Welcome to Life in the Third Layer. My name is Sarah Williams, and I live in Virginia where everyone thinks we grow only coal. Actually, coal is second to agriculture in Virginia, but energy is the “hot” 🙂 topic, so coal gets the attention.
I am interested in politics, and I will try to persuade you to become political if you stick around. The price of freedom is eternal vigilance, someone said. So if you don’t know what your congressional representative wants to do with your tax dollars, you should maybe find out. For that matter, find out what your mayor is doing, and your local school board, and get involved at a local level.
I have a few posts about religion, and I hope that I do not insult anyone in that regard without insulting everyone equally. If you feel insulted, you can leave me a comment. You can leave me a comment even if you are not insulted.
I hang around with the Bristol Virginia Democrats and The Bristol Storytellers, aka Beaver Creek Storytellers.
I like my family, my friends, my house, my Macintosh, my iPhone, my garden, being retired, my books, and of course candy. I like a lot of other things also, like my car, my washer and dryer, — well, you get the point.
Stick around and read the posts and leave a comment or two if you feel like it. It is nice to get a real comment once in a while to break up the spam.
Life in the Third Layer 
Hi, Ms. Williams. By way of introduction, my wife, Sandra (daughter of Mrs. Elizabeth Whitaker who was a long time secretary at Bristol Virginia High School) and I (Marshall) are natives of Bristol, Virginia/Tennessee. We live in western Hanover County near Richmond. Although we still have family in the Bristol area, and remain in touch with them, we don’t get back there very often. I try to keep up with what goes on in Bristol through what I hear from family members, when in touch with them, and also via the online news media in that area. I had noticed a story about Anthony Flaccavento and, wondering about him, read the story. Somehow I wondered about you, followed links and, well, here I am. I have been enjoying your comments on your blog. Anyway, I noticed that you are a Virginia Intermont College alumna. As did my sister, Laura Ann, I attended there myself for a while, during the late 1970s. I have been sad to learn (among other things I have been sad to learn about Bristol, these days), that Virginia Intermont has been on the verge of losing its regional accreditation. I have felt concerned about that. I was wondering if you might have heard anything about whether or not Virginia Intermont will likely keep it’s accreditation and survive or if it may go under. My hope is that it will not go under, that it will survive and thrive as a good, undergraduate, liberal arts college, however I have to wonder if it will. Well, ma’am, please forgive me if I am being an annoyance at all. I just thought you might have some insights into VI and anything else you might care to comment about the Bristol area. I hope that this finds you well. Best wishes to you. Respectfully, Marshall Buckles (feel free to call me Marshall if you like if you reply), Rockville, VA
Oh, and, if I may, another question. I see that you are connected with the Bristol Story Teller’s Club. I have given some thought to attempting some fictional writing. I am looking at materials to train myself for that if I decide to try it. I was wondering, are there any publications (books, etc.) which I could obtain which would discuss “how to tell a story”? I realize that the stories, at the Bristol Story Teller’s Club, are verbal, however, I’d be interested in learning how story tellers put together a story and so forth. Thank you for any recommendations which you may be willing to share. Again, best wishes to you and I apologize if I am being a bother at all. Respectfully, Marshall Buckles, Rockville, VA
Thank you for the comments, Marshall. I believe that Virginia Intermont is going to be fine. It has a long tradition, and I can’t see it going away. Bristol in general is growing, with new businesses around the Exit 7 area and a lot of new interest downtown, an annual music festival — Rhythm and Roots Reunion — that is nationally known, You can find three pages on Facebook that will keep you up on Bristol — Believe in Bristol, Celebrate Bristol, and Bristol, Virginia. Regarding the storytelling, check for a group that is local to you and see if they have apprentice memberships. There is a good chance that you will find learning resources and people to coach and help you along.