It's funny to think that 6 weeks ago Sandy and Larry were strangers to me and Nahcotta, Washington was just a place on the map.
Now I see that these people and this place has become a part of me and although I have left, I know that a part of me in still there and a part of them will forever be with me.
Nahcotta is a one stop light town. Although small, it is filled with enough fruits and vegetables to feed the community, is surrounded by water, has loads of interesting people, a quaint book store, a country store with groceries and just about anything else you could need, goats to take away the loneliness and enough birds flying over the bay to steal your concentration for an entire day. Nahcotta is a place where you can ride your bike down the road with a cart full of manure trailing behind you and not feel weird. It's one of those places where time moves slowly. Life is simple and life is good.
Sandy and Larry are two very special people with many talents, over sized brains and enormous hearts. They truly understand and live out what it means to love your neighbors and take care of the land. Sandy is kind of like the energizer bunny, she keeps going and going and going, it's because she has so many dreams and visions for her community and she truly knows how to put them into action. Sandy plays old time music, has heaps of interesting friends, loves her goats, knows how to make you laugh and gives great hugs. Larry is a simple guy; he lived in a boat with a floating garden for 20 some years and delivered oysters to his neighbor’s homes for a living. Although he is simple, he is very wise and a master of many trades. He is passionate about his sailboat (that he designed and built), carpentry, humanure (composting toilets), winemaking and cheese making. Larry has one of the most beautiful smiles and a heart as big as the ocean.
I learned a variety of things during my stay. I learned how to be a gatherer and use the abundance of what nature freely gives us. I picked enough berries to make about 30 gallons of wine and also made several jams, pies and cobblers. I worked in the garden, helped prepare a community meal with all LOCAL FOOD, fed the goats and turkeys, pruned berry bushes, hauled manure, learned how to build a cob wall and worked on 3 different green houses. Mostly I fell in love with the lifestyle and became even more passionate about community and taking care of the earth. Yes, I have become a bit more earthy (dirty) and somewhat of a food snob, but I am working through these issues and trying to find that balance that seems to invisibly govern everything.
Living on the farm has made me even more of a dreamer. I spent many days watching the birds and waited by the window each night for the sun to set and the moon to rise. Midnight walks through the gardens poured life into me along with the wind brushing through me on my many bike rides.
At times I felt really lonely. On most days I saw more goats than humans, but their kisses and God's continuous presence in my life made all my missings bearable.
Now I am road tripping with my folks!! We have been in constant awe of our Creator as we have travelled through Oregon and I will be writing and adding pictures soon.
I send my love across the World Wide Web and hope that it will jump out of your computer screen, place a smile on your face, travel down through you and leap into your heart.
