My last days of WWOOFing were full and very nice. On the 4th of July, I went with Shandin, Katie, and my fellow WWOOFer Phil to a nearby fireworks show. We went to the barbeque some of their friends were having first, though. And this was important for several reasons.
These are not well-educated folks. On those days when I feel particularly elitist, I would dare to call them white trash. However, they are more environmentally responsible than anyone I've spent time with since I've been back. They have an enormous garden full of permaculture and polyculture techniques, and a GIANT compost heap from which plants are feeding directly. They made delicious food and were fun, good-natured people. It's clear that I should have realized this sooner, but "expensive college education" does not necessarily equal "responsible living".
The fireworks were pretty. My favorite part was when a six-year-old boy came around asking me and Phil if we wanted to go on a vision quest. How does a six-year-old even know what that is!? It was awesome.
I don't really remember what I did the next day, but the day before I left, we went to a place called Mad Creek. Apparently, the natural river had been flooding the highway, so they decided to blow a hole in a rock face to redirect the flow. The result was a gorgeous shoreline with a cave-like inlet (pictures are up on flickr). It was a very hot day, and we all went swimming, even Chulito. I actually passed pretty close to a water snake, which was really freaky, but the locals informed me that he was harmless. It was black and yellow and actually quite a beautiful creature. We spent a large portion of the day there, talking to the other creek-visitors and lying out in the sun. It was a pretty romantic spot.
I left early the next morning. My car ride with Mike and Chulito was long, but interesting. We stopped at Solar Living Institute, where I rode one of their electricity-generating bikes and marveled at the architecture. Unfortunately, the main building hadn't opened for the day yet.
Mike informed me about a movie he thought I might like, called Contact. It stars Jodie Foster and is apparently right up the alley of a science-fiction fan like myself. I haven't watched it yet, but it's instant play on Netflix, so it's only a matter of time before I... make contact. BOOM! Pun alert.
Being back has been good, but strange. With a little encouragement from my father, I've decided to keep this blog going as a record of my experiences back in suburbia, as well as what I learn as I continue my herbal self-education. I expect my blog is going to get a little more political.
Thank you so much for reading this far and for following me to Northern California and back again. I hope you'll enjoy the continuation of my story as well!
<3
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