Camp Sherman sends off summer

Fine wines from Methvin Vineyards, Oregon Dan's gourmet barbecue sauce. Burgers, beans made from a secret recipe, and Western folk music.

People in Camp Sherman know how to live.

Every Labor Day Saturday for the past several years, it's been about the same. Some of the vendors may change, but the foods remain and the company - the company can't be beat.

Locals stay close to home to enjoy the Labor Day celebration down at the Camp Sherman Store. The weekend warriors make a point of coming just to enjoy the vittles and the chance to meet all their friends. Here and there, those who must return to their city life say they long for the day they can stay in Camp Sherman full time.

Two of last year's visitors to Camp Sherman returned for the celebration, bringing with them five of their closest friends.

"We came to hear The Anvil Blasters," said one. "We were shocked there were historically accurate cowboy songs. They do a song from 'Breaker Morant' that's actually accurate."

Lynn Woodward, singer, writer, photographer and Web designer, performed some of the band's original songs that evening, including "She Dreams of Horses," a ballad of a young woman who dreams of horses to escape the confines of her troubled life.

Woodward played a handcrafted mandolin with intricate hand carving.

"The mandolin has eight strings strung just like a fiddle, in intervals spaced in fifths. The fingering is even the same as a fiddle," she explained.

"Fiddle players often play mandolin, although I don't play fiddle...yet."

Woodward is known throughout Sisters for her photography, and has a studio at Sisters Art Works.

"I love doing portraits," she said. "My dad's a photographer. I learned a lot from him. Professionally I started here for the (Central Oregon) Horse Journal and did it in conjunction with making Web sites."

Visit Woodward's Web site: http://www.lynnwoodwardphotography.com.