Better late than never

Written a while ago, now being posted

9/15

It is Wednesday evening, it is raining it is beautiful. I just spent an hour in the sauna, and am clean, warm, rested and refreshed. I am sitting here looking at the rain, enjoying a delightful beverage. Life is good.

Here is a little bit of what I have been up to.

The last few days I have been replumbing two of our wood-fired boilers, so they can heat more buildings this winter, reducing our need for diesel boilers, and allowing our limited winter electricity to be used for other things. My training period is over. The two guys who had been the utilities department for the last year left today, so it is left to me, and two other guys to run the villages water, power, sewer, and heat. I am looking forward to the challenge. I am missing my students, but I love the work I am doing.

I have been taking full advantage of the sauna that is 20 meters from our door. There is a dunk tank in the sauna building, which allows for invigorating dunks after sweating for 20 minutes. I am also planning on swimming in lake Chelan every month while I am here. I am a quarter of the way there with July, August, and September taken care of. I am looking forward to January!

I haven’t done as much hiking or climbing as I have wanted to, partly due to weather, but I am ok with it. I’ll do what I can, when I can, while I can. Then I’ll break out my skis. It is just amazing to watch the weather and the mountains out here.

Tara and I picked about 10 pounds of Hops on Sunday for this fall and winters brewing activities. The people here know how to make good beer!

Girls Night Out

This past week, five women and I packed up our warmest gear, our tents and sleeping bags, and headed 9 miles up the Railroad Creek Valley to Lyman Lake. The day was perfect- frost on the ground, sunshine warming the air, fall colors surrounding our wilderness path, and the company and conversation of good friends.



By the time we got to Hart Lake, it was snack time (pop tarts for me!) We basked in the sunlight on the rocks overlooking the lake, and shared stories, both of humor and of deep sadness. Stories of life and of love.



As we neared Lyman Lake, further up Railroad Creek Valley, we realized why Cloudy Pass is named as such (just beyond Lyman). Clouds filled the Lyman Lake basin and soon it began to rain. We set up camp, ate cold pizza for dinner, warmed up a bit near the fire, but eventually dove into Lori and Becky's tent for a reprieve from the rain, and a rousing game of BS. At some point in the middle of the night, the wind picked up and the rain turned to snow. We didn't get much sleep because of the windy racket, but were rewarded the next morning with a winter wonderland! (And yes, I sang the song as I boiled hot water for our coffee. I will take any chance I get to sing Christmas carols!)



We stopped at the lake to filter some water for the hike down. It was an amazing moment. The night's snow dusted the mountains around the lake, and sun was bursting through the clouds. And as we filtered water, Becky recited E.E. Cummings' "I Thank You" and I was moved to near tears.

I Thank You
e. e. cummings
I thank You God for most this amazing
day: for the leaping greenly spirits of trees
and a blue true dream of sky;and for everything
which is natural which is infinite which is yes
(i who died am alive again today,
and this is the sun’s birthday;this is the birth
day of life and of love and wings:and of the gay
great happening illimitably earth)
how should tasting touching hearing seeing
breathing any—lifted from the no
of all nothing—human merely being
doubt unimaginable You?
(now the ears of my ears awake and
now the eyes of my eyes are opened)



We hiked back to the village in the warm sun. Girls' Night Out, Holden Village style.