This site was set up a few years ago with the intention to share updates about the art and work of John Beaudet. Little did we know that Frances would get not one but two successive jobs requiring most of her time and that John would undergo three major surgeries in as many years, leaving us little time to keep this artisan page up to date.

Now, he’s restored to health, our home is complete, and Bodacious spends most of his time doing trail maintenance, not only on the AT but also in the backyard he is so passionate about: The Rocky Fork Watershed.

This past year, that backyard has come under threat of over-development at the hands of the state of Tennessee, and John has been doing research, interviewing stakeholders, making phone calls, writing letters, sending emails, writing letters to the editor for various newspapers, and now he has a big announcement to make:

“I have figured out a way to collect all the information about Rocky Fork in one place and help keep everyone informed about this amazing resource that needs our protection. It’s here: rockyforkjournal.com

Yes, I, John Beaudet, who didn’t have electricity and was not even on the internet five years ago, have my own blog. While Frances helped me with the technical format, it is a project I am writing and will maintain myself, with as minimal help from her as I can get by with. Please visit rockyforkjournal.com and click the button on the right side of the page to “follow” the Rocky Fork Journal.

Also, if you are on Facebook, you can look up “Rocky Fork Watershed Almanac” and “like” or join it. This new site is named in honor of Aldo Leopold’s collection of essays proposing the idea of responsible relationship between people and the land they inhabit. It will be another way we can share information about the natural and cultural history of our very special backyard.”