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Published: February 24th 2008
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Had quite an adventurous week in fact, visiting Bellingham last weekend making funny connections, and disconnecting as I returned back to Lopez Island from my weekend.
I was able to get all the way to Bellingham, about an hour ride from the ferry dock, without using any mass transit, just my thumb. That really raised my expectations of hitching in the USA which so far has been quite tough. Meeting, Starr, a crazy Canadian I met in the Himalayas, we explored Bellingham with her high school pals. Oddly, my first day there after exiting a cafe I ran into a fellow classmate of Fairfield High School, Craig. Although I was never close with him running into him so far from home can changes anyone's opinion of another!
The weekend was quite a ride, and the weather was backing us up at times, with a few spring like bursts of sunshine. Did some hiking through Fairhaven's mudfilled trails, and often did a lot of walking through town as Bellingham is full of personalities that are just beckoning to be met. My first visit to Western Washington University was pleasant. Starr accompanied me with a sign she created reading "FREE HUGS". It
Bellingham or Bust!
Hitching on a boat ain't easy being the day after Valentine's Day, apparently this stunt had been pulled already, yet many students, and even nonstudents were very willing to receive and give hugs. It was surprisingly energizing and left me with a good impression of the school's setting. Afterwards, leaving the sign where we were, we moved to the Arboretum above the school doing a pleasant hike uphill to an observation tower giving us a view of Bellingham and the surrounding mountains. Then it began to rain.
Needless to say, Bellingham had its high points and some other boring times, finding that my hosts were big fans of cartoon sitcoms. The occaisonal outing was indeed fun, and I do expect to get back up there for maybe more specific reasons then to just explore.
This week at work was quite tremendous as we were able to complete the strawbale walls of our first building. "Hay is for horses, straw is for buildings", Jan our coordinator kept repeating at anyone who came to ask what all this hay was doing there. I have quite a joyful team of coworkers. Pamela, the contractor, who tends to respond to anything in either a British or a French
Lovely.
Apparently this nearby factory on the mainland is spewing wonderful amounts of arsenic into the air! accent, though she has never been to either country I believe. Kevin, who is always willing to help me to navigate the world of working with one's hands. This weekend many of the people who will be living in the community houses we are building came to help us put a first layer of plaster on the strawbale walls which is quite labor intensive as putting the straw in. We need to split up into groups for mixing this earthen plaster which is made of dirt, straw, water, and either horse or llama poo (llama's smell better). We finished 2 parts of maybe 12 total of the wall, yet we also had all the windows installed on the front of the building making it quite comfortable to be inside now. Two weeks earlier we were walking as we like through the frame of the building, jumping out the back of the building if we had to carry something there, and now suddenly we are forced to walk through doors and go outside through the same way everytime we need to get to another spot. It's becoming a home(and office)!
This odd spring like weather that dominated the week
Starr
India, Washington; where will we meet next?! made it possible to plaster did not ever force us to ever be inside, and we even had our last two lunches on picnic tables promoted by Donna, a local stone mason, and general human extraordinaire, who brought her large cob wood fired oven which she can drive around on a trailer. For the past two days she has brought fresh pizza dough, her special blend of tomatoes, really good cheese, and a number of toppings from basil leaves, olives, pears, and sun dried tomatoes, making a constant row of small pizza pies for almost 45 minutes as we sit around and enjoy the all too warm Februrary air. She also made cinnamon rolls she baked in the oven after work..with date sugar! Mmm...
I've got two days off, unless you count play practice as obscuring that, and if this weather keeps up, I should very well like to see some of Lopez Island for once! Wish me luck, and I'll find some pictures sooner or later...
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Diane
non-member comment
Hugs
I want a free hug!