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.