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Letter from Suzy and Mel

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Hello. I recieved this letter from Mel and Suzy today telling of all the
exciting things that they did last year. I thought you would find it
interesting.

YEAR END 2000
from MEL BARTHOLOMEW & SUZY VALENTINE
ALPINE, UTAH

Everyone asks "Exactly what do you two do out there in Utah?' This message
is not meant to impress you, but merely to bring you up to date on our
travels, activities and mission.

We spent a month in Suzy's former home, Sun Valley, Idaho, over the
holidays, Next we went to San Diego, California, for four months in a unique
and lovely 'borrowed' mountain top estate complete with swimming pool,
Japanese gardens, ponds and fruit trees. In June we moved into a lovely
canyon home here in Alpine (25 miles south of Salt Lake City), complete with
magnificent mountain view, and decks overlooking a rushing stream.

Our demonstration garden here in Utah is located within a 500 acre complex
of shops, restaurants, gardens and other family entertainment activities
like an animal park, dinosaur museum and championship golf course. We are
"guests" there, displaying and teaching our square foot gardening method to
an estimated 100,000 visitors last year. Classes are held every week for the
general public and we have given lectures at various other locations such as
the Mormon Missionary Training Center, Brigham Young University, and the
Utah Center for the Blind. This year we are starting a special@class for
missionaries of all ages going throughout the world. Our staff of teachers
and garden tenders are kept busy during the year. Suzy and I give tours and
presentations quite often to special interest groups.

This Spring we completed our Introductory video, now in its second printing.
We also reissued Mel's second book, CA$H from Square Foot Gardening after
updating it and designing a new cover. We have also developed a line of
garden products to sell along with all the books and videos printed in the
last 20 years. Many of these products are now being sold in a chain of home
improvement stores, as well as being distributed to religious book stores in
these Western states. 

In the early summer we were invited to join Partners of the Americas, a D.C.
based organization partnering U.S. states with Caribbean and Latin American
countries. Volunteers travel on short two week missions to help with
specific projects in agriculture, health and nutrition, education, civic
issues and cultural exchange everything to build a better life for all in
our hemisphere. In July we attended a conference in Guyana , presenting
Square Foot Gardening (or Square Meter Gardening) as a viable and natural
method of home gardening adaptable to all countries. Trips,to Washington and
Wisconsin for meetings and conferences followed. Suzy made a trip to Bolivia
in August and we both went to El Salvador in November to teach composting
and gardening. All of this activity has resulted in a brand new project we
have named Global Gardening.

After meetings with the University of Florida in Gainesville, the Florida
Chapter of Partners in Ft. Myers, Tropical Research Centers and County
Agriculture Departments in Ft. Lauderdale and Homestead, we decided to
establish (with the collaboration of all the above) an International
Training Center in Homestead. Volunteers will learn the Method, enabling
them to teach home and community Square Meter Gardening throughout the
Americas. Another center for training local and community leaders and Master
Gardeners will be built in Ft. Lauderdale. Support for the training centers
is coming through volunteers from two large churches in the Miami area as
well as a group of Master Gardeners. Location and space have been designated
at both sites and work is underway. A brand new training course is being
prepared, with translation into Spanish and later Portuguese and Haitian
Creole. We worked with several Peace Corps personnel in El Salvador and hope
to be training many of their volunteers as well. Its a very ambitious and
exciting venture, which will require much of our time being split between
Florida and Utah.

Other business included trips to Pennsylvania for the law suit against
Rodale, resulting in our withdrawal of the original suit in Pennsylvania and
replacement of the original lawyer by a vibrant, new Utahn. A new suit has
been filed in Federal Court. This has been an important but time consuming
endeavor.

On the family side, we made trips to Brazil, Vermont, Pennsylvania and
Colorado at various times to visit all of Suzy's family. In early summer we
were with Mel's family in Long Island and Maryland. Two of Mel's
grandchildren, Casey and Justin, came to visit us in California and Utah a
most enjoyable experience.

A sad occasion occurred this fall when daughter Gail was hospitalized. Mel
spent considerable time with her during her final illness and ultimate death.

It has been an eventful and busy year! Some things have suffered (like our
web page, which is still on a back burner). New books and videos are still
in -the planning stages, while new ideas and projects appear constantly -
SO..............

Just wait 'til next year!!!

Mel and Suzy
Farmer Brown's Garden Path
Square Foot Gardening and Agriculture Education
www.FarmerBrown.org


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