Tom's Monthly Newsletter: July 2009

Hi Folks;

Once again another late newsletter.  So much has been going on both with my family and the Tracker School that it is sometimes difficult to find the time to sit down and write a newsletter.  

As so many of you know from the prayer list request that Celeste has lost part of her thumb.  Unfortunately all of us, including the hand surgeons believed it best to have her thumb amputated from the knuckle down.  Considering all she has been through, now over 12 operations, that it is truly a blessing that that was all that has happened.  I was so amazed at her and her strength.  The evening before the amputation she wanted to spend the night at our camp and the night after the surgery she also wanted to spend the night there.  Considering all of the pain she was dealing with she still found it most comforting to be in the Pines near Grandfather's camp.  That’s my wife for you.  An inspiration to me and a major driving force behind Grandfathers' Vision.  From both of us and our family, we want to thank you from the bottom of our hearts for all of your prayers and support.  

Another reason for the late newsletter is the huge enrollment in the summer classes.  Unfortunately we have had to turn some folks away and establish waiting lists once again.  All of us that are working hard to teach Grandfathers' Vision and skills tend to get a bit overwhelmed at times.  On top of it all we will soon be moving into the new Tracker offices and we will finally have enough room to house all of the Tracker Staff as well as all of the nonprofit organizations that the Tracker School sponsors.  So too are our broadcast and recording studios under construction and we will be doing our computer streaming broadcasts on a monthly basis.  Along with that I will finally have a great way and means of expanding the homework assignments and teachings associated with the new Commitment Classes.  This is a real blessing to say the least.  And finally, I am putting together a series of on-line classes that will be offered in the near future.  I am excited about this new venue because I can offer a series of classes and teachings that I could not otherwise offer in the main stream Tracker or Commitment Classes.  

Another exciting project is that my son Tommy and I are working on two new books that will be published through Tracker Publishing.  Tommy, as many of you all ready know, is a great photographer.  Together we will be doing two books, one on primitive shelters and the second on primitive traps.  The Primitive Traps book will show the building of nearly 232 primitive traps that we teach at the school.  Both of us are excited about this project and it has brought us closer together in this joint Vision.

Finally, and certainly not least, at the writing of this newsletter, our beloved brother Jorge' has been hospitalized with an infection.  They have not yet pinpointed or defined what the infection is, but they are running extensive tests to find its source.  Here again, thank you, thank you, for your prayers and support.  I expect him to be returning soon.  Together Jorge' and I are putting the finishing touches on our Primitive Cooking Commitment Class and the details will be released very soon.  This class will take the student beyond the cooking lectures and workshops learned in the Standard Class with an addition of 30 more primitive cooking techniques, food collection and preparation, wild edible plants and spices, and many recipes.  We are also planning a book to accompany the class which will become available next year.

Thank you all so much for all of your love and support.  The overwhelming feeling of what Grandfather envisioned as the Tracker Family has come to life in a big way.

In Medicine