Three States I Can Live Without

No offense to anyone who actually lives in Arkansas, Oklahoma, or Texas, but man oh man I don't know how they do it.

Arkansas: After leaving Nashville, we camped out at Lake Dardanelle State Park. It was a pretty man-made lake & we had a nice campsite with water hookup, fire pit & charcoal grill. The tent-to-RV ratio was about 1:40, ours being the one and only tent. We were also graced by the presence of a large lovely nuclear smokestack on the lake. The cicadas were so noisy I couldn't sleep a wink! One man staying at the park asked us what we were doing here instead of vacationland Maine. I began to wonder the same myself...

Oklahoma: nothing to report.

Texas: After sighting the self-proclaimed "Largest Cross in the Western Hemisphere" (although I swear we saw a larger one in Arkansas), we stopped to camp at the "Grand Canyon of Texas." Lake Meredith National Recreation Area is honestly beautiful and, best of all, free! The view & sunset from our campsite over the man-made lake was gorgeous and peaceful. However, the mosquitoes will put Maine's whiny bugs to shame. There were SWARMS of them, humming so loud they prevented another night of much-needed sleep.

Desperately looking forward to putting down roots in northern New Mexico at a new farm tomorrow.

Nay-yush-full

(That's "Nashville" to you Yankees.) After a bittersweet farewell to our new friends & community at Claymont (our final day there, spent baking bread, was most rewarding), we hit the road for a long, beautiful & sunny drive to Music City. We were welcomed most graciously by our hosts & friends Karsten & Kate & their 6 cats (the alpha male, named Barbara Streisand, has quite a herd to manage). We did the tourist thing down Broadway & made sure to have our photos taken with every single Elvis statue. I have been inspired to become a drag king Elvis impersonator when I get home. I think there's a good demand for that in Maine.

We truly enjoyed the hospitality, food & relaxation of our Nashville experience. We went out clubbing on Saturday night & realized our priorities for "letting loose" are changing & adapting as we do. Living off the land truly is rewarding in its own right.

It all began here: a future career in the making.
I aspire someday to get my own Justin-brand boots to fill.

Stalactites, Stalagmites, and Bears...Oh My!

Justin visited me July 17-20 & we went camping & hiking in Shenandoah National Park. We saw our first wild black bears while on the trail & did the jump-up-and-down "we saw a bear" dance. There were also fearless (& probably quite stupid) deer all over the place, including at our campsite. We saw waterfalls; took a dip in a refreshing swimming-hole; & learned a lot about the people who lived & endured in the wilderness there & through the Civil War until the federal government kicked them out to create the park. Despite the 90+ degree weather, we hiked 20-25 miles in two days, enjoying the beauty of the Blue Ridge Mountains and each other's company.

On Sunday, though, it capped 100 degrees & we drove into the village of Luray for a break. We cooled off by touring the amazing Luray Caverns, the likes of which I have never seen! Spectacular limestone formations of every shade of brown, green & white go on seemingly endlessly. There's even a "stalacpipe organ" which functions by hitting various stalactites, thus reverberating the crystal within & playing a note. It was the most haunting version of "America the Beautiful" I have ever heard.

We then went to the movie theater & saw Batman: The Dark Knight. I highly recommend it, especially for Heath Ledger's outstanding performance. I pigged out on popcorn & sour gummy worms, since life on the farm doesn't allow for such splurges.

Claymont Pics

On Mel's birthday, we had a mojito and fancy dress afternoon garden party.

Most of the garden party crew, (l-r) Karl, Annie, me, Mel, Jenna, Dan, Caitlin.

The smokin' newlyweds, Karl & Rebekah.

Claymont Court, south entrance.

The praying mantis says, "I'd rather be eating my man than sitting on your hand."

The West Virginia Life

One of several curious, happy free-range hens named Ginger.

We have been living at Claymont for a week now, and each day I find myself more comfortable and at peace with solitude. Our schedule allows time for inner work as we work our bodies in the garden, greenhouses, cleaning the buildings, and exploring the property and area. The Claymont residents (about a dozen in all) each have their own homes, but share the land and an intentional purpose for their lives here, particularly The Fourth Way. They host a different retreat nearly every weekend, from church youth groups to meditation circles.

There is an amazing historic mansion that the residents have renovated, called Claymont Court, that is used for some of these retreats. The mansion was originally built by Bushrod Washington, grand-nephew of George Washington. It is incredible to walk the grounds and imagine it in its full splendor in the 1850's. (I'll post some pics soon.)

This region is also noted for its rich Civil War history. A couple of days ago, Mel & I took a driving tour of the area, stopping for a walk along the Appalachian Trail section of the Chesapeake & Ohio Canal National Historical Park along the Potomac River; checking out where the famous abolitionist John Brown stockpiled munitions; went to Harpers Ferry, Antietam, and Sharpsburg; and enjoyed the scenic beauty of these sections of W. Virginia, Maryland, and Virginia, particularly the Shenandoah and Potomac Rivers.

Even though we're only an hour from Baltimore and Washington, D.C., it feels very secluded. I have never seen so many deer and cardinals in one place in my life! Last night we drove to Bethesda, MD to visit my friend Jamie and to make sure the social bar scene still exists. Well, it certainly does, and as Mel said, being in Bethesda reinforces how much we love and appreciate the people and venues of Portland, Maine!

The Finger Lakes Region

In between our time working at Turtle Dreams, we spent two primo weekends in Ithaca, thanks to my friend Jen and her roommate Ana. We participated in all of the necessary area attractions: hiking Treman Falls State Park (above) through gorges and waterfalls; enjoying the best Farmer's Market in the world; scoping the boutiques in the Commons; eating at Moosewood Restaurant; drinking Ithaca Beer; swimming in waterfalls; and taking a self-guided tour of area wineries. After saying adieu to our new family at Turtle Dreams (below), we spent a quiet Independence Day in Ithaca on Lake Cayuga. Our final night in town, we participated in the Dances of Universal Peace at the Foundation of Light (www.foundation-of-light.org/dances.html). Today we drove the entire length of Pennsylvania to find our new home in West Virginia at Claymont Society for Continuous Education (www.claymont.org). We look forward to new beginnings tomorrow!
Turtle Dreams WWOOFers (l-r): me, Noam (recently arrived from Israel), Sage, Ahsley, Rina, John, Mel