Lessons from the Ocean

Happy Frosty Thursday!

My dad and son have been watching “My Octopus Teacher” on Netflix on repeat for the past few months. My dad loves swimming/the ocean/diving and Everett loves the pretty pictures and the soothing sounds. It’s good kid tv. Husband and I watched it the other day just to catch up on what is quickly becoming a cult classic. If you haven’t seen it yet – it’s about a guy in South Africa who, in a trying mid life crisis he realized he needed more exercise and decided to start ocean swimming. He had always been fascinated by African tribal hunters and how they could tell things about their environment from the smallest clues. He realized in order to understand his surroundings like that he’d need to participate actively in coming to the same place in the ocean and really observing carefully each day. During this period he became friends with a particular octopus – and he describes all the things he learned from his year of swimming with her and all that she taught him about the environment. It really is a moving story with beautiful cinematography especially if you like swimming and diving.

South Africa and the ocean life feel like a world away, but his main point about being in touch and aware of our surroundings isn’t. How often are we so distracted by our tasks and the stressors of life that we fail to notice even big stuff going on around us?

I was walking up Main Street the other day and noticed as if for the first time a building I hadn’t really stopped to consider. And then I thought about how much things change from day to day, week to week, and year to year and how much of this change just goes unrecognized because I’m not paying attention. I really studied the houses who entered our light decorating contest last year and so when it came time to drive around I was keenly aware of how each house had changed up their approach. Obviously there isn’t time or energy in our lives to see every detail of every aspect of life and thank goodness for our ability to tune lots of information out – but what if we took the opportunity to observe a few aspects a little more closely? Would we notice how Lead is changing, the slight shifts in weather and light?

 

________ Here’s what’s happening around town this week

 

Thursday, 12/10

3pm Beer Bingo at Jailhouse Taps! Need an afternoon break? This is it!

5-7pm – Sanford Underground Research Facility’s Virtual Deep Talks will feature Nobel winner Art McDonald. McDonald was part of the group that won the 2015 prize for physics which resolved the long-standing solar neutrino problem created by Ray Davis’ Homestake Experiment. “These questions in particle physics relate very strongly to the evolution of the universe; it’s really a study of our origins,” said McDonald. “It is a value, in fact, to humanity to understand how our world works by investigating the laws of physics work at a very basic level.” He’ll talk about the connections between Davis’ research at Homestake in the 1960s and the discovery of neutrino oscillations, which shows that neutrinos do in fact have mass. Register and see more info here: sanfordlab.org/event/deep-talks-nobel-day-0

7pm – This is will mark the END of the Historic Homestake Opera House’s Festival of Trees online silent virtual auction. If you want to grab something, do it before this time! See http://bidpal.net/hohfot2020 for more details and the link for the auction.

Thursday-Saturday – Don’t miss the Christmas Tours of the Adams House Museum (this will be the last weekend). See DeadwoodHistory.com for more details and ticket info.

 

Friday, 12/11

6pm – Did you hear that the Stampmill has been purchased? We’ll deeply miss Amy and Kevin but we’re super excited to hear all the plans for the reopening! Come meet Chuck and Katie at the Blackstone Lodge where she’ll be playing the piano in the Hangar 7 Lounge. And while you’re there don’t forget about Blackstone Lodge’s Boxes of Hope project. They’re accepting donations of kids items (winter gear) for The Boys & Girls Club, perishable food for the Lord’s Cupboard, and pet items for Twin City Animal Shelter.

 

Saturday, 12/12

8:30-11:30 – St. Patrick’s Church on Siever is hosting their annual cookie fair (more like a bonanza!) if you’ve never been don’t miss the AMAZING creations that Rita Loeffen and her crew jam out! If you’d like to order premade trays you can call her at 722-7794 otherwise just show up, pick out what you like and buy cookies by the pound.

10am-noon – Kid’s Holiday Gift Workshop will be hosted by Deadwood History at the Days of ‘76 museum for kids in grades K-6. If you’d like to get your kids signed up call Amanda for more information 578-1657

 

Tuesday 12/15

7pm – Don’t miss poker for fun at Blackstone Lodge, a great mid week time with a super friendly bunch!

 

Wednesday 12/16

2pm – Our monthly Public Planning meeting will be in the Sanford Lab Homestake Visitor Center classroom. We’ll be finalizing winterfest plans and getting ready to promote that event (it will be the last weekend in January). If you’d like to jump in on the action or know what’s up our sleeves (lots of good stuff) everyone is welcome to join us! We love to hear ideas, strategies and awesomeness from everyone who comes and helps us!

6pm – Jailhouse Taps will have their weekly trivia night! Some of Lead’s die hard trivia fans are there! Don’t miss this chance hang out, drink good beer and get smarter.

 

_______News & Notes____

We’ve had another week of crazy weather! Which was good for visiting with Santa outside, but bad for snowmaking at Terry Peak! The opening has been pushed again – see their website for more details. And start praying for some snow!

Don’t miss the crazy full line up of awesome fitness and dance classes at Explore Fitness and Adventures new physical location! You can see their line up on our calendar: https://business.leadmethere.org/events/calendar

Save the Date: Saturday 12/19 – it’s CHRISTMAS MARKET day in Lead! Sled Haus will have their annual Christmas Market with music from Green Dolphin, and the Visitor Center will also have a Makers Market. Come shop our stores and and check out these vendor events – it will be a fun day, more details next week.

 

With Love from Lead,

Sierra

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