Unfortunately, not another hiking story. But a good long day
nonetheless.
As of yesterday, we have commenced the trial runs of our
Civic Engagement Camp units, a camp week that we will be leading for some 25 or
so students this spring. The 6 units bring together the components of what it
takes to be an engaged citizen in a community and organize a community service project
cooperatively.
Unit one is about understanding individual freedom and
community. The best part though, is that we get to do all of the projects we
intend to do with the kids, so yesterday we got more swag.
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| Made Tye-die....cause, how could you not build an awesome community off that? |
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| Made Journals: my back. |
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| my front |
At around two, we ended our meeting day and headed over to
Mossyrock for a tour of the tallest Washington dam completed in 1968, which
boasts a height that dwarfs the Seattle Needle. We had a very enthusiastic and
kind-hearted tour guide named Randle who led our cars across the dam in a very
v.i.p. fashion and winded us down to the power house that stores two jumbo
generators. We got to walk inside the generator casings and watch the things spin
as fast as 80-somethin hundred basketballs shooting through your arm per
minute….or second…something ridiculous. In the control room on a digital
color-coated monitor, he showed us how they track the movement of water energy
through the power house and how they adjust the levels to keep the generators spinning
at 128 revolutions per minute(…second? Am I getting that confused again?) to
keep it at exactly 6 hertz, the “correct wave of electricity”. It had never
really crossed my mind that a dam would be all that interesting but I did appreciate
hearing about their Hydropower methods and their environmental philosophies
that focus on using the natural resources wisely, keeping the fish population
thriving in their natural cycle and focusing on all surrounding components of
the environment as well. I also appreciated his balanced view on dam
efficiency, not being a hard-lined advocate for saving dams that are no longer
serving their purpose. He said that of the 7500 dams left in the USA, a good portion
of them qualify for revisions. The Hydropower type that they run is one of the
most sustainable and efficient methods, the 240 or so are providing 10-15 percent
of the power. At the end, more swag ensued: flashlight keychains and snazzy
folders of statistics and why we should work at a Hydropower plant.
The whole day had been shades of gray, speckled with
slightly clear-ish patches of a meager blue trying to poke its way though. By
the time we finished the tour however, a steady drizzle was setting in and the
lack of color was making it quickly feel late into the evening. However, I
still had plans in front of me. Instead of succumbing to the weather’s
suggestive prompt of curling up with a movie, I was off to Chehalis to visit my
first-ever WWOOFing farm, Twinbrooks! Since my time there in 2011, Lorna and
Carl had built a Sweat lodge and the prospect of the steamy cleanse kept me
awake amidst the drab.
I surprised myself in how well my visual memory worked to
navigate me through the back country roads to the farm. Tree lines and fields
where I’d waved at baby foals and farmers rolling their hay all jumped out with
familiarity. As soon as I saw the rickety farmhouse, a grin lit up my face.
Lorna came out to greet me with her sweet whimsical smile worn on her
rough-and-tough farm woman stature. She welcomed me as I remembered, calling
their current wwoofer by name like a son that had been with them for years, and
one that I knew well, none the less. Instant family.
In the house, Jared had been put to work cutting up tons of
Quince, a fruit I am still on the fence about after trying it both raw and
cooked. Lorna left us to get to know one another and finish up dinner preparations
while she started the fire and took the dogs on a walk. When she returned, we
added a couple more logs and then waited for the fire to burn down to hot coals
and expose the glowing rocks in the center. Lorna ran around and prepared towels and water and cautiously asked
about our level of shyness to determine what to wear. I was gung ho for
whatever dress code was established and Jared seemed apprehensive but open. I
silently gave him kudos, having learned this was actually only his second day
there and that he had never done a sweat on top of already getting to know
Lorna’s quirky personality.
The sweat was wonderful. Certainly not as intense as a
traditional sweat but we got some good steam going with 7 rocks and Lorna and I
offered up some chants. Afterwards, we all took turns with the outdoor shower
before meeting inside where Acorn squash was warming in the oven.
The next morning, I stayed for a breakfast of Zucchini
patties and Jared and I took a walk around the wood/creek trail before I headed
out.
That night after errands and a long drive home, I hosted my
second Karaoke night. It was quite a bit different since my partner in crime
was at the teen center until 11 and I remained sober as part of my 3-week
hiatus from Alcohol, coffee and chocolate. Despite the clarity of my judgment,
I managed to get myself to do my first solo performances in front of a Karaoke
machine. Granted, I had my hands in the pockets of my sweatshirt and my face
was probably redder than hot coals but that was a plural. I did three songs all on my ownsome. And quite a few more
for backup support. I am not from these parts though. I am currently sitting
with the Karaoke book at my side because I am going to have to learn more songs
that these people jive with.
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