October 12, 2009

Winter Cozies Up to the Homestead
The blog this week was written and submitted by Sam Berry, one of the 2009 L&L students.

The 90 degree days finally vanished and fall made its first appearance this week as the temperatures started dipping to be shortly followed by a brutal appearance of winter as the snow flew and temperatures fell to near zero. Never before has fall had a shorter appearance on the stage.

SUMMER exit to stage left, Enter WINTER dramatically

Early in the week we took advantage of the last of the warm weather for a hike to Jim Creek Cedars. This rare grove of cedars is holdover from the maritime biome and will make you forget you’re 500 miles form the sea, just another part of what makes the Swan so special. Ironic though, that we spent the last day of warm sun down in the deep shade of the cedars. Although these cedars were historically logged they were saved just at the last minute and now are here to stay.

Excitement overruns certain students in Jim Creek Cedars, from left: Steve Lamar, Tyler Lavenburg

In a marked contrast the next day we made a drive over the hump through the snow
to Seeley to visit Pyramid Mountain Lumber. They are a family owned lumber mill that does most of the timber processing and logging here in the valley. It was an experience to move out of the woods that we had been living and working and take a tour of the highly mechanized and computerized plant that is the reality of the modern timber market.

Lauren Rose shows students some of the finished product at Pyramid Mountain Lumber

The next day the economic crisis finally hit Northwest Connections and classes were suspended to put the students to work in the Loft Rustic Furniture Construction Company. Led by foreman Steve Lamar we revenged the woods behind the barn for lodgepole poles and then dragged them upstairs to the third floor to add value to those old trees and slowly turn them into a couch. In tried and true fashion, we worked all the next day in the freezing cold, our soft academic hands turning to icicles. But at the end of the day had nearly completed a new piece for the barn, just few more finishing touches to go.

Leah Swartz peeling a log for the couch

From left Sam Berry, Tyler Lavenburg, Celeste Mascari, Steve Lamar, Colleen Ferris, and Pate Barnes hard at work

At the end of the week, students were paired with local families for the weekend to experience the variety of lifestyles that are in the valley. Every student was adopted for the weekend and welcomed into someone’s home. No experience was similar but all were valuable to get away from pure academia and remember that people work and live everyday in this landscape that we have and continue to learn so much from. Although we have only spent less than two months here this valley is starting to feel a little more like home everyday.

Sam Berry and his homestay parents, Dan and Sheri Burden, partake in the feast of the Homestay Potluck