The News from Four Quarters

October 24, 2020

Roger Grandstaff, A Personal Memory

Roger Lloyd Grandstaff, "Papa Dragon"

by Orren Whiddon

Roger Lloyd Grandstaff, lovingly known as "Papa Dragon,"
joined the Ancestors the morning of Friday, October 23rd, 2020. He was 75. 

Roger was a tangible link to the early days of Four Quarters, having first come to The Land in the summer of 1997 with his wife Carolyn and daughter Laura to attend one of the very first music festivals. In those days we had but one building, no well, no drum circle and only the barest rudiments of roads. Camping could be quite rough. The first morning of that festival I unbelievingly savored the smell of fresh coffee through the woods, and following my nose came upon the Grandstaff family serving free coffee to every passerby, sweetened with their well-known smiles. Thus was born the Coffee Dragons and a now almost 25 year-long association of the Grandstaff family with Four Quarters.

     In the beginning Roger refused any kind of help with The Dragons, but I scrounged water barrels, bigger stoves and coffee pots as the crowds rapidly grew larger. As his participation in the church grew, so did "The Dragons," with new tents, then a deck, water; and in time full power and drains with the Upper Shower House. Out in the woods the only magic stronger than water mysteriously appearing from a spigot is that same water mysteriously disappearing down a drain!

October 16, 2020

Schutzenfest 2020

Members and Guests gathered on the firing line at Schutzenfest 2020.

By Kurt Griffith
Photography by Mike McConnell and Kurt Griffith

On October 10th we celebrated Schutzenfest, a German Fall Festival celebrating the Arts of Marksmanship celebrared in Germany, the Netherlands and Switzerland. We shared a fun afternoon of firing off some rounds, yummy food, sacrificing a pumpkin, and a rather good – and noisy – time on a gorgeous day. This is our annual take on the classic German fall festival!

It was an informal day. Members and guests brought out their noisemakers. We set up a casual range in the field facing the Farmhouse, set targets ranging from offcial range targets to balloons, plastic bottles, and overripe tomatoes, and laid down the law on safety rules. Then we let fly on a sparkling Fall day, not too brisk, not too hot. More experienced shooters instructed novices on both safety and marksmanship with weapons from AR-15s, to hunting rifiles, WWII vintage weapons, to an adorable tiny purse pistol. Our crew served up a yummy spread of Fall treats, cheddarwiurst, strudel, cider, glazed meatballs and more. A grand – and noisy – time was had by all. Enjoy the photo essay!

September 11, 2020

Stones Rising 2020

A pause before another mighty pull to raise up another Stone.

By Kurt Griffith and Members of Four Quarters
Photography by Beth Thomas and Kurt Griffith

Stones Rising 2020 took place against a backdrop of pandemic and a crippled economy amidst the sweeping changes of the accelerating Age of Limits.

None the less: it was an excellent event, very smooth with minor mischief managed and logistics very competently executed. Ritual and ceremony were meaningful, relevant and moving—commendations to all the ceremony facilitators, staff and helpers. The amount of sleeve rolling up and stepping forward by all the attendees was wonderful to see! Two more Stones now stand in the Stone Circle, making a total of sixty-one Standing Stones, incliuding two smaller stones filling the gaps alongside the towering north axis Stone.

September 3, 2020

Laying the Footers

The Concrete truck has arrived, and a Stone Crew sets to setting a footer.

Laboring through three days of rain, we have dug and laid in the footers for the new Stones. The work of the traditional Stones Intensive has compressed into three days of dedicated effort. The Stones have been chosen, prepped and dressed. The footers have been dug and today was concrete day! Our dedicated crew poured concrete in the rain and got the forms ready to receive the new Stones - in the rain!

We are expecting better weather for the weekend.

August 30, 2020

Welcome To The Stoneyard

A massive stone in The Stoneyard, where New Stones abide wating to take their place in the Stone Circle

It is that time of year again, the dog days of august, giving way to cooler nights and the promise of the coming harvest, and the Great Work, the raising of megalithic stones in the Stone Circle, the beating heart of Four Quarters. It is done with the minimum of modern machinery, relying as much as possible on heart, sweat, and human muscle and neolithic ingenuity with rollers, sleds, ropes, levers, cribbage blocks, and as many willing hands as we can gather. We create the ceremonial complex around the annual raising of stones, and we make it deeply sacred.

July 31, 2020

Micro Dub

    Our thanks to everyone who made Micro Dub such a success!
Beautiful summer weather, great co-operation with our COVID mitigations,
excellent DJ's and stunning lighting of the forest canopy in New Camp.
    A sweet, easy weekend in the woods, down by The River!

The Old Forest Stage glows in the night at Micro Dub