One of the Last....

I know may be one of the last to jump onto the MP3 player market. Every where I go, I see people with “ear buds” stuck inside their heads. It took me awhile to remember to wave my arms or shout when I needed to communicate with a young staffer at Holden. Everyone was tuned in and sharing things on their “players”. (Not everyone has an IPod)

Art is up at Holden for Work week and so I am using this extra time to do a few things that I had put off. One of my tasks was to set up a friend’s MP3 player for her. She knew that if I got it ready to go for her and taught her to use it, that she would be spared the pain of reading the manuals.

These past couple of weeks have been a struggle for me at home. The “welcome back” charm of working again has worn off and I am struggling with thoughts of “what do I want to do when I grow up”. Planning and preparing for our time at Holden kept my daydreaming focused for a long time, but here I am at home and beginning to wonder. I have always wanted to work at the zoo, do you think it is too late for me?

Anyway, I decided to go to the Holden Audio Archive site and download a few of the worship services and a session or two. The archive is well done and doing keyword search for "matins" or "vespers" will bring up many of the services. (Please create an account and login for these links to work for you.) I do need to thank Carole Young for listening to my need to have these available from home. She and her staff put many wonderful memories up in the audio archives.

It is the music that I miss the most about Holden. There was not one hour that you did not hear someone playing, practicing or performing some song or hymn. Music soared over the snow, through the cold, in the dark and filled with me with song.

I loaded a few things on the player and went out the door with the dog for a walk. I almost started to cry as I heard people I loved in the services that meant so much to me. There was Andrew chanting the Sunday morning matins service and Dylan doing Holden Evening Prayer. I sang right along with everything. (Sorry to anyone who heard me) I found my thoughts turn from sadness to joy and comfort. I loved my walk and came home knowing that I too will soon be the owner of a MP3 player. Any suggestions for one?

A Veggie Sandwich and a Diet Coke

The Ellensburg Film Festival was something that Art and I really wanted to attend now that we are back in home. Each fall, several films are chosen for local showing. While we did not have a lot of time we did manage to work in two movies. One of these, “Back to the Garden” caught our eye because we were sure that we knew who might be in the movie. This movie follows a group of people at a 1988 “Healing Feast” near here in Tonaskat. Tomiinson had attended, interviewed and filmed many of the people attending and then found them again 20 years later. Tonaskat the home of the “Barter Fair” and many Holden people are regular attendees. While only one person caught my eye, a young girl from Holden, the film’s director, Kevin Tomlinson and a few of the cast were actually at today’s showing of the film.

I won’t go into much detail about the film except to encourage you to see it. The film did a good job of looking at all sides of the freer “hippy lifestyle”. As I left the theatre, I felt torn between the two parts of who I am; the Holden part and the more professional Ellensburg half. This movie displayed the crux of my feelings on the two parts of my life. I love both my Ellensburg and Holden life for many things, but each brings with it many things that I would like to avoid.

How can I manage the two parts of me; the one drawn to a more open, freer lifestyle and the one that enjoys a job, a house and other trappings? Income, taxes, and bills all follow me now. I enjoyed the freedom that our year at Holden gave us. I want the good of both, am I selfish? How do you deal with these issues?

Here is what I did, I took my veggie sandwich and a diet coke to work with me today for lunch. I have the best of both worlds.

The Dog Who Keeps No Accounts

Tjossie (pronounced Jossie - long story about the name) took about ten minutes to adjust to our being home and now acts as if we were never gone. She is well trained and needs no leash and will stay where she is told and a year without us has not altered her behavior at all. She holds no accounts with us for leaving her for a year. She is just glad that we are home.

Goodbye - Holden Style

Holden has a ceremony the night before you leave. Someone picked up my camera and took these pictures without my knowing it until I was home. We spent a lot of time hugging and crying.

This is how I spent most of the ceremony; in T.L.'s arms. I could not stop crying.

We really miss everyone at Holden. We felt really loved and cared for.

Afterwards we had a huge multi-household give away off of our back porch. The staff who are remaining on clamored for our no longer needed stuff.

Moving Home

Well Art just took the last boxes down to the loading dock for the truck to haul them down to the lake. I have one more hike in me and many goodbyes. I am finding this to be exhausting, my energy levels have been very low this week. We all realize that our friendships will continue after we are gone, so this long goodbye that we have to do takes it out of everyone. We are the first of several long term staff who are leaving this week. Eric and Daniel leave tomorrow, the Coffey family then next day, Mellissa Anderson on Sunday and then Nancy and Marc R.B. a week from today. I pray for all of you who are in the village this week. Stay strong and enjoy everyone on their last days.

On another note, I would love to have your email addresses (especially Becky and Terry). I am still undecided as to whether I will continue this blog, but I do know that I want to keep in contact with or discover those who read whom I do not know yet.

My email is jneslund@gmail.com

Please drop me a note so we can stay in contact.

Much love and support

Joan

The End - Maybe

Friends,

Art and I are busy winding down our last days here at Holden Village. We have so much to do to get ready to leave and many, many hikes and visits with friends that we making time for as we conclude our year.

Our hearts are full of mixed feelings on all levels. We want to stay longer and we want to get back home. None of this fits in a blog for those who read of our experience. We ache and are excited at the very same time.

I am not sure if I will continue this blog or not when we get back to Ellensburg. This is the turning point for those of you who are wanting a window into the life and fun at Holden Village. Many of you have shared with me your reading of this blog from home. I never knew who was reading, so your comments shared, both online and in person, really made a difference in our lives.

If I do continue on, it will be about our lives where ever we are. For now that will be in Ellensburg with periodic trips to Holden as we continue on as "Holden Angels". We are interested in possibly coming back in a few years during the mine remediation, but right now there are so many unknowns with that process.

I say good bye to those of you who are Holdenites. I will encourage others to blog so you can follow village life. To those who hang in with us during our transition, thanks. We will see where life takes us.

I know that some of you might like to experience a year at Holden as well. What I have offered here has been the highlights of a fun and fulfilling year. The reality of living here is somewhat different than the view I offered. We have worked very, very hard here; often with no days off. Keeping a village going 24/7 means giving up both your personal time and space. Living here is not for the faint of faith nor heart. Ten percent of those who made a year commitment this year did not make it for one reason or another. All that said, it felt wonderful to work hard, eat fantastic food, laugh hard and sleep like I never have before. My body loves this life. I just hope that I can find the proper balance when I am back home.

Pray for us and our transition.

Thanks, love and blessings to you all

Joan and Art Neslund

Huckleberries

Today is Art's birthday and we decided to spend the afternoon Huckleberry picking. Last year the berries were very poor and the bears were in the village every day foraging for food, but this year is a banner year for berries. We found more than we could pick within a half mile of the village.

The weather this week was rainy, a nice break from the heat of last week. Everything was washed clean.

We picked about a quart in all and then headed back to the village for ice cream. Fresh picked berries on ice cream, yum!!

Staff Social and a Birthday

Each Friday evening in the summer the Holden staff has a social event. Each chalet takes turns hosting the even. Last night's even was also Paul H.'s, one of Holden's directors, 60th birthday so we had a Sixties theme to our social.

Paul insisted on making his famous chocolate sauce and serving it on the equally famous Holden ice cream.

Even the kids got into the theme of hippies and the sixties.

So much of the music of the Sixties lives on in our heads and in the music of younger generations. We all sang songs and relived the grand moments of my generation.

A Double Bed

Each night Art and I cuddle up in a double bed. When we first arrived, I thought, "no way, I need my queen", but soon I discovered that there really is no difference and with these wonderful bamboo sheets, I am more comfortable than I was at home. We have two rooms and a bathroom here and I am not sure we really would ever need anything more. Space is what you make of it and we hope to fill our living room at home with more wonderful people and memories.

We leave three weeks from today and truth be told, I am ready to move back home. Both Art and I gave Holden Village all that we had and we are tired. I just finished a three hour dish team and Art is doing his now. Summer has been hot and buggy and those mountains we wanted to roam in will just have to wait till we come back with more energy.

That said, we have had a wonderful year!! Seeing my husband several times during the day after only of seeing him after a long work day for years, has been fantastic. We take breaks together and find each other when ever we feel like it. This has been a transition year for us and we have discovered and learned a lot.

We came to Holden to give all we could to a place that we both loved so very much. We wanted to work hard and help others enjoy this mountain retreat. We have met many wonderful people and really connected with the young people of the village. I am not sure how the next 20-something in Ellensburg will react when I walk up and say, "hi, want to hang out?"

Living this close to nature was truly the most special gift of all. Mountains and birds, snow and mist, bear and owls, chipmunks and deer, flowers and wild berries; this will be where my pain will be when I am gone. I find my heart is at home here and my soul loves the primitive and natural beauty.

Nursery School

Tonight Art came running up the stairs yelling "get your camera, the babies are out". Of course, I can not resist, but this time we had three does and four fawns right outside the back door.There seemed to be two mothers, both with twin fawns and another doe feeding on the clover. You can see by the color which two go with eachother.

I am sure that they all had met before but we felt like we were holding nursery school off our porch.

Even the chipmunks came out to see.

The drew quite a crowd from the village. Many spectators just sat on the grass and watched.

Finally the mothers strolled away, each taking their two. The only one left was the single doe.

The Village Center

Summer is busy and brief here at Holden. We wait all year to open up the village to a full service status for hundreds of guests and in less than three months it is over. The Village Center is a huge building right in the middle of Holden's main street. This building houses the bowling alley, the snack bar, the "Lift" (a late night music place) and a huge gymnasium area that we now use for our evening worship.In 1976 the white ceiling of the gym was deemed to not be suitable for what went on inside, so an artist maned Richard Caemmerer drew up a sketch of the painting that you can see in these pictures. He tried to capture the four seasons of mountain community in this wildly painted diorama.

My children grew up drifting off to sleep during worship gazing on this brightly painted scene. We worship here only in the summer and then winter retakes the building into its cold essence once again. Summer at Holden in the VC.

Prayer Around the Cross

Worship each and every Friday evening at Holden is the same, Prayer Around the Cross. This simple service of candle light and chanting hymns from Taize, a religious center in France, becomes the foundation of who we are here at Holden. As much as we love to try new and creative ways to worship, this service varies very little.

We enter the dark room in silence and sing simple chants as we wait for the candles to be lit. Around the cross are bowls and boxes filled with sand. We may pray in solitude at a box or if we choose to kneel at a bowls, we will be joined by others who will pray with us. Often a child will mistakenly kneel at a bowl and is very surprised when four or five people come and pray with them.

Most of us, as we live our lives, wear masks of happiness and contentment. This service is a place where the turmoil can spill out and we can unburden ourselves of pain. All of this is done in silence but the power of human touch can ease the heaviest of burdens.

I Can't Stop Taking These Pictures

Each evening the deer are outside my back door grazing on the clover and each and every time, I run upstairs for my camera to take pictures. The beauty of living this close to nature is both common place and awe inspiring. Knowing that this year is almost over and that I will never again (well maybe) live this close to so many living species, I feel compelled to document each siting.

Three mother does are now socializing their fawns with the village. The mothers used to leave their babies in the woods while the grazed the village lawns, but now they come along to experience the open spaces and the people who live here.

I know that this familiarity with humans has changed the deer living in the forest here. Most are very comfortable with us and we pass within feet every day. Whether this is a healthy thing, I do not know, but I do know that it is very humbling to live this close to another species.

A Warm Summer Evening with Aubrey

Capture the Flag

Imagine about 200 young people from the age of 7 to 25 all running and hiding in an 3 block by 3 block square area. This is what happens every Monday night here at Holden Village as they play a huge game of Capture the Flag. Everyone paints their faces the color of their team and then tries to capture others on other teams. If you walk through the village during their game, children can be seen under bushes, behind trees, almost any imaginable space. They will suddenly jump up and run as hard as they can across the village. I honestly don't understand all of the game but the freedom that Holden offers children is tremendous. They race till dark then off to bed.

Butch Thompson - Part 2

Now that I know who Butch Thompson is, he asked me to snap a picture as the llamas came through the village today.

Butch Thompson

Holden attracts some amazing people. Some come as guests and some to teach and and share their lives with us. Each week or two we have a new village musician who plays for worship, leads choirs and often puts on concerts. This week we have Butch Thompson a frequent pianist on Prairie Home Companion. Well I was unsure who Butch was but I knew that I wanted a front row seat at tonight's concert. I had friends save us seats in the front of the village center. When I arrived there was a man sitting right where I had hoped Art would sit. I asked him if he was expecting others to join him for the concert. He said, "no, I will be at the piano". Oh my, I was so embarrassed. I did not know that my seat mate was Butch himself.

Rag Time and Jazz are his favorites. He never had one piece of music in front of him all night. I was filled with his rhythm and fervor for the compositions.

At times, his hands moved so fast that I could not snap a picture of them. We Holdenites are very lucky to share our world with such talent.

Our Out - Stehekin

We arrived in Stehekin to catch our first view of the new park service buses. They are red and very nostalgic of the old Glacier Park buses. Very cool!!

Our friend Judy pickes us up at the dock in her little red truck and takes us to her home on the Stehekin river. She was a fantastic tour guide and treated Art and I like royalty. Below is a view of the river from her yard.

She has added a "loom room" on to her cabin, also making this space into a room for guests. After our mostly sleepless night, the night before, this bed looked so inviting.

We went out for dinner to the Stehekin Valley Ranch and ate in their sawdust floored dining room, complete with a huge fireplace. The blueberry pie for desert was to die for.

After dinner we were chauffeured up valley to High Bridge and Box Canyon and then back down to Rainbow Falls. It had been 25 years since we had been to Stehekin and we certainly won't let it be that long again.

Our Out - Lucerne

Art and I took some time away from the village this week. Just two nights but it was enough to revive us and get us ready for the last onslaught. We leave Holden on August 25th and the time is moving much too quickly.
We decided to camp at Lucerne the first night and then take the boat up to Stehekin to spend the next night with a friend. As soon as we got to Lucerne, our dreams of a calm night of camping turned into the reality of a huge thunder storm. We wisely decided to spend the night inside Holden's "A" frame cabin by the boat dock. I did a bit of cleaning on the porch, Art opened a bottle of wine and we watched the storm roll in. Lightning can be quite a hazard in the wilderness, so we kept out eyes out for strikes.

The next morning, after some very hard rain, we got up and took a walk around the area. We spied a couple dozen geese by the forest service cabin and then later watched the barge chug down the lake.

This is Railroad Creek, still quite full and fast, just before it dumps into Lake Chelan.

Finally we board the boat to head up lake to Stehekin for our second night out. When we were about half of the way up the lake, I noticed smoke up on a hillside. The boat company people had not seen it and so I alerted them and they, in turn, alerted the park service who then came down and put the fire out. I snapped a picture of the smoke as we passed by.

Ten Mile Basin Hike

I have been battling a cold this week and wanted to hike close to home on my day off. Art and I decided to hike up into Ten Mile Basin. Ten Mile Falls is a short hike along a handicap accessible trail that leads to a beautiful water fall. We had never climbed up the much steeper trail up into the basin before.

We had heard that there was an avalanche up the basin this winter, so we set that as our destination. This year's avalanches went down to bare dirt when they ran down their shoots. The took everything in their path with them, trees, boulders, brush everything. What is left now is a huge jumble of logs and debris. Here I am sitting on a downed log looking up the basin.

We hiked up as far as we could with out risking falling through the ice.

At the end of the basin is a long, glacier fed waterfall.

Almost back to the village we spy the twin fawns hiding in the brush. Their spots are almost gone.