Igloos

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

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

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

A Break and Opportunities

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

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

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....

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

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.