Washing Raisins

Mind of the Weary

2010-04-14T18:35:00.000-07:00

Friends,

I am so greatful for your comments and support but I have discoverd that while I love to write this blog, my work at the library takes all of the extra creative cells from my brain. I have nothing left to express when I come home in the evening. I am looking forward to a new blog when I retire in a few years. Blessings to you all.

Joan

One of the Last....

2009-10-21T16:27:00.001-07:00

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

2009-10-04T15:03:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-27T10:29:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-26T12:36:00.001-07:00

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

2009-08-25T09:25:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-16T10:58:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-12T17:06:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-08T09:43:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-04T17:11:00.000-07:00

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

2009-08-03T19:06:00.001-07:00

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

2009-07-30T12:41:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-25T11:49:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-22T17:17:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-20T21:35:00.001-07:00

Capture the Flag

2009-07-20T21:03:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-18T17:34:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-17T22:00:00.001-07:00

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

2009-07-15T18:23:00.001-07:00

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

2009-07-15T18:00:00.000-07:00

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

2009-07-11T19:06:00.000-07:00

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.

Busy Summer

2009-07-11T18:49:00.000-07:00

In the summer Holden goes from a staff of around fifty to a staff of 150. Guests no longer straggle in three days a week but come in bus loads each and every day. Above is a picture of a typical dinner outside. We often have a village of over 500 people in the summer. All of this means that my time for blogging and even quiet time is rare. Managing this many people is a huge responsibility for the village. Staff is often young an in experienced with the responsibility. Narnia, our summer children's program had over 90 kids under ten last week alone. Luckily the trails are open and the weather has been great and so far everyone is loving Holden Village

What Happened to Art's Plants??

2009-07-06T17:32:00.000-07:00

Art is the gardener in the family and even at Holden he attempted to grow a few things. He thought that our porch would be a safe place to try a few nasturtiums. We were not at home, so these photos came from our neighbor, Paul Haines who caught the action with his camera.

4th of July Parade

2009-07-04T19:59:00.000-07:00

Every 4th of July, Holden Village puts on a day of fun, food and frolic. We began with a huge brunch out on the green, followed by poems, speeches and tom foolery on the arc. As soon as the guests arriving today settled in we had a huge parade. Above are just a few of the entries. Not the wonderful man offering "repairs in any season". That would be Art, my hubby. Isn't he cute?

First Steps

2009-06-30T21:19:00.001-07:00

As you know, Art and I live above a family of 3, Trevor, Angela and Aubry. Aubry is almost ten months old and has been very close to walking for some time now. So close, that we had a lottery to see who could guess the day she would take 5 steps or more. Tonight when I came home from vespers, Aubry decided she wanted to crawl up stairs for a visit.

I was munching on pretzels and she wanted some so she took her first steps to me. I was so excited!! I had several people come up to watch as we put her through the drill time and time again, until she had it with us all and decided it was bed time.

Angela, Aubry's mom, glowed at her daughter's new skills. We think that Aubry is exceptional and early in most developmental stages. What a gift it has been to have this miracle downstairs.

Poppies

2009-06-30T15:18:00.000-07:00

First there was one.

Then a few more.

Now they are everywhere. I have always loved Holden's poppies.

Pack Llamas

2009-06-28T15:09:00.000-07:00

Trail work is a big part of the activity in the North Cascades. So many avalanches came down this January that the Forest Service decided to bring in llama to carry in the needed equipment for the crews doing the work.

The pack owners have raised and trained these llamas to work hard and be gentle. While they are in the village they allow the children to lead them around. The kids thought this was wonderful.

Here I am with a very gentle and tired llama.I caught these animals as they were coming out of the mountains and heading back home.

They are all done with their work and headed for the lake and the barge to take them home.

Outdoor Movie - The Sound of Music

2009-06-28T13:24:00.000-07:00

Have you ever thought that it might be fun to sit outside with 200 other people and watch an old movie? Well, our utilities department thought that this would be a blast and so they set up an outdoor movie theater at the top of Chalet Hill. The Sound of Music was chosen as the movie to watch. The words to the music were displayed on the bottom of the screen so we could all sing along. The movie began at 9pm and lasted until midnight. We began with yard blankets on the grass and progressed to jackets and down comforters. A few even spent the night.

We all entered via a red carpet and a gate. As we went through we were given a ticket with a number for a chance to win a door prize. Our Utilities department really does a bang up job.

As time drew near people began to come up the hill to find their spot.

Nancy, Mark and Lee (the utilities people) made announcements in style.

The screen was a huge tarp drawn up between two buildings. The picture quality was awful but the sound was fine. We could read the words to sing along and most of us stayed till the end. We all had a wonderful time.

A Year of ...

2009-06-25T17:03:00.000-07:00

Art and I leave Holden Village two months from today. In many ways this year has gone by very fast and in a few ways, very slowly. After completing ten months, I am beginning to take stock of what we expected and what we are leaving with. I hope this to be the first of a few inter-spaced posts on our experience.

A year of:

Sleep - It might be the mountain air or the lack of sunlight in the winter or possibly the fact that everything here is uphill; even the downhill, but we sleep a lot here. I get eight to nine hours of sleep every night. Oh sure, there have been a few sleepless nights but mostly it has been lights out by ten and awake at seven.

Good Food - Warm fresh bread baked every day, fresh cookies or brownies a couple of times a week, seafood pasta or buckets of freshly made soup; what can I say? My thoughts of losing weight and dieting went down the drain very quickly.

Water - Holden's water comes right out of Copper Basin; pure and fresh. Water is served at each meal in pitchers and I must drink 3 or 4 glasses a meal. In addition I grab a glass most of the time I venture through the dinning hall. They say that it takes five years to totally refresh the water in your body, well I have added a high quality 20% this year.
Exercise - As I said before everything here is uphill. Life in the mountains means a lot of work and walking. Days off mean a hike and now that summer is here evening walks are in order most nights. We spend a lot of time outdoors. We eat outside if we can, we take coffee outside and since we have no cars, we walk everywhere. All year I have helped unload the bus each day as it comes up from the lake carrying luggage and food for all of us. I am stronger than I have ever been before. I do hope that I can carry this health into my life back in Ellensburg.
Small Spaces - Art and I live in a two room apartment upstairs in Chalet #14, 14 up as we call it. We find that this is more than enough space for the two of us. We have a very small two burner stove / sink / refrigerator combo. The washer and dryer (and larger kitchen if we needed it) are downstairs. We honestly don't spend a lot of time here because we are so busy with other activities. When we move back we hope to look a bit closer at our physical space and needs and cut back the clutter.
Worship - Daily worship, oh I mean twice daily worship. Matins is a very brief time for any of us to share thoughts, poems, experiences or simply read a bible verse. I have done many of these this year and have found this sharing of my thoughts to be very rewarding and makes for some good conversation. Each evening we have a 30 minute Vespers service as well. We all gather for songs, hymns, prayers, reading and almost any other thing that can be formatted into a worship service. Vespers is a great way for all of us to stop and check in with each other at the end of the day.
Less Utilities - Holden generates its own power from Copper Creek. In the summer we have power to burn and can run dryers, lights, take long hot showers and even use and electric heater on chilly days, but in the winter we do with a lot less. Often Art and I would sit in the evening reading with 2 lights on, one for me and one for him. Our living space was usually about 60 degrees and this did not bother us at all. I was surprised to discover that my body acclimated to the colder weather and I suffered very little. We had a wood stove in the basement that we would light early in the morning but we never had a fire at night, our down comforter was all we needed.

Chalk Walk

2009-06-22T21:42:00.000-07:00

Today the weather was chilly and to keep warm I headed out with my camera. I was barely down the hill before these 3 young ladies grabbed me to show off their sidewalk art or a "chalk walk" as they called it. First we have Isabelle who lived her two years ago and is back for a two week visit. She is very proud of her popcorn art. Next, Anna, who was her a month this winter, show off her drawings of the chalets.

Eli, who has lived all year with me and is one of my favorites, drew many long lines on the brick but I liked her "Welcome to Holden" the best. Summer time at Holden has fully arrived with guests, families and kids everywhere. I was touched that these three honored me with their afternoon artwork.

Iris

2009-06-22T16:35:00.000-07:00

Good friends of ours, Nancy and Marvin Johnson, gave us a gift the last time they were at Holden Village. They had lived in our apartment the year before we moved up. They have moved home to Minneapolis and know how important it is to take a piece of Holden home to remember the experience.

Marvin made this beautiful iris for us to remember the gardens at Holden.

Holden gardens quickly rise up out of the snow and make up for the late start. Daffodills come first and then the Iris. Next the Poppies will bloom.

New Life - Part Two

2009-06-17T20:51:00.000-07:00

It seems that our new mother deer is very very comfortable with the village and the people here. Early this morning, this new fawn was spotted on our luggage loading dock.

I did not take these pictures nor did I see this fawn until later, but I was so impressed by the trust that this mother showed that I had to post. These photographs were taken by Daniel Roberts, our head maverick.

New Life

2009-06-14T18:33:00.000-07:00

Art and I went out of the village for five days this past week. We had a very special wedding to attend and had a chance to meet our son's fiancée’s family as well. We also spent three much needed nights at home in Ellensburg. Our dog and cat still love us, our garden and lawn looked very good (thanks to our boys). We are down to our last two and a half months here at Holden. I begin working at the Ellensburg library again September 1st.

Today has been a day of seeing lots of new life in the woods. First of all, on the trip up Lake Chelan today the boat pulled over to let us see some mountain goats with some fairly new kids. Unfortunately for my camera all of these pictures do a poor job of showing off these new forest babies. They all are very well camouflaged.

After dinner, Art spied two mother deer with their new fawns. These sweet things blend right into the trees and shrubs. The first mother had twins that were about a week old.

The second mother had given birth only a few hours before and had placed this wobbly fawn in some low bushes while she went out to graze. I was lucky to get in a shot or two before she came back.

This last picture is just one taken from the Lady of the Lake of Domke Falls. The boat rarely goes in close to the falls but today they put the nose right into the falling water. Quite a lovely day to end our time out with. Tomorrow it is back to work.

Hike to Hart Lake - The Trail

2009-06-07T13:58:00.000-07:00

Hiking is more than a destination for me. I have a deep love for trails; just looking at trails and the beauty that surrounds them. These are pictures that I took yesterday on our hike to Hart Lake.

The spring flowers are out in full bloom in the mountains. Everywhere we looked there was something beautiful growing

Even the deepest and darkly wooded trails fascinate me. Years ago we saw a bear in this section and ever since I get a scary foreboding when I am in this deeply shady section.

Trillium grew everywhere but I had never seen purple Trillium until yesterday.

Even in the higher elevations we found flowers tucked into crevices and rocky areas. I really don't need a destination to enjoy a hike, just give me a beautiful trail.

Hike to Hart Lake - The Views

2009-06-06T22:23:00.001-07:00

Art and I took our first hike to Hart Lake today. The warm May weather has cleared many of the trails, giving us access to places usually not accessible in early June.

The avalanche that came down in early January is now just a huge pile of rubble, with full trees, rocks and dirt strewn all over the area.

As we hiked along the beaver ponds just east of the lake were so green and beautiful. I happened to catch a butterfly in this photo as it swooped towards me.

The warm weather has brought on a huge melt of upper elevation snow. Waterfalls were cascading down the mountains everywhere we looked.

At one point we took a look down Railroad Creek valley toward Holden. You can just barely see the Honeymoon Heights tailing pile in this photo.

Hart Lake Falls was rushing with more water than I have ever seen before.

When we finally crested the trail near past the falls the view of Hart Lake and Crown Point Falls in the distance was fantastic. We had a great day and a hike together.

School Play - Really Rosie

2009-06-04T21:12:00.000-07:00

Holden's elementary school ended its year tonight with a musical, "Really Rosie and the Nutshell Kids", based on Maurice Sendak books. All five of the students were in the play, even Olaf who is in kindergarten. Eli was Rosie and can that girl sing. Her parents are in for a ride with this talented kid.

Here is Olaf singing the A, B, C song with Eli poking him and whispering the letters he for as he went along.

Jordyn is singing "One is Johnny" as the others chime in for the chorus. School is over now and next week the Chelan district school will become "Narnia" a program for kids here at Holden that gives parents a chance to relax each morning.

Winston - The Old Miner's Village

2009-06-03T13:14:00.001-07:00

As you know, Holden Village began in 1937 as a copper mine owned by the Howe Sound Mining Company. Many homes were constructed and despite the isolation, a full thriving community began its life high in the Cascade mountains. Dormitories, a gymnasium, bowling alley, a mess hall, a K-12 school and a hospital were built for the miners and their families.

West of the Holden a group of small houses, named Winston, were constructed for families to live. Holden still hosts a miner's family reunion every so often. In 1957 price of copper spiraled downward and the mine was closed in a day. Families picked up their belongings and took the next boat out, seeking work in other mines. After everyone was gone, the Forest Service burned Winston to the ground to allow it to go back to it's natural state. The foundations and stairs to a life once lived are all that remains today.

Art and I took a walk yesterday evening to explore Winston and to see if any of the spring flowers had come up. Much of Winston is open for walking but the top most tier is covered with brush and a tangle of branches. This is where we headed last night.

We walked and discovered lilacs and daffodils coming up in the long abandoned gardens. We found an old cement garage and small streams cascading down through what once was terraced gardens.

Our walk came to a sudden end when this guy poked his head out of the bushes. His ruffled back told us that he now lived here and we should be gone.

Foamhenge

2009-06-03T13:01:00.001-07:00

The village awoke this morning to evidence of an alien occupation. We have no idea who or why.

Hair Cut

2009-05-31T15:30:00.000-07:00

Andrew has been a boarding student at Holden this year. He has been a fantastic person to get to know and spend time with. Since Holden is such an accepting community, he decided to not cut his hair at all this year. As you can see he has wonderful curls.

The other day Andrew honored me with the request to be the one who cut his hair before he left. Tonight is the high school play and next weekend graduation. As you can see we had quite a gallery of onlookers with opinions.

He looks fantastic!!!!!!! (Note, the smiling young man behind the house; he douses me with a squirt gun as soon as I am finished.)

Holden Prom - Pride and Prejudice

2009-05-30T11:08:00.000-07:00

Each year the Holden school holds its annual prom. This years theme was Pride and Prejudice, which in Holden's terms meant "Anything Goes". The Village Center was decorated and we all waited with excitement for the evening to begin.

Art looked dashing.

Dave and Mary Sather (Dave is the high school teacher here at Holden) were in full theme attire.
Olaf, our one and only kindergartner, took looked stunningly and took it all with his usual seriousness.

Here is the entire school posing for a picture.

Our business and public works directors had a blast.

As you can see, it was a rags to riches affair.

Lake Chelan

2009-05-28T15:17:00.000-07:00

Lake Chelan is Holden's highway to the world. All that travels here is brought up on a boat on the lake. Many Holden staffers tend to sleep on the boat to pass the time, but we tend to forget how beautiful this gateway lake to the Cascades can be. Lake Chelan is a very clean lake; offering views deep into its rocky bottom. The clean green tint always looks so inviting for a swim but the lake is way too cold for swimming most of the year.

Our summer boat is the Lady 2, the largest boat on the lake, capable of carrying 350 passengers. The trip from Field's Point to Lucerne takes about 2.5 hours; offering tourists plenty of time to sit out on the decks and take pictures.

Along the shores, Lake Chelan has many summer cabins on its shores which are accessible only by boat. The Lady 2 can pull right up to the banks and drop off hikers or residents as needed. To get a ride out, all one needs to do is wave a flag and the boat will stop.

After about two hours on the boat we spy Domke Mountain up lake. Domke is the site of the forest fire two summers ago and also cradles a wonderful lake in its basin. Domke is a very popular fishing lake and a great spot for hikers.

My favorite part of the trip up lake is when we are finally ashore and the boat continues on towards Stehekin. The boat in the distance reminds me of how totally alone in the wilderness we are, with no way to leave or contact the outside world. This is the moment that makes me feel the strongest.

More Pugnatious Hummingbirds

2009-05-25T20:23:00.000-07:00

I promise this is my last post about hummingbirds. They are the noisiest, most obnoxious birds I have ever seen. They are constantly fighting outside our window. The comotion is worst just before dark; when it is hard to take a good picture Right now I have about 40 of these rascals buzzing outside our window, making such a racket that I sometimes think they have broken through the screen and somehow gotten into our living room. They buzz just like bees and add a chirping to it. They threaten each other constantly with physical poking pushing. If we ever let the feeder go dry, they bang on the window for more. What will they do when we are out tomorrow?

Random Pictures

2009-05-24T11:06:00.001-07:00

My new camera is here and I am still tweaking it to have pictures as I like them. We are mid-way into our third May Youth Weekend, with 220 high schoolers here. The sun is out and all is good

Utilities Coffee House

2009-05-16T14:59:00.001-07:00

My new camera has not arrived yet and so I am using photos that Paul Haines, our public works director, took at last night's "Utilities Sponsored Event" coffeehouse. Our utilities people, see Marc, Nancy and Daniel below, put on the most fantastic and fun evenings for us all. Last night's coffeehouse was an affair to remember.

As soon as we entered Koinania, we were served cookies, coffee and punch. Each table had candles and tablecloths. After a period of chowing down and visiting the acts began. I can't begin to share the talent that this village has. We had juggling acts, original music sung, incredible violin playing and of course Art got in the act.

He and Paul H. did the funniest two man comedy act that I have ever seen and they did it in tuxedos.

Above, Annalisa, in her dress, is teaching us how to do this complicated Rugby play. I feel out of my chair laughing.

The final act was my favorite. I have discovered that I have a love for appalachian music. The three musicians above, Carol, Angela and Rolf, will forever have me in their audience. They are truly fantastic.

A Night in Lucerne - Part Three - Camping

2009-05-12T09:26:00.001-07:00

What can I say? I am still in awe of where I am. We camped at Refrigerator Harbor and it was beautiful. For a reality check, please know that it is 38 degrees out and snowing right now. My camera broke after these shots, I will wait to post until my new one arrives.

A Night in Lucerne - Part Two - A Walk With 2 Deer

2009-05-11T11:35:00.000-07:00

As I hunted for Morel mushrooms in the Domke Mt. burn area on Saturday, I suddenly looked up and two deer were on the rise ahead of me. All three of us were foraging for food; slowly working our way through the burnt trees.

The deer never ran away, they seemed totally comfortable with me and my presence. At times we were within ten feet of one another. We walked, moving slowly looking for our food. The three of us were together for about 30 minutes. Each of us aware and yet so at peace.

A yell from Art broke up our unit. Art was bouncing on a burnt log and spied me as I was working my way towards the road. He is so cute at times.

A Night in Lucerne - Part One - Morel Mushrooms

2009-05-10T18:01:00.000-07:00

Art and I took a night away from the village and went down to Lucerne to camp with friends. Our plan was to spend the afternoon looking for Morel mushrooms. In 2007 there was a fire on and around Domke Mt, which is near Lucerne. Morels will grow in mass amounts the first few years after a fire. I know that last year many people went down with success and so we thought we would try. We found them in bunches on slopes in the burn area. This is what they look like in the ground.

This is my bag of mushrooms that I gathered in about two hours.

Art is sitting with most that we gathered during our trek. Mushroom hunting is addictive, you just can't stop, especially when there are ones to be found. When we got back to camp, we sauteed as many as we could and ate them with both dinner and breakfast and then we sent our portion home to Ellensburg with our friends.

A Typical Daily Schedule or Why I Don't Write

2009-05-08T22:27:00.000-07:00

Up at 7am -- Art and I awake at the same time every day. We never over sleep winter or summer. We find this odd but this is where we begin our day. Holden is the only place I have lived where you can wake up, brush your teeth and be out the door within 5 minutes. No need to stoke the stove unless it is very cold out. No one is home in the morning.

8am Breakfast and Matins -- announcements begin, followed by Matins (brief morning worship). Art goes to his Ops meeting (Operations) and I go to work.

10:30 Coffee Break -- We all go back to the dining hall to grab a bite of delicious food. Often it is hot bread, brownies or bread pudding. Who can resist?

10:45 Bus Departure -- We all go out to say goodbye to those who are leaving us that day. During the winter this is the only bus but in the summer we do this twice a day.

Noon -- Lunch (no one starves at Holden) Lunch is usually hot soup, bread and salad.

12:45 The bus arrives with new guests -- Some of us go back to work after lunch while others hang out until the bus arrives. We all go out to greet the new guests and then unload the luggage and food from the bus. Holden depends upon the boat to bring up everything. All luggage and supplies are loaded onto the bus and once in the village, we make a human chain to unload it all. I have lifted more 50lb boxes here than ever care to again in my life.

1pm to 3pm Finish Work -- (Art works longer in the day because he gets 2 days off a week, while I only get one.

3pm - 5pm -- I get some quiet time to read emails, pay bills, do laundry and straighten up the house. Art often comes home for a brief nap. (We each have dish team once per week which means we report in at 4 and work till 6:30 or so.)

5pm Dinner -- More food. I have learned to like Kale

6pm to 7pm - Break before Vespers. In the winter I played cards with a group of young people but now that the road is clear and there is daylight, I have been taking walks.

7pm Vespers - A short worship service

In addition to this schedule we work in book discussions, sessions with speakers, gabo (a 2 hour garbage sorting), sacristan duty (setting up for worship), fire brigade and 1000 other things that come up. Next week I am leading discussion groups on the May Youth weekends.

Evenings -- Evenings vary with activities. We have movies, disscussion forums and twice weekly ice cream snack bar. Most evenings we take time to socialize with a few others. Our chalet has become a popular gathering place for people. We often have 15 - 20 people over for drinks, snacks and a ton of laughs. We are also trying to watch The West Wing on DVD, but we are only into season 3 now.

9pm - 10pm -- Bed time, reading and a good 8 to 9 hours of sleep. We work hard and play hard here. Sleep is rarely an issue.

Soon mother nature will keep us awake a bit more. The woodpeckers are beginning to wake us up a bit earlier than we wish. The bears tend to knock over things as they rummage through looking for food. The screech owl sometimes perches in the tree outside our chalet and the coyotes can really raise a ruckus in the dark. All of this is pure heaven to me. I love mountains and nature and the life that it brings. How will I ever go home?

Our personal letter writing time goes to my mother, Art's sisters and a few close friends. The blog is fun to do but also takes time and planning. I hope many of you understand when I can't write personal letters to keep you up todate. I have never been so busy in my life. God bless and thanks for your understanding.

May Youth Weekends

2009-05-03T17:50:00.000-07:00

Each May, Holden hosts high school youth groups from churchs around Washington State. They come in droves, not knowing much about Holden but with a ton of enthusiasm. Holden has a tradtion of pulling pranks and jokes for these kids as they come into the village. One year it was blind bus drivers and another it was a human avalange blocking the road. This year 3 of us set up a bus driver coffee stand about 2 miles from the village. Each bus would stop and we would serve coffe to the bus driver. Joeseph was our bicycle powered coffer maker operattor. Each time the bus stopped, I would yell at him to work harder, work harder.

Humming Bird Wars

2009-05-02T14:10:00.000-07:00

I sure hope you like Humming Birds because I may get a little obsessive this spring with posts about them. The birds in the mountains are very different than at home. Firstly, they are much closer to you every day. Robins and Juncos are comfortable just a foot or two away from people. Secondly, the birds behave so differently than at home. The Robins are aggressive and fight for food and places on the grass. Humming Birds are extremely territorial and are almost as thick as bees in some bushes. Today our feeder became a place of warfare.

One bird came in and upset the entire feeding community. From then on each bird tried to force the other birds away from the feeder.

One would fly in and two would fly off. The sound is exactly like giant bumble bees.

They became so nervous that they would not land at all to feed but stayed airborn while they drank the sugar water. My inexpensive camera did a fair job of capturing these fast moving creatures. Click on the image to get a bigger picture. Stay tuned for more.... Art says that there is a green one that gets them all worked up. PS... I found out that the green ones are the females. No wonder they are in a tizzy.

A Walk on an Old Trail and the First Village Bear

2009-05-01T18:46:00.000-07:00

Art and I took a walk above Lake Chelan today on an old mining trail. It was beautiful and a nice break from the village.

When we got home we spotted our first bear behind the village. This guy is sleek an healthy looking. We had to chase him off, but not before I got a picture of him.

Spring Work Week

2009-04-25T15:54:00.000-07:00

We just finished Spring Work week and I am so tired. Work week is a time when around 60 people come into the village to help us open up the buildings that have been closed all winter. We all work in two areas; either operations or housekeeping. There is a special day mid-week called Blitz Day, where we all become Mavericks and open up things like the pool hall, snack bar, take all the winter screens off the windows and restore the dining hall to summer status. Above is my crew that cleaned and opened up the snack bar.

Here is a team of women hauling bags of clean sheets and towels from one lodge to another. The work is not easy but everyone really enjoys the spirit and community of the week.

At the end of the week we have a feast meal with wine at the table. Several people dress up for this dinner. Here are a few who really looked elegant.

Here is a picture of my crew sitting on my back steps. These ladies did a lot of work cleaning and opening up all of the lodges. They all leave tomorrow and next weekend the village fills up with 200 high school students for the first of the May Youth Weekends.

Humming Birds

2009-04-19T15:31:00.000-07:00

Oh this is better than Christmas! The Humming birds are at our feeder. Spring in the mountains brings out many different kinds of birds. We have owls each evening who "hoot" us to sleep each night. Juncos, Robins and Blue Jays cover the receding snow looking for seeds. Art was late for dinner last night because he watch the courtship of two Bald Eagles in flight over the village. But for me....... it is the Humming Birds that have me so excited. They sound like a very large bumble bee. Often there will be so many that you swat at them as you walk down the path. You forget that they are birds not pests. We put our feeder up yesterday and already they have found it. I have heard that once you start you need to keep the feeder filled and that they can drink up to a quart of this sugar water a day.

I knew the people who lived in our place last year and if you were very quiet and very still you can put your fingers around the feeder and they will land on your hand and drink. I am just so excited!! Expect more pictures from me; I just can't help myself.

Quick Updates

2009-04-18T09:35:00.000-07:00

Spring Work week begins on Sunday and then we are off to the bigger and more magnificent Holden Village. Next week we will open up all of the lodges and chalets for guests and staff to fill. The snow is in rapid decline and the sound of ice axes and snow shovels are an every afternoon occurrence. The "melt" will take some time because we still have 38" of snow on the ground. We figure two feet of melt a week if the weather is warm. The mountains still have a lot of snow on them; with fresh snow falling in the higher elevations just yesterday.

All of this is leading to an invitation to come and visit Holden. The morel mushrooms are coming out down by the lake, the grass will soon be green and ready for reading and napping, and soon we will have snow free trails for hiking. We have 1/2 price days available until mid June, so put your thinking caps on, dream of mountains and come see us. We move back home the end of August, so try out something new. Holden offers an invitation to all to visit and worship.

The Amazing Angela Mietzke

2009-04-13T13:45:00.000-07:00

Our Easter celebration decoration came from the hard work and incredible vision of just one woman, Angela Mietzke. Angela is our worship assistant and it is her job to add the "pretty touches" to our daily worship. The job never ends and the planning and ordering take huge effort to coordinate. This Easter we awoke to a giant daffodil turned upside down with bees flying in and out of the center.

All of this stunning decoration was done with the dying of material and carefully hanging it in Koinania to really give the affect of a Spring flower. The bees were so cute and were made of pine cones with yellow and black material wrapped around them. Angela has a vision of how things can be that most of us just never can perceive. She knows how to add color and texture, light and nature to make Holden the most beautiful worship space ever.

Easter Morning Pictures

2009-04-12T14:32:00.000-07:00

Easter Vigil Baptisms

2009-04-12T12:52:00.000-07:00

Last night we held a two hour Easter Vigil, which began with a bonfire and moved through biblical plays and then on to an Easter tradition that I had not experienced before; baptisms. Aubry, my seven month old chalet housemate, was baptised last night. Trevor, her dad is holding her while we waited for things to begin. Isn't she beautiful?

9 year old, Nyrie, was also baptised. She had her hair done in corn rows with a bright bow and crocheted flowers. Dave, her dad, also affirmed his baptism.

Our friend, Sarah, was Aubry's sponsor. The glow of candle light made everyone look just magical.

We ended our Easter vigil with cake and champagne afterwards. Holden is forever serving up some yummy treat for us to enjoy. Such a wonderful evening we all shared.

Earning Our Cookies

2009-04-09T15:46:00.001-07:00

One of our co-workers has broken his ankle and had to have surgery on it last week. He has come back to the village on crutches and to a lot of very soft, mushy snow. It is not easy for him to get around and especially nasty to get up to his chalet. In soft snow it is possible to sink up to 3 feet in an area where just yesterday you stood securely.

To help him out we decided to do a group effort shoveling of the path up to his chalet. Several of us got out to do the work. Cookies were served and we had the job done in about 45 minutes.

This picture was taken by Steve Marks, one of the villages school teachers. He brought his kids out to help.

Stop Day - Part Two

2009-04-07T20:56:00.000-07:00

I must add a post note to our wonderful Stop Day. Not everyone could go down to the lake for the fun. The village must always have fire brigade, medic, radio communication and utilities people ready to work at any time. As we pulled back into the village and stopped at the stop sign we noticed that there was a big note attached to the sign. It said, "We had more fun than you did!!" We then looked up the hill and spied this motley crew of people who had enjoyed their day in the village as much as we had. We all sat in the sun for awhile before breaking for a fantastic dinner of cod, artichokes, shish-kabobs, pizza and a wide variety of alcohol. We all had a fantastic day.

Stop Day Outing - To the Beach

2009-04-07T15:52:00.000-07:00

We still have 3 plus feet of snow on the ground at Holden and so when a "stop day" was announced (a day off for everyone), several of us decided to head down to the lake for a day at Lucerne. Lake Chelan is still very low and so we called it our Beach Day.

We packed lunches and brought hotdogs and towels. Art drove the bus so we could spend a leisurely four hours down at the lake.

We walked a bit, read, chatted and then Art lit a fire and we roasted our hotdogs. If you know much about Holden, you will know that we don't get many of those in the village.

We had such a nice time just relaxing and enjoying the beautiful day. It was near 70 out with full sun. As we packed up to go, Art decided to perform a long standing Holden tradition; jumping into the 40 degree lake before our trip back up the mountain and into snow.

Winter's End is Near

2009-04-06T15:24:00.000-07:00

A warm and very sunny 60 degrees today and even warmer tomorrow. Time to begin the big shovel out of the paths, walk ways and trails in the village. Here are a few Holden staffers (and Olaf and Eli) and shoveling off the Ark; Holden's main outdoor porch. Tomorrow is a stop day and many of us hope to go down to Lake Chelan at Lucerne and have a "beach day" with hotdogs and everything.

Mother Nature's April Fools Joke

2009-04-02T11:09:00.000-07:00

We awoke this morning to a foot of fresh snow. Art and I both like to get out of bed and go stomp the village trails. Here is our Chalet this morning.

Art is heading down the road to shovel out the Hydro plant. We have so little power this Spring. We need this stuff to melt so the creek will rise and give us power.

We were told at dinner tonight that this April is the snowiest in 27 years and we are only 2 days into it. Winter total of 221 inches so far.

Playing Cards

2009-03-29T11:25:00.001-07:00

I was going to title this posting "Oh Hell", but our card playing habits have diversified somewhat lately, so I decided to make it a bit more general.

There is a saying here that when we all spend the long winter together, we need to find something to do with ourselves or we will begin to "chew" on one another. Many read, weave or knit. While I do all of these, playing cards has been my salvation.

After dinner each evening, there is an hour between dinner and vespers so that dish team can get the dishes done and the dining hall cleaned up. This hour has become our time of playing cards. We began with "Oh Hell" each night. My friend Sarah has kept every score sheet for every game that we have played. We know who has had the top most and lowest scores for this year. After a few months of Oh Hell, a few other began to play Euchre and Five Hundred. I had no experience with either but soon learned.

We get together evenings and weekends for card games. While Pinochle still remains my game of choice, I find that spending time laughing and playing cards with these awesome young people truly have shown me some of the secrets to happiness both in and out of the village.

Good luck in cards and in life.

Which way to the sledding hill??

2009-03-26T16:51:00.001-07:00

200 Inches of Snow

2009-03-24T10:54:00.000-07:00

Before we moved to Holden Village, I was unsure how I would handle living in 300 - 500 inches of snow. The prospects of little direct sunlight and 25 feet of snow chilled some of my enthusiasm for the year. I sought the advise of many people who had experienced winters here before and most had no issues at all. I was still unconvinced so I said a prayer for a less than normal snow year. About mid December, when we had not had much snow at all I realised my prayer may have had some power. I came clean to our utilities staff and they made me recant my prayer.

As I lived through the winter, I was pleasantly surprised to find that the the lack of direct sunlight did not bother me. Each day the sun lit up the mountains all around us and the beauty of it all kept my spirits high. At noon, many of us would take a break on the loading dock and soak up the direct sun while it shown between Buckskin and Copper Mountains.

Now that we are in mid-March, our snow level is at 196.1 inches and the forecast is for ten inches tonight. If we can pass 200 inches, this will be considered an average year for snowfall. The mountain snow is so important to Washington State because it feeds so many things. Irrigation, forest vegetation, summer recreation and many other vial aspects all depend upon the snow pack. Our 200 plus inches of snow this winter has also soaked up over 9 inches of rain. This additional water is held as ice waiting for the weather to warm up so it can be released into the creeks.

Holden's electricity is provided by a hydro plant off of Copper Creek. Right now we are at the lowest point of the year. The village power goes out at least once per day. If you turn on an oven, a hair dryer, even this computer can take down the power for the entire village. Each item we use takes electric power away from some other part of the village. We stage our cooking, dish washing, vacuuming and clothes washers so we all have power to use. In the evenings, Art and I read by individual reading lights. The one by my bed is battery powered. No fully lit rooms here and we never leave the lights on when we leave the chalet.

When we leave Holden, I hope I can carry with me some of the practices that we have learned. Many of the changes in our life have been totally painless for us and will be easy to adopt. I hope to talk about more of our "rebirthing" to back to the real world in later posts.

Igloos

2009-03-19T19:58:00.001-07:00

When winter rears its head again there is nothing left to do but go out and play. Two different sets of people decided to make igloos here in the village. First there was Tom who worked hard using the traditional technique of using a saw to cut the ice into blocks and then carefully stacking them and filling the cracks with snow. This technique of cutting the snow out from under the igloo is preferred because the cold then sinks into the hole and one can survive by sitting on a platform in the igloo. Less of the igloo is exposed to the wind and elements and it can be a safe haven if you get lost in the snow.

Our second group, much less survival oriented, took buckets and sand molds and made blocks of snow. These then were placed one on top of each other until they were slanted at the top to finish the enclosure. I hear that someone stayed in this one and then cut himself out; thus making the door and exited.

Holden people can make fun and entertainment out of almost anything.

Labyrinth Stomping

2009-03-17T15:52:00.000-07:00

About a mile from the village there is a large open meadow that used to be the baseball field for the miners. For several years now, Holden has had a huge labyrinth drawn with stones in the summer and stomped in the snow in the winter. Many guests enjoy the walk out and the contemplative experience that the labyrinth gives.

After each snow fall someone volunteers to walk out there in snowshoes and stomp the snow back into this perfect shape. This week has dumped over two feet of snow in the Cascades, so my friend Michael and I went out to do the task.

Here in Michael in the middle and now he has to stomp his way out again. It is a lot of work to stomp two feet of snow into submission. After about and hour we were done and headed out but I tripped over my own snowshoes and fell into the perfectly sculpted side of the wall of the labyrinth, which is not longer perfect, kind of like me.

Homebrew Contest

2009-03-17T13:00:00.001-07:00

What do Holdenites do on a cold and snowy March evening? We have a homebrew contest. We all gathered in Chalet 1 to taste and test out the results of this winter's brewing efforts. Several homebrews were entered (even those from folks who had left the village) along with a large variety of "store bought" bottled beer. We had 33 of us sampling 26 different beers.

Each of us had a glass, a pen and a piece of paper all numbered to 26. The ratings were from one to ten, one being the lowest and ten the best. We were encouraged to make comments on each entry as we tried them. We were poured very small samples of each beer, we sniffed and tasted, commented and compared and then tasted again. Each round was ended with a drink of water to clear our taste buds before the next trial.

The results were surprising. The best homebrew was made by Julia H. and Nick B. with Eric H. coming in second. The best bottled beer was a dark brew called, Brother David's Abbyey Style Ale. Beers that I thought that I enjoyed like Mirror Pond and Corona rated rather poorly.

All in all it was a fun evening with both staff and guests mingling together.

Snowy Day

2009-03-15T15:04:00.001-07:00

A Break and Opportunities

2009-03-13T15:59:00.000-07:00

For the first time in about six weeks we don't have a family member, a friend or a friend of a friend visiting Holden. As staff, Holden gives us a number of guest days (free for family) and unlimited 1/2 days for friends. These days can't be used during the summer season so now is a good time for folks to visit. We have had a number of people take us up on the offer and so we have been quite busy for the past month or so. Holden life is made much richer when people visit and we can show things off. In the evenings we sit and laugh, play games and simply enjoy one another. With no dead lines, no dishes to do, no phone and no TV we can really kick back and have fun with one another.

Spring is looking like it might be a bit early this year; by that I mean some grass might be seen in April. We have snow in the shadows of the buildings through June here. Late April or early May might be a nice to to visit the village. The birds of spring are unbelievable here, with hummingbirds buzzing your head like bees. The weekends in May are filled with high school youth groups (I mean tons of kids) so mid-week visits might be better but the weekends are still doable.

Work opportunities are abounding right now as well. We have Spring Work week, April 19th - the 26th. This is a great way to see how we work (and play) here at Holden. If you have a bit more time, or know someone who does, working at Holden for a few weeks in the summer can be a ton of fun. Lazy nights sitting on porches with a glass of wine after a day of work, just can not be beat. I urge you to think about coming up for a visit.

The Awakening of Spring

2009-03-10T18:46:00.000-07:00

Deep in the earth a slight rumble is heard. A trickle begins to run, a bird sits an extra minute on a branch, the breeze tugs at a tree. Seasons change in very minuet steps, so slowly that we don't even notice them. Last week the blue jays suddenly began a raucous noise behind the Holden garden. The raven who lived here all winter by himself suddenly has company as he sits high in the tree. The snow shows the tracks of Horseshoe rabbits, squirrels and mice that flit across the surface in search of food. On a walk yesterday, a friend and I followed the paw prints of a bob cat for a half mile or so. The cat liked the stability of the well trodden trail just as we did. Today, as I joined a couple on a walk to the avalanche, the prints of a bear suddenly loped down the hill and traveled our path for quite a long distance, finally meandering off toward the creek.

March may be throwing all she has at us this week; snow and temps below zero, but she won't win in her quest to squelch those of us who feel spring in the air.

Ride Down to Lucerne

2009-03-07T09:08:00.001-08:00

After a night of snow, we awoke Friday to a beautiful day (we have so many of these days here). It was cold and vividly bright blue sun.

Art was scheduled to drive the bus down to meet the boat that day so I decided to come along for a ride in order to really enjoy the views of this fantastic day.

I sat right behind the driver's with my camera ready. The entire 11 miles down to the road was picture perfect. Snowy trees, mountains and blue sky the entire way. The 5 inches of fresh snow had not been plowed yet and so we were the first to make a mark in the snow that day. Well...

..... nearly the first. We followed a solitary track of a coyote for a few miles down the road until it decided to venture back into the woods. Farther down the road we came upon tracks of what I swear were a bear. Spring has really tried to rise out of the snow early this year and I thing that a few bear may have awakened.

After about 40 minutes of slipping and sliding around corners, we arrived at Lucerne, where Art backed the bus onto the dock to await the boat. We had a few students from Minnesota on board and one of them in her excitement to take pictures, dropped her camera into the lake. Art dug around under the "A Frame" cabin and found some wire and cord and a hook and managed to fish the soggy camera out. He was the hero of the day.

Soon we heard the boat round the corner to drop off our new guests eager for their trip up the road.

On A Clear Day....

2009-02-28T12:26:00.000-08:00

We awoke yesterday to a frigid 3 degrees but as the sun rose so did the temperature. I have never in my life seen the sky so blue. I walked around all day snapping pictures, all the while knowing that I could never convey to you the pure wonder of yesterday with the mix of sun, snow and vivid blue.

Bombardier Adventure

2009-02-24T15:09:00.000-08:00

At lunch today it was announced that one of the Bombardiers was going out for a test run and anyone who wanted a ride could come along. The village has several of these vehicles; this one is a cute little 1958 vintage special. Several of us came out for the ride. It had been years since I had ridden in one since the village only uses them in the most extreme snowy circumstances.

Here we sit ready to go. Aubrey and her mom came decided to come along for the ride.

Everything went just fine all the way down the road, but when we turned around to come back the poor baby over heated. We all sat inside for awhile until inside the cab began to fill with steam. One of our passengers was a bit afraid that it would blow up, so we evacuated. Our driver, Terry, called for support but most of us decided to walk the 2 miles back to the village.

A look back at the poor baby steaming as it waits for assistance.

We trudged back to the village in a long line, the youngest first. Eventually Terry got it running again and picked many of the walkers back up. I stayed to myself and walked back. I am beginning to love the snowy road.

Sledding Down the Road

2009-02-21T16:19:00.000-08:00

How I wish I could have taken a picture so you could have seen me. I felt magnificent as I glided down the road on the Spark sled. There was no one there to take a picture nor could any image taken do justice to how I felt as I took the kick sled toward Lucerne.

After lunch and greeting a bus load of new guests, I grabbed my pack and took off.

I had told Jack, who was driving the bus, to look for me as he drove back up the road from Lucerne. "I will see how far I can make it before you get to me".

The first two miles were the hardest because the ground is fairly level, but after that the gliding got easier. Kick - slide, Kick - glide, Kick, kick, kick, kick - ahhhhh down hill. The sun was out with a clear blue sky, a deeper blue than I ever remember seeing before. I was all alone on my sled; just me in the snowy forest.

After about an hour,I came to the narrows, I was surprised at how far I had come and still no bus. By then I was gliding more and more and began the more rapid decent down the mountain.

The warmth of the day was making the snow soft and I was digging in a bit more, but I was glad because the road was beginning to get steep.

Suddenly, I heard a noise and around the bend came Jack and the bus. "Boy, you sure made it a long ways", he said. I smiled and was proud as we loaded the sled in the back.

I don't think a picture would have done justice to how wonderful I felt as I kicked and glided all alone in the snowy wilderness.

SOB Part Two

2009-02-19T11:43:00.000-08:00

Holden loves a party and so we figured that we had to prove that the sun did rise over Buckskin Mountain and we had to do it with champagne.

Art and I decked out in our finestWe had Mimosas and other tasty treats

Mary poured the drinks

... and Aubry was looking her finest

Sun Over Buckskin in the Snow

2009-02-15T11:52:00.001-08:00

Well... We are sure that Sun Over Buckskin happened but we have not seen the sun for a few days to know for certain. Holden decided to have a party anyway .... a barbeque. As you can see we had fresh snow falling all day long. Dave and Daniel stood out in the snow for hours cooking up the meat for the party.
We were encouraged to dress for a "Beach Party" and many did.

Even Aubry dressed up a bit and put on her shades.

We ate a wonderful dinner with hot dogs, brats and hamburgers and sang to the Beach Boys until we over powered the village electricity and the power went out.

World's Best Sledding

2009-02-14T11:10:00.000-08:00

Holden has the world's best sledding hill, no traffic to watch, no buildings in the way, just steep and all down hill. Chalet Hill, as we call it, is about 100 yards long from top to bottom and is fairly steep. It runs from the top most chalet to the school.

We have had little fresh snow lately so early this morning our head maverick ran a snow cat up and down the hill to chop up the ice and make is safe for the kids to use this Presidents Day weekend. We had about 70 guests come to the village for a long weekend of recreation.

The visiting children love the hill and are on it all day long. They really pick up speed before it levels out at the bottom.

After a good ride down, they hike back up the hill for another run. Most of the time they make it to the bottom but everyonce in a while there is a crash on the way down.

If you click on the picture you can see a teddy bear on someones lap after the crash. Everyone was safe and went up hill for another try.

My Amaryllis in my Window

2009-02-12T21:44:00.000-08:00

What more can I say? Our little window garden is surving the winter. Soon Art will build a window box for plants outside.

Good Friends Visit

2009-02-09T16:03:00.000-08:00

I am having a fantastic week!!! Several good friends came to Holden for the annual Women's Retreat, which ended today. These ladies really fuel my soul and to have them here is like sunshine. Below are Nancy J. and Lorrie.
Of course we had to hike out to the avalanche again, my third time. This hike is becoming the "must do" hike here at Holden. Very few people have actually seen a huge avalanche and to be able to walk out and climb on it is really fun.

Below are friends Janice and Nancy L. who also hiked with us on Saturday. Very photogenic ladies don't you think?

We climbed around awhile and then headed back. Nancy L. and Janice headed back today but Nancy and Lorrie are staying till Friday, such a gift. The Holden experience is really enhanced when you make friends, keep in touch and they come to visit. This is why we moved here for a year, to celebrate our relationships and build more.

Spring

2009-02-08T13:12:00.000-08:00

There is no denying it, Spring is on the way. Now I have been told by 100 people that I am wrong and that at any moment we still could have (and we need) 100 inches of snow, but Mother Earth herself has given up her struggle to hold back and has released Spring, as a gift to us, in the air.

Each day I see a new sign, a bird here, a chipmunk there, the owl has returned and so have the yappy blue jays. Nature knows that winter is on the way out. While we still may have quite a bit of snow in March (an usually ugly month in Washington), Spring is on it's way. The biggest sign and also the advancer of Spring is the sunlight in the village. Each day the sun rises a bit higher and higher over the mountains. Last Friday I noticed, for the first time direct, morning sun glowing on the chalets. This was the first time that the sun had risen above the ridge and before the sun tucked itself behind Buckskin Mountain till noon. Next week brings the day that we all have been looking forward too; the day that cinches it all - SOB Day (Sun Over Buckskin).

SOB Day is when the sun no longer dips behind the peak of that big mountain but flies like a kite right over the top to bring us sun for hours at a time. The village turns a bit crazy that day. We put on shorts and flip flops, Hawaiian shirts and bathing suits. We barbecue lunch outdoors, drink Mimosas (with real champagne) and dance in the street to the Beach Boys. We laugh and cheer because we have survived another winter in the mountains and we KNOW that Spring is on the way. (Watch for SOB pictures next week)

What do you feel?

2009-02-04T15:03:00.000-08:00

Art and I just returned to the village after a week of vacation or as we say at Holden, "an out". We knew ahead of time that winter at Holden can be intense and that a week away would be very good for our mental health.

After traveling home to Ellensburg for the dog, we visited friends and headed to the beach for our week. We excitedly headed out to the "real world" to experience many of the things that we miss at Holden. Things like television, radio, really fast Internet and shopping. Exposure to the media and consumer world is something that we really don't miss much at Holden. We really do enjoy the peace and quiet and this blessed time away from the hustle and bustle of on the outside.

As we traveled from place to place, I began to notice that I was seeing many familiar things with fresh eyes. Words, phrases, slogans and such that have always been there suddenly took on new meanings and effected me in different ways. For example, we stopped in Lacey WA at the Cabella's store; I was excited to go and see all they had to offer, but when I got inside, all I noticed were stuffed animals and a wide variety of methods to kill and eat them. The camping and hiking that I was looking for was there as well, but I was suddenly overwhelmed by the message of carnage.

As we drove around, we listened to the radio quite a bit. The messages spoken over the radio really bothered me. I felt as if I were being told how to feel rather than assessing a situation and then allowing my own emotions to kick in. It was either joy over Superbowl Sunday or doom over the economy or anger at senseless crime in society. Everything was valid but I was not allowed to feel my own emotions. The emotion was set before the words were spoken. I was exhausted by the end of the week.

Here at Holden, we have very little media. We are encouraged to read and draw our own conclusions; our own feelings about events. We love to discuss and disagree, but we still walk away our with our own thoughts and emotions. Has life always been this way? Is our media just a continuation of a reactive society? What do you think and feel about all of this?

Spinners and Weavers from Saint Placid

2009-02-04T09:57:00.000-08:00

This is a special week here at Holden; one that I was excited to experience. We have a group from Saint Placid Priory in Lacey, Washington here teaching us to spin yarn and knit. As a beginning knitter, I tend to struggle with my craft a bit. These women make everything look so easy and fun.
They have set up their spinning wheels in our common "living room" area and work all day long and help any of us who would like to learn. The high school kids are especially drawn to this and everything evening they sit, chat, laugh and spin.

Much of the wool is donated to the priory and they bring a lot of it up for Holden to spin and then use for hats and scarfs. You can read the background story of these gifted women and how they began at "Priory Knitters and Spinners".

Our "Out"

2009-01-29T22:52:00.000-08:00

We went to Ellensburg to pick up the dog, visited some good friends in Issaquah and then headed to the Oregon Coast.

Where we found mossy paths and green grass (not snow) and wonderful full sun.
Ecola State Park is my favorite place so far with views of Cannon Beach and Haystack rock in the distance.

Friends Visit

2009-01-25T12:31:00.000-08:00

We have good friends visiting from Ellensburg, Josephine and her husband Kevin (KC). We were so excited for them to get here. I was able to put them in the best room in the village; reserved just for special people.

We have had a lot of fun visting, hiking again to the avalanche and last night a human powered sliegh ride to a Coffee House / Talent Show. I hope that they are enjoying their visit here.

Art and I head out tomorrow for a week away from the village. We need to get out of the ice and touch solid ground. We also plan to see some friends. We might even go to the ocean.

A Ride in the Imp

2009-01-22T15:22:00.001-08:00

What a fun thing I did today!! My friend Nick, our Garbologist, knew that I have been wanting a ride in the Imp, a small tracked vehicle, that he uses to move things around the village. Today he had to go up to the 3rd level and asked if I wanted to go. Here he is waiting for me to grab my camera. I had left my coat in another building so I grabbed this purple one from "potty patrol", our lost and free to take room of clothing items. I asked Angela, my neighbor from downstairs, to snap a shot of me as we took off.
The imp can go anywhere; up snow banks and down. We slid around a few corners as we headed up to the mine tailings. The third level is the upper most level of the tailings and the one with the best view. From there we had a good view of the closest avalanches to the village. These two are just up the valley, behind the old miner's village. As you can see because of the weaker snow at the very bottom, the avalanche cut right down to bare ground.

J - Term

2009-01-21T20:30:00.000-08:00

During January Holden hosts a group or two of college students, usually from a private Lutheran University in the US. Pacific Lutheran, Saint Olaf and others. These schools are on a semester system and January is typically a time for a more in depth class or field experience. This January is called J - Term.

This year we have a group of about 30 student from Saint Olaf in Minnesota. They began their adventure travelling via Amtrak to Wenatchee ( the train was only 8 hours late), spent the night in Chelan and then caught the boat up to the village. None of them had been here before mixed with 3 long days of travel, gave us some very wide eyed kids getting off the bus that day. We had heard that they had visions of Holden as a hippie place where people played drums a lot; so that is how we greeted them.

They have been here two weeks now and I must say that we may not let them go home. We just love them. After our initial joke and their initial shock, they have fit in here perfectly. They have brought swing dancing and yoga to the village and they have learned how to do dish team, garbo and stoking our huge multi-building wood furnace called "Dante".

It is so much fun to have this young life in the village. We can attend their classes if we wish and we always have very lively discussions in the library and at dinnner. Thanks Saint Olaf students, we love you!

Hike to an Avalanche

2009-01-20T14:02:00.001-08:00

Washington State has been experiencing an air inversion, which means foggy weather for most of the state but here in the Cascade Mountains we have blue sky and bright sun. Well... I should qualify that we have 2 hours of direct full sun in the village but we still gaze upon beautiful sun lit mountains most of the day.

The rainy weather of two weeks ago brought down many avalanches in the mountains, one of which is quite large and only about 2 miles from the village, flowing down Holden Creek Canyon and crossing the Hart Lake trail. Yesterday seemed like the perfect day for a hike and so about 30 of us decided to walk out to see the avalanche.

It was still very cold out so we bundled up and headed out. Because the first snow of this winter was very cold and fluffy, the most bottom layer of snow was the most unstable (the science of snow is fascinating). This unstable snow cause each avalanche to cut right down to bare dirt in many places. Frozen dirt, rocks, trees and roots came down the mountain with the snow.
If you click on the picture above and it will enlarge and you can better see the scope of the slide. The small specs up the canyon are actually brave young people who decided to make their way to the beginning of the slide.

We had a great time. The avalanche was huge and will require much trail repair work this summer. Above you can see our friends Wanda (a brave Floridian) and Carole (a brave Californian) conquering the Cascade Mountains avalanche.

Stop Holding Your Breath...

2009-01-17T14:49:00.000-08:00

I am really ok, just a little slow in beginning to post again. I am actually feeling better than I have for awhile. It is amazing what a trip to the dentist can do.

Right now we don't have a lot going on in the village, so I thought I would make a plug for you to visit. From now and until June (except a few 3 day or holiday weekends) you can come up and visit for half price. Just write to registration and tell them you are friends of ours.

Art and I do plan a week out beginning January 26th through February 2nd. Other than that we are here. Summer time is also filling up fast and if you would like a unique vacation you can come visit then as well, unfortunately we can't give you a discount, unless you are under 18 and want to sleep on a cot at our place.

Don't forget that Blewett Pass is closed indefinitely and the route via Quincy is about 1/2 longer from Ellensburg than Blewett is. From Seattle, US #2 is the better choice.

I will write more when we have fresh snow and more outdoor activities. Right now ice is all we have and it makes everything treacherous. A very odd winter.

Thanks all who said prayers for me. I am a lucky woman to have you all.

Joan's Big Adventure

2009-01-10T14:24:00.000-08:00

My adventure was a total surprise to me and I was unprepared for what happened. One minute I was eating breakfast and feeling fine and 15 minutes later I was on the floor, so dizzy that I could not even move my head or open my eyes. Every time I opened my eyes the room would literally spin and I would feel very nauseous.

Time stopped for me; I knew there were people in the room with me but all I thought about was not moving or throwing up again. I remember Dave and Liz taking vitals and giving me a shot to ease my nausea. I was unable to even lift my head, much less get off of the floor. At some point the decision to take me out of the village was made, but because of my condition, they knew that the Lady of the Lake could not meet my needs. A Forest Service boat was called down from Stehekin with a medic on board to take me downlake to Chelan. I remember little of the ride except for the fact that the medic kept waking me up. It was a sunny day on the lake and I had not seen the sun for months, I am sorry I missed it.

An ambulance met us at Field's Point where I was placed on a gurney and transported the the Chelan ER. The staff at the ER was wonderful and had me diagnosed within minutes; Labyrinthitis, an inner ear condition that comes on suddenly but can last for a few weeks. I was given some heavy sedative medications and told to go to bed. We got a room at the Chelan Best Western and I took a hot bath and then went to bed.

I feel much better today but we have decided to stay in the hotel one more night just to make sure I have stabilized. I am so grateful to all those who helped and cared for me. I was not an easy patient at times. Each time I moved my head my world would spin. I resisted moving and yet they carried me and transported me over many miles of very remote country to an emergency room. I am am overwhelmed with emotion when I think of each kind word and face that told me that all would be OK.

Thank you all. I am on the mend and plan to be back soon.

Art's Big Adventure

2009-01-08T19:10:00.000-08:00

The weather in Washington State has been very, very warm and rainy. So much so that even at 3500 feet the rain has been pouring down in buckets; over five inches in 48 hours. Rain on top of 4 feet of snow makes..... a ton of slush and also causes avalanches.

You saw the "Art's toy" post and when you have a toy you must take it out and use it, so Art and his toy went down the road two days ago to clear the snow and slush. 2 of his other playmates took the snowplow, "Fluffy", down to the lake to clear the way for the bus to bring in guests. After Art was almost finished grading, the radio buzzed to tell him that the guys down at the lake had gotten "Fluffy" stuck and he needed to turn around and head back down to the lake to pull them out.

Down he went again. After he had pulled them out, they all headed back up the mountain only to find the road blocked by an avalanche. They had no place to go but back to the lake again where Holden has a small "A" frame cabin for emergencies. Art had to back the grader down the road to a place where he could leave it and the three of them, Art, Bob and Mark, then walked in the slush the last 2 miles down the road to hunker down for the night.

Back in the village, I was pretty worried about Art and the weather. We had no idea how many avalanches had come down and the rain kept pouring and pouring down. We could hear avalanches around the village and could only trust that the placement of the village was as safe as we had been told. Neither of us got much sleep that night.

The next morning, Art and Mark slogged back up to the road grader to start working on clearing the blocking avalanche from the lake side. From our end, Chuck and Daniel headed down the road in another snow plow to work on the snow from this end. All in all there were 3 avalanches to clear and the arriving guests did not get into the village until 3pm in the afternoon. Art, being the hard worker that he is, stayed and plowed then entire road again finally getting back to the village just after dinner Wednesday night.

Guess what his job is for tomorrow? This trip can't be as bad as the last, the rain has cut our snow pack in half and we return to snow which is much kinder to people.

Art's New Toy

2009-01-05T16:44:00.000-08:00

After the plow truck goes down the road to clear a path in the fresh snow, the road grader follows it down to push the snow to the side and level out the road (ice) surface.

Art is the new road grader driver. I am not sure how I feel about this with all the avalanche shoots he has to pass to get to the lake but we can't get in and out of here if we don't keep the road open. Art loves this new duty here.

Its Not All Roses

2009-01-04T20:22:00.000-08:00

This post is not the easiest one to make on a night like this, with fresh snow coming down and people to laugh and talk with, but a few of you have commented that life here seems idyllic and I thought I might talk a bit about the realities of living in a remote community in the mountains.

Life here, and everywhere, is what you make of it. Art and I have chosen to give 110% here at Holden to get the 80% of pure joy that we show you here in our blog. Most of the time we ignore the negative or make do with what we have here. We find that we are often surprised with how we adapt or how what we thought was important really is not. That said, below is a partial list of some of the realities of our life here.

Life in community - living closely with other people. Five of us live in this chalet and one is only 4 months old. Living upstairs we hear much of what goes on downstairs. Babies cry and don't sleep through the night. Younger people come and go at much later times that we do, but we also tend to be up and at it long before they would like as well. We also live right next to the best sledding hill you will ever see in your life. Every once in a while a 2am sledding group will decide to scream their way down the hill. Yes we have quiet hours but really....

Life with power outages - Holden generates its electrical power via a small stream that flows down a mountain. There are no power lines to the outside world and our utility team consists of 3 people. The power goes out here frequently, sometimes daily and sometimes for hours at a time. We live with flashlights in every coat pocket and by every bed. Yesterday an avalanche came down and covered the stream. We had to wait for the water to refind its way down its rocky path and back into our generator. We had no idea if it would be 20 minutes or 12 hours.

Life with limited power - Some very talented man wrote a computer program that gives power to the things in the village that need it when they need it. For example, most of the hot water is diverted to the kitchen after dinner so we can wash the dishes. My Chalet gets power to its hot water tank from midnight to 4 am. That means that all of us in Chalet 14 get one tank to use during the day. None of us shower every day and we don't feel dirty nor miss our daily shower. We also don't use our clothes dryers in the winter, but it is so dry here that a full load on a drying rack is dry in 3 hours.

Life with a lot of snow - Overnight tonight we should get about 15 to 20 inches of snow. This means that my first task of the morning will to put on my snowshoes and begin stomping out the paths that go from building to building. We pound the snow down with our snowshoes into a maze that takes us where we want to go. Each path is carefully placed to not be close to a building to avoid the snow that falls from the roofs or as we say "roofalanches". The roofs are metal but still gather a lot of snow on them before they eventually slide off. Tons of snow smash down to the ground and if anyone is in the way they are no longer alive. So far we have surpassed the 120 inch mark of our winter snow fall. Only 200 inches to go before the big melt.

Living and eating close to others - Both Art and I have been sick this year, sicker than we have been in many years in Ellensburg. We are much closer to people at meals and worship than we are at home. We catch colds and flu and anything else that comes this way. Our immune systems are catching up just like small children do when they enter school.

Life in the cold - Those of you that know me will won't believe this but 60 degrees is a comfortable temperature indoors. Each building here has an alternative heat source, wood mostly but 3 buildings are on diesel fuel for heat. We have had many nights thant fall to the single digits. Somehow (miraculously) our bodies adapt to the cold. We wear warm bulky clothing and many layers but for me, my house is way too warm at 65 degrees and I now prefer about 50 degrees to sleep in. When you are not pulled from the warm to cold with each building you enter, your body adapts and you don't need the heat nor the air conditioning that we have in the outside world.

Working closely with people - Holden is a place of grace. We give much more latitude to people than in a normal work place. Many people come to Holden during times of stress or transition in their lives. Working with people who are new to the concept or who are still finding their way is not always easy. Holden staff consists of many post-college young people who are still not sure where life is leading them. They don't have the skills that Art and I have and at times it can be frustrating (I really do love them all). For example I am missing my 4th pair of scissors from my desk and my best broom was used in a game of "broom ball". What were they thinking!!!! Need I say more?

Each frustration here has given us the chance to grow and change. Each person give us the chance to give grace and patience to others. We are learning so much here but that does not mean that I go to bed happy each night.

God bless you all and thanks for viewing a life a bit differently than you live.

Snow Gargoyles

2009-01-01T14:18:00.000-08:00

Winter Olympics - The Events

2008-12-30T15:36:00.001-08:00

Broom Ball

X-Country Ski Race

The Kid Toss

Dog Sled Races

The final was on their knees.

Garbo Drag Races (Kids in garbage cans with draggers dressed in drag)

The winners

Toboggan Races

With the final entry the swimsuit edition.

Only at Holden, folks.

Happy New Year

Winter Olympics - The Torch Light Parade

2008-12-29T20:36:00.001-08:00

Every New Years week Holden holds a Winter Olympics with a day of games such as "Child Tossing", "Icicle Javelin", "Combat Sledding", "Compost Toss", "Broom Ball" and the like. Tonight the Olympic Torch was escorted into the village and lit at the top of Chalet Hill.
My friends Wanda and Carol walked the torch into the village where it was passed off to a boy who is here with his family.

This child then passed it off to another who carried the torch up to the top of the hill and lit the official torch.

We then gathered around and soaked up the warmth from the fire. Tomorrow we have a full day of competition and fun. More to come.

White Out Condtions

2008-12-29T15:27:00.000-08:00

Can you say winter with a capital W!!! It was slow in coming but we are up to our "bleeps" in snow now. It is near white out conditions right now with the wind kicking all the snow off of the trees redistributing it all over again. I feel a bit like Laura Ingalls Wilder with a following a rope to the the barn so I don't get lost on the way.

I love the adventure and work that all of this entails. Art spent 8 hours yesterday helping dig out a snow plow that had drifted off the road and I shovel and stomp trails as much as I can. The snow on the roofs is beginning to slide off now, "roofalanches" as we call them, and we all are careful where we walk so we are not hit by tons of sliding snow from a roof.

Holden's Living Love

2008-12-27T10:06:00.000-08:00

I often struggle to explain to others what Holden is or why so many are drawn to it. My words fall short each time I try to explain why we have moved up to the mountains for a year. One of my friends here, Angela, also has a blog and she put such beautiful words to our shared experience. I asked her if I could share part of her posting with you.

Mietzke's Holden Adventure

"This living love is given through delicious meals thoughtfully prepared, through electricity, and fresh water. Through heaters installed and repaired, beautiful programs made and letters of invitation sent out. Love is present in conversations had and ears open to listening. Love is in music sung and played, and in poetry read. It is in candles lighted and vehicles fixed. It lives through people who respond to emergencies, and fire drills. Love has been given to us this year through people who stop what they are doing to hold a baby or play a game with my children. It is shown through the driving of buses and the loading and unloading of vehicles. There are sermons preached and lessons read. There are walls painted and doors hung. There are books shelved and a beautiful store lovingly run. There are people to help me with the computers and printer whenever I have a problem, which is actually quite often. Love is shown when furniture is purchased and quilts are made. It shines when the weekly schedule is printed! It is shown when you stop and give someone a moment of your time. It is shown when the napkins are placed on the tables and when the soap dispensers are filled and most especially shown when toilets are scrubbed and plunged. There are people who care for the gardens, who churn compost and chop wood, who sort garbage, move beds and when people make sure there are rooms cleaned and prepared for guests. Love is in caring for the winter safety board and checking to make sure everyone who went for a hike got back safely. It is programming, facilitating, and planning. Love shows in the ice cream scoopers, and bread makers, dish washers and people who spend all night looking for a leak in our water system. Love is shown through fund raising and staffing decisions made. There are sacristans and book keepers and people who are our advocates both in the village and the outside world. There are walls and stairs built and pipes fixed. There are writers and painters and weavers, and mobile makers. There are crews that spend time clearing trails and people who provide entertainment. There are clean sheets and linens. Love is shown when the mail is sent out and put away in the boxes, and when there are paths stomped through the snow. Love is shown when reservations are made and when boilers are stoked to provide warmth in the winter. Love is shown in the answering of the radios and shoveled snow. When there are roads cleared and instruments played. It is shown by the people who run staff meetings and welcome in new community members. It is present when there are outlets fixed and lights replaced. There is coffee made and open doors inviting people in. There are some who are always willing to give a hug and go out of their way to remember things about me, like my favorite color or what I like best to eat. Love is shown through the teachers that come in many different packages, and there are hands ready to reach out to me when I am in sorrow or pain. Love is given in the sharing of activities and the creation of celebrations and festivity. Love is shown through the joyous laughter of village children, and the mayor's welcome at the bus!If this daily experience is what is meant by Christ lived out in the world, then I have been gifted with Christ, and love has become the fibers that connect us all. Thank you all for being my teachers, for having patience with my short comings, for reaching out to me, for being silly with me and making me laugh. Thank you also for the gift of tears and the safety to express them. This is a beautiful community! You are doing good work in the world! "

Holiday Time

2008-12-22T05:58:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was the first time in a long time that the bus left with a full load of guests and came back up with a full load. The winter holiday season is upon us. What a trip it is for these people who have put Holden Village in their lives this Christmas season.

We began with a wedding on Saturday, Dave (the high school teacher) married Mary (the lead cook). Friends and family from all over ventured through crowded airports to very icy roads and passes, to a small town to wait for a boat to take them to one of the most remote places in the US. Needless to say we greeted a bus full of very tired, wide eyed people on Friday. A few hot meals and some sleep and they were ready for the wedding.

The night of the wedding was magical, with fresh snow falling, as the entire village walked from chalet to chalet calling each of the wedding party out with song and bells. Many there had never walked at night in the snowy cold. The beauty of it captivated everyone.

Some left the next day while others stayed to sled and ski or just enjoy each other. Today we begin two weeks of Christmas and New Years magic, with great food, worship and tons of activities. Last night there was a candle lit ski trail for those who wanted to venture out. Art and I were both suddenly tired and went to our chalet to read and head to bed early.

Matt and Tracy arrive on Wednesday, if the roads are clear, and we share our family Christmas with many others in our mountain retreat. I do hope that all of you take time to step outside and breath the fresh cold air and remember your loved friends and loved ones. We miss many of you and we wish you all a wonderful Christmas time.

Creating Metal Ornaments

2008-12-19T15:07:00.000-08:00

This Advent season each person, family or household has chosen a day to do a simple but "Christmasy" activity or craft with the village. Yesterday was our day and Art decided to have people draw a ornament design on a square of stainless steel. Art then would cut the design out and and give each person an ornament to take home. Below is Rachel Lulay's design.
During coffee break, a daily tradition where everyone stops and socializes, Art helped some of the elementary school kids create their design on the metal.

At 2pm Art and a few others took the designed metal squares up to the shop, where Art taught people how to use the plasma arc to cut the design out and buff off the rough spots to finish the ornaments. This was a fun project for all but especially for Art because he introduced a new craft to many.