Can't believe I am saying this, but July is here!  The water is warm and our season is at the beginning of peak.  Now, can we just slooooow down time at little bit?  Summer is going by way too fast!

Summer is a struggle for us all to find a balance between work and fun.  I'm missing too many of my morning workouts at Deep Creek Fitness.  I'll be back soon, Ashley!

I get many emails requesting advice on what are the "must do" things when visiting our fine county.  Here, I ask help from you experts...  Email me your favorite thing(s) and I will create a page where we can all share ideas. 

You know it is summer when the bear is back in her bikini.  I don't know, but I think she may have had some work done over the winter.  tee hee

by Robert Paine

The K-9 Tunes and Brews event over Memorial Day raised $22,500 toward the construction of a no-kill animal shelter in Garrett County.  It was a lot of fun, too!

Don't forget Pleasant Valley  Dream Rides for the perfect addition to your wedding day or a memorable family event.    Now offering moonlight stargazing rides! 

Bill's Outdoor Center is again offering Family Fishing Tours.  A nice day on the boat with an experienced fishing guide! 

The Savage River Reservoir has been restocked after dam repairs required the impoundment be drained over the winter.  The Maryland Fisheries Service dumped 12,000 largemouth bass fingerlings and 18,000 black crappie fingerlings recently.  Other fingerlings were added earlier in the spring.  It will take about 5  years for the fishing to reach a peak again, but 3,850 adult rainbow trout are in there and ready for catching!

It doesn't look like we will be getting a replacement bridge on Swallow Falls Road anytime soon.  Bid advertising will not even begin until next year.  Until then, the bridge will remain one lane with a weight restriction. 

We had a 16% increase in building permit applications in the first quarter.  Now, for the rest of the story... 28 of the 38 commercial permits were for the wind turbines on Backbone Mountain. 

Check out my daughter's (and friends') first-place winner in the Figurehead contest during the Team River Runner Rendezvous at ASCI.

Congratulations to the Garrett College Adventuresports Institute Competition team.  Matt Davey-Karison, Tyler Keyes and Scott Hess came in first place in the 3-person/same gender division at the 2010 Odyssey Wild Wonderful 24 Hour Adventure Race in southern West Virginia.  The competition contained elements of map and compass orienteering, mountain biking, running, swimming and whitewater rafting.   

Welcome to Shawn Noël as the new athletic director at Garrett College.

An update on our local Pacific Crest Trail hiker, Charlie Mead:  mile 780, Bishop, CA.    You can check out some photos along the way here.  The one of his blistered foot kind of puts it all into perspective for me.  Keep on keeping on, Charlie.

Congratulations to the 131 Northern High School and 199 Southern High School graduates.  Northern recognized Andrew Sisler and Adria Graham as valedictorian and salutatorian.  Dylan DiGioia was Southern's valedictorian and Andrew Mobray and Johnathon Corbin were salutatorians. 

Good to have Susan Pucciano submitting some photos this month.  She is the wife of John, one of our regular contributors.  Many thanks to all the wonderful  photographers.  The Photo Gallery is again chock-full  of some great talent. 

Here are some Pucciano contributions from the Relay for Life held last month at Southern High School.  A night to celebrate survival, remember those we've lost and raise money for a cure.

As much as I hate to see the Point View Inn being demolished,  it really has opened up the great view from Deep Creek Drive.  Note the picture in the Photo Gallery by Robert Paine with the three birds flying between the trees.  (Really?  Taking a picture and three birds happen to fly exactly centered?  I remain in complete awe of his talent!)

David Archer, patriarch of the Archie's Barbeque restaurant family, passed away in late June.  Our condolences go out to his family.

Sending out a HUGE "thank you" to the cleaning crew at Garrett 8 Cinemas who found and returned my iTouch.  They are awesome and, no, I was not texting during the movie.

Massage at the Lake is now offering a Lomi Lomi Massage -- "a profound method of Hawaiian massage".  Aloha!

I removed this Point to Ponder from my joke this month:  Why is it called tourist season if we can't shoot at them?  Funny, but I, for one, realize that I wouldn't be here without the tourism dollar.  So, come, enjoy, relax, spend and then come back soon!  Then, maybe when you come back you'll be a better driver.  Ha!  I kid, I kid...

Plenty of stuff to do this month for all ages!   Enjoy!

Until next month,

See you on the mountain!

Marta Schroyer
Editor