April 18-24

This last week was book-ended by the 'spring special' and Easter work parties. Several people stayed over for some or all of the week between, including Charles Shimwell, Teresa Harris, Kathy Miners, Alan Lindquist and Michael Short, all of whom worked through the week on projects big and small. On Thursday, our first wwoofers of the season - John Magee & Ona Lindauer - arrived, as did Wayne Hunt, returning for a 2nd tour of duty on fellowship staff.

We had a mid-week visit from Shandra Augenstein. She is now in the 16th week of her pregnancy and very much a beautiful mother to be.

Adia Dolan

Friday saw the beginning of the weekend work party. Everyone reveled in the beautiful spring weather and by Saturday lunch, approximately 45 people were in camp helping with many of the final preparations for the season.

So much was happening that I neglected to take many pictures until after the work day was over!

Isadora & Sedona

Edna & Charles

Ona & Sasha

Can you see the fairy slippers?
(click photo to enlarge)

A sure harbinger of Spring is the annual appearance of the delicate fairy slipper orchid (calypso bulbosa) in various places around the Indralaya forest. This perennial forest plant is delicately scented and was used by the Haida people in various ways. The Latin name refers to the nymph Calypso from Homer's Odyssey, and literally means 'she who conceals'.

revelation

April 11-17

At the very beginning of the week two fruit trees blossomed simultaneously in the meadow. What mysterious sympathy would bring these two trees, who have lived their lives side by side, to blossom together and ahead of all the others? As the week ended they continued to be the only fruit trees in blossom.

The additional spring work party that was added to the Spring schedule a few weeks ago got underway on Friday. Over the weekend, there were anywhere from 8 to 10 people in camp and a lot of great work was done - cabin cleaning, painting, and construction. These smaller, more intimate work parties are a fun way to experience being at Indralaya.

Megan wields a paint brush

Laurie tends a corner of the garden
while Kari cleans up near the old chicken coop

Alan arrives

Charles preps the old wood room at the library for a new use

Lars & Claes show their stuff

Steve gets ready to mop the kitchen

Michael & Alan outside Pear cabin

Theresa and Kathy on Apple porch

Kathy spent many childhood summers here, in the days when Apple was better known as the Abbenhouse cabin. As people were arriving for the weekend, I was headed the other way to fill a u-haul with new mattresses and other items.

new mattress staging area

While I was away, I also attended a 'creative mentoring' workshop in Olympia with Michael Meade. It was an informative and interesting exploration of the many ways that mentoring occurs in relationships. One of the important points that came out is that mentoring is in large part a process of noticing and blessing (or appreciating) the noble qualities of young people, particularly as they blossom and seek to find their place in the world. What Meade calls 'mentoring moments' can be significant times of change that provide access and insight into the deeper, more vital currents of individual and community life.

April 4-10

Just as the generative forces of Springtime arise and arise from the earth in greater and greater waves of energy, preparations for the beginning of the intensive human season at Indralaya continued to blossom this week.

In work that will be appreciated by all those who have suffered through the cold or lukewarm showers of the past few years in the Roundhouse, a new hot water on demand system was installed. Volunteer Petr Senkerik visited for several days and installed the interior wiring, plugs and lights in Pear Cabin. The outdoor lights between the teepee and the library were repaired, as were the shower enclosure and floor transitions in Spruce cabin. Fifteen new mattresses were ordered to replace old and worn out mattresses in the cabins.

hot water guaranteed!

Pear cabin electrical

Spruce shower

With the help of Mark and Linda Wilkins, who provided plans and a model, three new nest boxes were built and placed on strategic garden fence posts. We have high hopes that these nests will entice swallows to return and establish a colony. Bees have also been purchased to re-establish our bee colonies and they are expected to arrive by the end of the month.

bird boxes, sitting on the fence

In the garden, Chelsea and Leonie continued to plant and prepare the beds.

planting seeds

an impressive array of starts

While cleaning and organizing the dining hall office, I came across two brochures from Indralaya's past. Although neither is dated, the smaller brochure is likely to have been printed in 1946 as it refers to the beginnings of a five year educational plan culminating in 1951. Judging by the picture of the new dining hall, sans its later addition, the larger brochure was prepared sometime between 1958 and 1964.

brochures

(note the early version of the Indralaya logo)

Both brochures seem intended to introduce Indralaya to those who are not yet involved. They emphasize the exploration of theosophical ideas, communal experience, and our human relationship with the subtle forces of the natural world as essential aspects of the intention underlying Indralaya's ongoing development.

From 1946: “The concept of Universal Brotherhood, the first object of the (Theosophical) Society, has been the inspiration of the project (Indralaya) since its inception in 1927. Camps have been conducted each summer, except during the war (1941-1945), to bring together people sympathetic to the spirit of cooperative enterprise. The programs of these sessions have featured lectures and discussions on the fundamental concerns of humanity, effectively enhanced by a natural and friendly atmosphere.”

(click on the photo to see a full size version)

From the later brochure: “Since 1927 people of all ages have worked in all capacities to make Indralaya possible, and have found their stay enriched by their participation in the many facets of camp life. They have found camp physically relaxing and intellectually stimulating. Chances are you would too.”

March 28 - April 3

Plum Tree Buds on a Rainy Day

This week there was a dawning realization that suddenly the beginning of the program season is nearly upon us. The Easter work party begins in just three weeks and from then on program activities will continue almost non-stop, as they do every year, through mid-October. Along with this awareness, there seems to be a stimulating sense of anticipation in the air....

Going my way?

... and lots of projects to attend to as well. Here, Leonie is headed off to clean the interior of water tank B, which is a back-up storage tank that holds 27,000 gallons of water when it is full.

off to sweep the driveway!

Our niece Irena was also here for a few days and volunteered several hours on behalf of Indralaya. In recent years, many high school programs have encouraged student volunteerism and some have found that Indralaya is a great place to satisfy those requirements.

James, Margaret, Frankie

The off-season is also personal retreat time at Indralaya. This past weekend James, Frankie, and Margaret Gomez were up from Seattle for a few days. Margaret volunteered at the Theosophical Library in Seattle for several years which is where she and James met. That's Frankie on the right, age 3.

On Sunday we ventured down near the north shore of East Sound to check out a garage sale and found ourselves at Carol McKinstry's, an artist and co-leader of several recent Creativity Weeks at Indralaya. The photo below, taken from Carol's deck, looks south across the water to the northern shore of Indralaya.

Indralaya Calls to Me...

March 21-27

A prominent theme for the week was that of continuity with the recent and more distant past. The week began with an appreciation of our Indralaya elders and ended with the departure of the VW vanagon that was purchased as a ferry shuttle vehicle in 2007. On the days in between various other projects and responsibilities received attention.



Registration Update
On Saturday, confirmations for nearly 150 family week participants were processed and sent. So far, over 500 people have been registered for all our 2011 programs and work parties!

Two upcoming programs are now fully registered, the Self-Healing Invitational with Robyn Finseth and Family Week Two. Wait lists have been started for both these programs. Deep Singing week will also be full soon, as there are just a handful of remaining spaces available.



A Peachy New Pear Cabin
The analogy of building your house on a solid foundation is familiar to all of us. Perhaps it has something to do with the tried and true theosophical tradition of doing things in a somewhat contrary manner that with Pear cabin this concept was turned on its head to some degree, as a solid new cabin has been being built on top of a questionable foundation. This situation was amended this past week as maintenance staffer Thea Patten and volunteer Michael Short established several new footings and replaced much of the old foundation.

new water tap

Life-giving Waters
Some changes to the water delivery systems in the dining hall have also been recently completed. A new filtered water tap was added in the coffee kitchen and a hot water tank for the basement washing machine was installed. This washing machine is used primarily for bed sheets and linens, so hot water is an essential ingredient.

new water heater

Waste Water Systems
While work was being done on altering the library roof line earlier this year (see January 10-16), we learned that the tree that fell between the roundhouse and library a couple years ago had cracked the lid to a waste water tank when it came down. This week the tree was cut so that we could get access to and replace the lid.

Note the hollow tree core above right - soon to be an Indralaya planter!

This holding tank is one component of Indralaya's septic system. It contains waste water that has been pumped up from another holding tank that services the three waterfront cabins (Cedar, Ocean Spray and Kunz). Water from the tank is then pumped to a drainfield located in the meadow. This is the largest of Indralaya's five drainfields. The holding tank is one of 11 waste water tanks that are on the property. Recent county regulations require that these be inspected regularly and I recently attended a workshop for this purpose.

Wake Up and Smell the Roses

In between continuing to plant new starts in several of the garden beds, Chelsea Cates, our new garden coordinator (see the March 7-13 entry for more about Chelsea) also found time to tend to the rose bushes located along the SE corner of the garden fence.

Good-bye Vanagon ~~~

March 14-20

The honor of being an Indralaya Elder was bestowed upon three prominent members of the community this past weekend. Helen Bee, John Levey and Linda Jo Pym joined six others who have received this recognition in the past.

Elders are those who are recognized for their capacity to transform accumulated life experience into wisdom and insight that can be shared with others. In choosing these three outstanding individuals to represent the qualities of being an elder in the Indralaya community, the Board of Directors expresses its respect and admiration for their many contributions to camp life over the years.

Linda Jo Pym & John Levey

Linda Jo, John and Helen have collectively served camp in almost every possible capacity: program leader, crew boss, pot washer, pie maker, head cook, resident manager, camp manager, and on. In addition, each has served as chair of the Board of Directors and their combined service on the Board accumulates to nearly sixty years. Perhaps most importantly, they have, each and every one, given fully of themselves in service to Indralaya.

Helen Bee

Each has been presented with a signed certificate that states the following:

“In recognition of your lifelong involvement, abiding commitment, unyielding devotion and wise counsel, we, the undersigned members of the Board of Directors of the Orcas Island Foundation, do hereby, and with great love and respect, confer upon you the status of Indralaya Elder, with all the privileges and honors attendant therein”

In receiving this honor, these three join a select group to be so named by the Board of Directors. John Abbenhouse, Dorothy Abbenhouse, Austin Bee, Phoebe Bee, John Roberts and Marjorie Toren are the others who have been named as Indralaya Elders in years past.

“ … elders serve a higher purpose as well as a deeper order. Elders lead by remembering back further than others as well as by seeing more clearly ahead. Elders serve as ‘seers’ who can see behind and beyond the politics of the day and perceive the needs of the future .... In becoming wise old souls, the elders more firmly know and more clearly hold the inner sense of meaning and purpose that first surfaced during their youth.”

Michael Meade, “Fate and Destiny: The Two Agreements of the Soul”

UNSEEN BUDS

Walt Whitman

Unseen buds, infinite, hidden well,

Under the snow and ice, under the darkness, in every square or cubic inch,

Germinal, exquisite, in delicate lace, microscopic, unborn

Like babes in wombs, latent, folded, compact, sleeping;

Billions of billions, and trillions of trillions of them waiting,

(On earth and in the sea--the universe--the stars there in the heavens)

Urging slowly, surely forward, forming endless,

And waiting ever more, forever more behind.

March 7-13

Springtime signs continue to emerge from the fertile soil of Indralaya. Daffodils and Crocuses have arisen from the ground and the first beds have been planted in the garden. Registrations continue to arrive at an impressive clip. On Thursday, we left for a few days in Seattle. As a consequence we were not here when the wave created by the powerful earthquake just off the coast of Japan arrived. In Friday Harbor, there was a measurable effect as buoys in the harbor rose approximately 0.3 feet.

This Old Stove
Last November, we were reminded that those who regularly visit Indralaya in the summer are not necessarily acquainted with the wood burning stove that heats the dining room during fall, winter and spring programs. We felt renewed appreciation for the dining hall stove during last week's Sea Temple Retreat. While there were challenges in heating some of the cabins for the weekend, the dining hall was warm and cozy the entire time. The stove was donated by Chris Senn in the late 1990's. The stove usually makes its annual migration to the basement at the end of the therapeutic touch programs in June and returns during the Plum Pickin' work party over Labor Day Weekend.


Waking up the Garden
Leonie was joined by Chelsea Cates and Mark House in planting the first starts (lettuce, arugula, cilantro, & parsley) of the 2011 season on Wednesday. We were introduced to Chelsea through longtime Indralaya friends Bill and Barbara Humes. Mark is the assistant garden manager at John Jeavon's Ecology Action Garden in Willits, CA, where Chelsea was an intern in 2009. The raised beds in the Indralaya garden were inspired by Jeavon's sustainable mini-farming biointensive methods.

Mark & Chelsea

We are excited that Chelsea has agreed to serve as Indralaya's garden coordinator for the coming year. Chelsea will be working in the garden for 10-12 hours a week through the fall. She is an Orcas Island resident and also the garden keeper for the Orcas Island School District.

Inner Administration
We were in Seattle to attend a weekend satsang with Adyashanti. Adya is a 48 year old Californian who teaches a form of non-dual awareness. He is a remarkable teacher, with a capacity to lead one right to the awareness of the deeper reality that is always present just behind the veil of everyday life. The time was composed of meditation, discourse and interactive dialogue between Adya and participants.

The weekend provided a timely opportunity to step back slightly from the busyness of our responsibilities at Indralaya and to re-connect with the sense of calling and desire to be of service that informs our work here. Among other things, we recognized once again how important it is to assure that there is also time for stillness and reflection in the midst of everything else that happens.

Heading home, we met a pod of Orca in the channel between Orcas and Shaw Island.
(click any photo to see it full size)