wasn’t disappointed. The Whispering Winds Mountain Retreat, located just outside Ellijay, is situated in spectacular surroundings. Bonnie and I missed the key right turn onto Gates Chapel Rd., my fault as navigator, not hers, but we still managed to arrive around 6pm. We waited for the rest of the participants to arrive and started the weekend off right with Friday night services on the porch at the Lodge. Beth Yager, the weekend’s coordinator who deserves special kudos for doing a great job organizing everything, also did a great job incorporating some of the Beth Schafer songs that we had learned at the Toronto National this past September into the services. Friday night’s vegetarian Chinese meal was delicious, but I found it a bit unusual in that we Northerners tend to do Chinese on Sunday night.
I opted to stay in the more intimate cabin accommodations, as opposed to the bunkhouse accommodations, and was delighted with the space. The decor was rustic, but charming, the beds were comfy and the jacuzzi on the deck was divine, especially after our Saturday hike! The heat and swirling jets were great for my muscle fatigue and the chlorine killed off any of the remaining ladybugs that had swarmed us earlier in the day.
I was also glad to have been on breakfast duty in the morning, because I would never have had the energy to be one of the team preparing or cleaning up after our sumptuous Ital-Sino dinner on Saturday night. I was glad that I did manage to get a second wind in time to enjoy the s’mores and the musical offerings by the campfire. The overcast weather on Sunday put a damper on some of the scheduled activities, but it made for a relaxing day in the mountains. On Monday, Bonnie and I drove down to FDR State Park to preview the Mosaic hike that she is leading later this month – be sure to check it out, I think you will enjoy it!
Thanks again for welcoming an out-of-stater into your midst. It would be my pleasure to reciprocate if any of y’all ever make it up to my part of the country (either Connecticut or New York City). Also, you may get another visit from me … I still have a t-shirt to tie-dye.
Adopt-a-Stream - June 23, 2002
Mosaic recently adopted Long Island Creek, a direct tributary to the Chattahoochee River. The first sampling event at this new location took place this past Sunday. The threat of rain kept many of the normal adopt-a-stream participants away, but the fearless leaders enjoyed exploring the new creek. Intermittent rain dampened our notes but not our spirits as we collected data on visual stream observations and classified the biological activity in the creek. We splashed in the water, had a picnic along the creek and conversed with local Student Conservation Association members doing their part to maintain the trails. With the Chattahoochee River just a few steps away, this area is both an important place for us to monitor and a great location to hang out.
June 20, 2002 - Silver Comet
On a sunny and warm Father’s Day we gathered at the Silver Comet Trail. Mosaic-ers arrived by the dozens. We arrived with kids, pets and sunscreen. We traveled by foot, bikes, and rollerblades. When we finally hit the trail, the head count was over 40 and we had several new Mosaic members. Some leisurely strolled a few miles, others strenuously peddled 20+. Everyone enjoyed the beautiful weather and great conversation. After the trail, we refueled at Mellow Mushroom where we were joined by some of the bikers from that day’s mountain biking trip. All in all, a great day!
June 2002: Reviews of the Nantahala Weekend
One
I am extremely grateful to Mosaic. When I moved to upstate NY more than two years ago, the local Mosaic Chapter was a great forum to meet wonderful people, explore my newest outdoor surroundings and an alternative way to get rooted to the Jewish community. Over the past months, my involvement with Mosaic has taken an entire new dimension by attending national events. These Mosaic trips are considered to be some of my most memorable and life-changing traveling experiences. The Nantahala Weekend, was my second national event trip.
As Yaacov Gothard has simply and profoundly said to me, every Mosaic trip turns out to be a growing experience. For me as well, Nantahala offered all the ingredients for making my North Carolina/Georgia journey a growing personal experience. This trip was successful mainly due to its people. Definitely, all followed Beth’s orders of bringing along a great attitude. I was mostly impressed by the positive group dynamics and the level of generosity, warmth and friendliness expressed by so many of you. There is much to say about the Southern way of living! Also worth noting is that people’s attitude perfectly matched the lovely and peaceful nature setting of the Great Smoky Mountains National Park. The outdoor scenery really rejuvenated me physically and spiritually. As much as this trip was inductive of a peaceful and relaxing way of being, excitement, fun and action were constantly an integral part of the trip agenda. I greatly thank Beth and all her helpers in planning an extensive array of awesome activities ranging from kayaking to horseback riding.
Bottom line, this journey into the Great Smoky Mountains was incredible and highly enjoyable because it relied on the basic principles of a strong sense of community. My most memorable events comprise the group meals, the Shabbat services, the singing by the campfire and all other moments that reflected the powerful group synergy. Will definitely remember that whirlpools can help build stronger communities!
Two
It was with great excitement last Friday that I boarded the plane that would take me to Atlanta to participate in the annual Nantahala weekend. It was mind boggling to me that a local Mosaic chapter could get fifty people and turn away even more for a weekend trip. The Northeast Ohio chapter, for which I humbly serve as President, does not even have fifty members. Thus, I hoped that I could come away with some of the secrets of the Atlantan’s success.
Yeah, the activities were great. Our hike Saturday took us to three waterfalls. The duckying on Sunday was exhilarating. On the other hand, we did seem to spend a lot of time walking in circles, and I seemed to get stuck on every rock in the river. Besides, its not like I can trade the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame for the Smokey Mountains. The weather was perfect too, but we do have at least 10-15 sunny days per summer in Cleveland.
Another integral part of your success, Beth Yeager, also cannot be exported to Cleveland (This is not to say that I have not considered kidnapping her to run our chapter). The whole weekend was meticulously planned and implemented. Carpools were arranged and food for fifty was purchased and delivered. Even sleeping arrangements were planned with great care. I was particularly honored that snorers, such as myself, were given the opportunity to commiserate in our own special bunkhouse. I was also amazed at Beth’s ability to repeatedly answer questions that had previously been addressed orally or in writing. I will definitely stop dealing with this phenomenon by slapping people in the face who ask these types of questions.
One thing that I need to do is recruit people with more skills for our chapter as you Atlantans proved to be quite a talented bunch. The Friday night service was greatly enhanced by the guitar and drumming accompaniment. The music along with being outdoors made it a Kabbalat Shabbat that I will long remember. I was particularly moved by the reading of e-mail from an Israeli women describing how her life has been affected by the ongoing violence in her country.
This was the first Mosaic trip where I was provided with a nice variety of blended mixed drinks. I am definitely grateful to the bartender. Finally, I was greatly impressed by people’s skill with water weaponry. It was reassuring to know that people were there with squirt guns who were not afraid to use them if things were to get out of hand.
It is clear to me that the key to our future success in Northeast Ohio is finding warm and fun loving people, like yourselves, for our chapter. I’ll tell ya. I can’t remember that last time that I have since so much G rated hugging and kissing. People who I barely knew were hugging me when we all departed. Maybe they were happy that I was heading back north? Or, they were just really nice people who were glad that I had a good time? I’ll go with the later. At any rate, I am going to institute mandatory hugging and kissing at the beginning and end of each of our events.
The bottom line is that you are a group that knows how to have fun and enjoy each other’s company. I saw this all weekend at the campfires, impromptu soccer games, and various types of water events. For some reason, people seem to have fun when they’re wet. I will definitely have to include more hot tubs and lakes in our events.
So, thank you for taking me in and making me part of your wonderful group for the weekend. You’re all welcome in Cleveland anytime.
Dan Price
March 31: Passover Picnic and Perambulation
Seven wandering Jews set off for
McIntosh Reserve under gray skies. The Chattahoochee River was swollen from
the previous day's rain, with large branches in the swift brown water. Bright
green grass was sprouting along the river trail. We reached a bridge that was
under 3 feet of water at the moment when the drizzle became persistent rain,
and hurried back to the overlook pavillion. Time for Passover grub and
conversation until we threw in the towel and headed home. Mosaic will
return another day to this beautiful spot.
Welcome to Carrie, who arrived from California two weeks ago, and to our
newest member, Julie, who lives in Savannah!
March 24: Disney Hike
The weather was spectacular for a hearty hike up near Dalton, GA. Six daring souls headed to the hills and hiked this somewhat steep trail (even if it was short, was challenging). We made it to George Disney's grave (check out the pics) and then continued to the top for lunch. The view was awesome and we even met a prospective new member from Atlanta. He was absolutely amazed to find six Jews on top of a mountain who liked the outdoors. He'd never heard of Mosaic and now he's going to check us out to join us for future events.
Feb. 3:
Chastain Park Walk Review - By Beth Yager
It was Superbowl Sunday and even a slightly cold cloudy day, but we had 16
troopers come out to walk. Chastain Park Loop is around a beautiful woodsy
golf course in a prestigious Buckhead neighborhood. We quickly strolled the 3
mile loop, 2 times. Despite the coldness outside, we had lots of nice and warm
talks as we circled the Park. We had worked up an appetite and headed over to
Felini's on Roswell Rd, for awesome pizza and salad!
Jan 27:
Sweetwater Creek Hike: Hike Leader Sandra Lazarus
We had 33 people show
up for the hike at Sweetwater Creek. Sweetwater Creek is at state park that is
in Lithia Springs, GA. The weather was partly cloudy and cool, perfect
day for hiking weather. We had a clear view of the woods, hills and
fields, as we hiked to the stream. As we first saw the stream it was
quiet and still. As we hiked the water could be heard moving downstream.
We saw a group of kayakers scout out a rapid, and they made a decision to go
down it. One by one, these kayakers went down the Sweetwater Creek.
Of course, we Mosaicers had to stop, watch, and take pictures. We ate
lunch at the textile mill ruins by the water. We had a brief Tu B'shevat
activity done by Sharon Solomon, as she read us a story honoring the
environment. Gadiel Robbins briefly added a spiritual piece, as he spoke
about the holiday and we joined him song and blessings.
Jan.
17-20, 2002, Swimming With the Manatees Weekend
What an
exciting weekend we had with the Florida Mosaic chapters! 8 Atlantans went on
this trip (7 of us drove down and 1 flew). It took 7 hours going down, but we
had a blast because of Mosaic’s new walkie talkies.
It was a whole lot cheaper than cell phones and everyone got to chat a
bit. Every couple of hours, we
played musical cars and exchanged passengers (and drivers too). The camping spot at Pott’s Preserve was beautiful, nestled
in between oak trees and the marshlands. On Friday night, we had a nice brief
Shabbat service around the campfire. After that was lots of singing, gazing at
the stars, and enjoying refreshments. Saturday, we hiked in the woods and saw
lots of armadillo’s (they are so cool-so prehistoric). By Saturday night,
most of the Miamians came up and joined
us for a delicious cookout (yummy chicken, steak, and veggie burgers!).
Sunday, we headed out in 2 pontoon boats to see the manatees.
A Sea Marine Education group on protecting the manatees, which was
really informational, educated us. We
were outfitted in wet suits and snorkels and went out for a 2 hour swim. Many
of us got so close to the manatees, touching them with our hands, or just swam
by their sides. It was awesome!
Sunday night, we went to our final destination, a true live ranch (the
Sheriff’s ranch at that) with cows, goats, and chickens, to stay the night.
It was quite rural, really flat, but pretty in its own way. We woke up with a
quick start (ask Gary about this), memorable breakfast, and a drive back to
Atlanta.
Jan 13: Benton MacKaye Hike Review - By Matt Gottlieb
Our first hike of 2002 was well attended. We had 25 members and 5 non-members set off into the mountains for a vigorous hike that was enjoyed by all. When we started it was a bit chilly and everyone was all bundled up, but within 15-20 minutes, most of the layers were off and everyone was enjoying the wonderful vistas offered from hiking along a ridge between two valleys. We arrived at the 260' suspension bridge to the delight of everyone as to the beauty of the site. We even bounced and swayed across the bridge to get to the picnic site. We ate lunch by the river, a few of the hard core hikers set off to add another mile and half to the trip and caught up to the rest of the group before everyone returned to the cars. Rick Dronsky and Neal Leve from the National Mosaic organization joined us for the hike and everyone got to meet and talk with them. We liked the hike so much that we're going to make it a camping trip when the weather gets warmer so we can get in the water.
Jan 12: Game Night Review - By Gary Vogin
At our first ever board game
night, 19 members and 4 non mosaic members enjoyed the fun. We welcome
our newest member at least as of that night--Terri. Terri was a past
member and is back with us again. Hugh lead a beautiful Havdalah to
start the evening. We played lots of games including Scategories, Outburst,
Hilliarium, and several others, including a couple of brave souls who tried
out Twister. The group was having so much fun that they forgot to leave
at the end and a small group played Catch the Phrase till almost 1 am.
We still made it to the hike the next day. We look forward to seeing more of
you the next time.
Dec. 31: Vogel Hike Review - By Lance Kaplan
On the last Sunday of 2001, I lead
my first impromptu hike in the North Georgia Mountains. Just before the
Christmas Day hike, I was disappointed to learn that no Mosaic events were
planed for the upcoming weekend. While eating lunch after the Christmas
Day hike, Gary Vogin, the new Mosaic President, encouraged me to take matters
in my own hands and organize a hike. Thanks to the good work of Sam
Fistel and Matt Gottlieb, the hike was announced via email and the web.
Eight people showed up and enjoyed a nippy but gorgeous day in the woods.
We followed trails from Vogel State Park to the top of Blood Mountain.
This particular route is one of my favorite Mosaic hikes that I first did when
it was lead by Betsy (or Betty ?) Shaw Cramer four years ago. I like the
hike because its gets the heart pumping and offers spectacular beauty.
Four years ago, we enjoyed the snowy winter wonderland at the higher
elevations. This year, we enjoyed the spectacular views from the Vogel
overlook and Blood Mountain. Everyone enjoyed a wonderful day that
almost never happened. I encourage anyone who wants to enjoy the outdoors and
good company to lead an activity, even if you decide to lead it less than a
week in advance. Otherwise, the opportunity is wasted.
Dec. 25: Annual Hike / Chinese Lunch / Elections / Movie
56 people came out for Mosaic's
most popular hike of the year, despite the chilly freezing temp at the 11 AM
start time. 3 miles of easy hiking ensued around the Chattahoochee at Island
Ford Unit park off Northridge/400/Roberts. 40+ continued on for lunch and
elections at China Cafe, where $10 got you soup, appetizers, and your choice
of entree, plus the standard dessert of fruit and remarkably accurate fortune
cookies. And then a handful or two continued on to see Lord of the Rings
at Perimeter Pointe.
Dec. 23: Dunwoody Bike Ride
cancelled due to rain. Replaced by impromptu Ice Skating organized by Ronald Gonsher.
December 17, 2001
BORED ON CHRISTMAS
DAY? COME HAVE FUN WITH MOSAIC
Mosaic Christmas Day Hike- 11 AM
The hike has been changed to Island Ford Unit versus East Palisades.
Dec. 16: Cochran Mills Hike/Bike
We had a great group join us in
Cochran Mills. A couple dozen (the majority) went for a hike, and a few of us,
3 bikers and one infamous person on rollerblades, enjoyed a 16 mile plus ride
on country roads with rolling hills. This is sure to be a repeat event with
both short and long option rides.
Dec. 09: Silver Comet Walk/Bike/Blade
We had 17 members join us at the Silver Comet Trail in Paulding County. This area was well paved and being away from the city, it was less crowded and more peaceful. We split up in two groups the bikers and the walkers and roller bladers. The bikers went for miles and reached the tunnel, and the walkers went to a beautiful trestle (bridge) several hundred feet above the ground, which overlooked a wooded area and a stream. After the event, many stopped at the Waffle House for hot chocolate.
October 17, 2001
Notice to our members- The membership party that is usually held at The Neon Company, will be postponed this year to the Spring. See you then!!!
October 17, 2001
During the month of December, we will once again be collecting gifts for the Jewish Family Services. Either bring an unwrapped toy for a girl or boy, or preferably a gift card to store of your choice. Please bring any of these items to the Mosaic events you attend during this month (Cabin weekend, hiking, biking, and Chanukah party). Thank you for your continuous support within our community.
July 24, 2001
We now have a discussion group on the web. Please feel free to post questions and comments. This will be a great way to discuss ideas and activities and general Mosaic business. Please take a look and contribute. The address to access the group is the following: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mosaic-georgia
July 21, 2001
Hope you like our new look. Updated the web design to make it flow better. Please send me feedback, let me know if there are any errors or omissions.
Thanks, Matt
July 20, 2001
We are always looking for ways to more effectively market Mosaic.