New contact information:

Tara and Brennan Van Loo
c/o Holden Village
HC 0 Box 2
Chelan, WA 98816

tbvanloo@gmail.com (Comcast has cancelled our account)


7/24/10

Would you like a tour of our home? I would be happy to show you around.





Our apartment is in a lodge called “Agape” and we are blessed to have a living-room view of the village below, as well as a small, private porch that is in a quiet area of the village (in the photo, the two windows on the left are our living room). The only creatures who walk by are folks on their way to hang their clothes out to dry on the village clothes line, and a number of deer who forage in the bushes nearby.

Life in the “Craft Cave” is one of endless inspiration! So far I have taught a few classes to guests: basketry, origami paper crane chains, needle-felted necklaces, print-making, and landscape watercolor.




I have woven a runner for our dresser and a rug for our apartment, and crocheted a handful of posies. I have also spent some time painting for pleasure. I am learning as much as I can about the looms and weaving while the current crafts coordinator is still here at Holden with me. I’m learning how to post work schedules (there are five of us working in the craft cave), how to order arts and craft supplies, and how to create programming for craft classes each week. My learning curve is great, but I still pinch myself when I realize what a gift it is to be here!!



Usually when Brennan and I go hiking, we have to drive over an hour to get to the trailhead in the North Cascades. Here at Holden, we basically walk out our door with our hiking poles in hand, and begin hiking. Two weeks ago we hiked Martin Ridge. Last Sunday we went up to Copper Basin and spent the afternoon reading, painting, and drawing (a bit more restful than Martin Ridge!) This weekend Brennan is hiking on the other side of Lake Chelan, from Stehiken to Prince Creek, with a friend. I am spending time in the sunshine, hanging our fresh laundry out to dry, and baking a cake with a friend.

My favorite times of worship are singing Morning Prayer on Sundays and "Compline," evening prayer, on Thursday nights at 10:00. Both of these services frame my days in a way of worship that I haven't experience before, inviting God's presence in the coming day and thanking God at the end of it.

So many new experiences. I’d be lying if I said there haven’t been times of loneliness. But God is faithful to provide for each day its daily bread.

-Tara

“Have courage for the great sorrows of life and patience for the small ones; and when you have laboriously accomplished your daily task, go to sleep in peace. God is awake.” -Victor Hugo

Getting started

A view of Holden From atop Martin Ridge, with Copper peak dwarfing the village, which is in the lower left corner. We live in the building with the green roof.


7/12/10
Moving isn’t very fun. But in the midst of the process we trust that God’s hand is guiding us and love supporting us (part of the Holden Prayer). As we were packing, I kept thinking that the only way to shed the stress and worry of the move was to go for a hike and start exploring the beauty around Holden. So on Saturday, my first day off, I woke up at 4:30 and went to Copper Basin, a place that is already one of my favorites. I came back refreshed, renewed, and with a peace I haven’t had for a while. Tara and I then took the bus down to the lake and swam, slept and read in the sun for a few hours.

As far as work goes, I help manage the village’s water, sewer, and electricity. It is amazing how much goes into maintaining these things. Lately the power has been going out once a day leading to much troubleshooting on 100+ year old machines (That generally run incredibly well). Also the late spring melt is clogging up the water filters at a time when the village is at capacity and using a lot of water. Plus there is the daily monitoring of both of these systems. The fun never ends!

bvl

7/14

The system works.

Holden is a former copper mine, and mines leave ugly scares on the land. While at NCI a few weeks ago there was a giant satellite photo of the N. Cascades, and Western Washington, Holden was very easy to find because of the very apparent tailing piles (take a look on google’s satellite map). The Holden mine has also done serious ecological damage to the portion of railroad creek downstream from the village.

Tonight was the Forest Service’s informational meeting and public comment time for the proposed remediation to clean up the Holden mine. It was a breath of fresh air to see how our National policies value ecological health and state that the environment, God’s creation, needs to be taken care of. While it is lamentable that it takes this long for someone to clean up their mess, it is encouraging that it is getting cleaned up, encouraging that as a nation we are concerned about stewardship of the world we live in, encouraging that the democratic process seeks and listens to comments from the public, and encouraging that Holden is fully on board with this plan that has been designed with the village’s short term and long term sustainability in mind. I never thought a meeting in the wilderness would put me in a patriotic frame of mind, but I guess that is part of Holden, being open to what this place and its people have to offer.

God bless America (and everyone else too).

bvl