Obviously my plan to blog more regularly in 2011 isn't going so well. It's been hard to force myself to write and I don't want it to become a chore so I'll just be updating whenever the mood strikes.
It's Round 2! We're actually halfway thorough this project already so I'll have to backtrack a little. As I said in my last entry, Silver 3 is in Healdsburg, CA at a retreat center run by the Episcopal Diocese of California called The Bishop's Ranch (
about the ranch). It is absolutely beautiful here and I've liked this project way more than expected. Here are some pictures so you can be jealous of the beautiful place I get to live:
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| Relax and enjoy the view |
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| The Chapel |
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| Mount St. Helena and vineyards |
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| Even the dairy farm next door is beautiful |
Since there are groups of various sizes coming and going all the time here at the ranch, we end up moving around quite a bit to whatever space is available. It can be a little stressful to have to pack and move several times a week but it also means we get to stay in almost all of the very cushy housing here. There are times when I get a room to myself but even when I have a roommate there's still plenty of space to spread out. The staff here are beyond accommodating and we get fresh sheets and towels provided by housekeeping each time we move. There are probably about 10 full-time people that we've gotten to know pretty well and I can't stop being amazed at how nice everyone is. They genuinely want to make sure we're having a good experience here and are also interested in getting to know us as individuals rather than just workers. I've felt incredibly at home here especially since they feed us lunch and dinner almost every day (whenever groups are here and the ranch is open) and the food AMAZING. They focus on using local and organic ingredients and everything is so tasty! I feel nourished and blissful after almost every meal and seeing the kitchen creativity has inspired me to cook more adventurously. Inspirational is really the way to describe this place. The scenery is gorgeous in so many ways. From the front porch of the house we're living in now I can see vineyards down in the valley and Mount St. Helena in the distance. There are also acres and acres of forest with trails and scenic lookout points and the rolling green hills of an organic dairy farm next door. We've been lucky to have great weather almost the whole time too so most days are clear and every time I look up from my work I'm in awe of the beauty all around me.
I'm so grateful to be surrounded by all this beauty because the work we're doing is pretty tough. The first few weeks we focused mostly on forest fire prevention by removing brush and logs from a canyon area behind the main ranch buildings. That way if a fire comes through the area, it won't be able to spread as quickly and may not climb to hill to destroy the buildings. Fuel reduction is an issue I hadn't thought much about before this project since there aren't a lot of forest fires in the midwest but it's been really interesting to learn about. One of our supervisors is training to be a wild-land firefighter so he has a ton of stuff to teach us. It's great to hear about why we're supposed to do things certain ways and what the benefit will be to the land. The work itself involves cutting down low tree limbs with chain saws and loppers, then dragging the brush out into a clearing and forming piles to be chipped or burned. It can be slow-going because there is a ton of area to clear and we've been mostly working on a very steep hill. Different fun days in the "canyon" as we call it have included getting to use a wood chipper to make chip for the trails and burning brush piles. We so manage to find some fun in almost every day either by entertaining each other with silliness, finding cool animals like lizards and scorpions, or stopping for impromptu lessons from our sponsors about things like tying knots, operating an excavator and a tractor, and fun facts about the area. They definitely make a point to mix things up for us and keep it fun, especially when it's clear we're dragging a little. Other than the canyon fuel reduction, I've also worked on building a fence around a pond, spreading wood chips on trails, painting a house, filling a culvert with rocks to slow the flow of water, removing invasive species, and pruning rose bushes and fruit trees (ps there are lemon, tangerine, and kiwi growing on them right now... it's so wonderful to grab a tangerine from a tree for a snack). The variety keeps things interesting and I've learned so much from working with our expert supervisors. It's also nice to be outside all day and working hard gives me such a sense of satisfaction when the day is over.
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| Carrying logs on one of our first days |
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| We took a break from work to learn how to operate some heavy machinery. It was in the parking lot so I didn't actually get to dig anything but it was still amazing. |
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| The burn crew tending fire |
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| Silver 3 after a day of burning and wood chipping |
The past two weekends the ranch has been full with guests so we've gone to stay at St. Dorothy's Rest, a "sister" retreat center of sorts in the redwood forests of Camp Meeker, CA. It's only about 45 minutes away but the scenery is so different. Since we have weekends off I spent most of my time relaxing and but we also got the chance to do an ISP (AmeriAcronym for Independent Service Project which are our hours outside of normal work) and explore the area. This included a scenic drive to the coast and a visit to some interesting little towns including one with the most amazing bakery. Apparently this area is where a lot of people from San Francisco moved after the 60s and you can definitely tell there's a hippie vibe mixed in with the farmers and small town quirkiness. The coast is less than an hour away and the beaches are beautiful. I haven't spent a lot of time near the pacific but there's something so soothing about being near water that I loved it immediately.
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| Sonoma State Beach near Goat Rock |
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| LOVING the beach |
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| Alyssa, Clarissa, Georgie, Me, and Mike (with our van) in front of the Pacific |
The one not so great experience has been the recurring poison oak I've had for the past 3 weeks. Poison oak is everywhere while we're working in the canyon and there's really no way to avoid it but apparently I'm either more sensitive to it or less careful about avoiding it than my teammates. It all started when we burned a brush pile that had some poison oak mixed in. I was wearing short sleeves because it was so hot by the fire and I'm sure some of it got me then. My other teammate that got "THE OAK" and I were miserable for a few days but I finally caved and went to the doctor. I got steroids to treat the rash and it started getting better. It takes a long time (4-6 weeks) for it to fully go away but I was feeling good until last week when I used my gloves the day after dealing with tons of poison oak. I brushed against my face with my glove and used my gloved hand to pull up my socks and push up my sleeves. Thus I have it again on my hands, arms, legs, and face. It's been a pretty miserable experience since the itching keeps me from sleeping and the irritation and pain is pretty much constant during the day. It's upsetting to not have any control of what's happening to my body and not know where it will pop up next. Today I went to the doctor again and am hoping for some relief these next few days.
This weekend Ashkon is coming to visit and we're planning on doing some sightseeing and wine tasting in the area. It'll be great to have him here and be able to show him where I'm living and have him meet my team. Then next weekend my mom and brother are visiting. I'm so lucky to have visitors and am really looking forward to getting to spend time with all of them.
It's getting late and we're getting up early tomorrow to head to San Francisco to help set-up and work an event the ranch is holding at Grace Cathedral there. We'll also get some time to explore on our own and I'm excited to be in a city again.
Thanks for reading!
Laura
