Planning 2005

Friday night all arrived, first slowly trickling in, then flooding in one after another as it got closer to supper time. We all settled down from our frenzied, flamboyant greetings to sing in a circle and eat the scrumptious spaghetti with sauce that Jacki made just for us. We then started session with a name whip and a strange game of "get with…" where we learned who else liked chocolate ice cream and artichoke. After that we started the much loved rules and guidelines which then led to small group discussions. We finished up with News of Me where most everyone let the community know where they were at. In the following free time we went off and had fun with our dear Powell House friends. We ended the day with a good story, massage & huggle, then got tucked in by our JCs and went to sleep.

Saturday morning we were awoken by our benevolent roommates or Mike & Chris and came down for a sleepy breakfast of muffins and cereal and once we were finished we went into session. There were some announcements, then an interesting name whip where everyone had to show what kind of statue they would be. After that, we did a short Qui Gong exercise which led to a monstrously funny game of Coffee Pot. We then went into a reflective small group time about self space and what it means to each person. Once we got back into the big group, we played a hilarious game of "Honey, If You Love Me" where most people didn’t even have to say anything to make the other person laugh.

Afterwards, we had some free time and then a lunch of Jacki’s fantabulous homemade bread & tuna. After Jacki’s fabulous meal, we had more free time with Ultimate, swimming and wink’em. Then there were work projects which were really cool. We snacked on cookies before as session where we placed stickers on conference topics to indicate which ones interested us for future conferences. This led to guided meditation and a very fun and reflective self-space. We then had a dinner of either tofu or chicken, both of which were wonderful since Jacki prepared it. During the evening session, we had an affirmation circle where people said nice things about each other. Then we had a nice long game of "4 on a couch." We got ready for an exciting night of cabaret where many different people did different things and the JCs did the original but amazing "Cookie Skits."

This led to free time where you either went on an amazing moonlight walk or danced in the common room, both of which took away all our energy and laid the perfect situation for a relaxing 3-way massage, huggle and finally sleep.

Sunday morning we were awoken by kisses and whispers of breakfast which was bagels, cereals and eggs. We then cleaned up, made sure beds were made and bags packed. We went into a loud game of "Primate Bellows."

We closed the weekend by singing together and then sitting in Silence.

Getting Our Way or Getting Along

One Friday evening, 28 great kids came to Powell House. It was really fun to see all the people coming in. We discovered that if all us trolls worked together we could get the dragon’s treasure.

We had yummy spaghetti with yummy sauce and yummy cheese and yummy salad for dinner. After our yummy supper we gathered for session and did a name whip about things that made us mad. We found it interesting to see the different reasons people wanted to keep fighting instead of working things out. It was fun dancing to the music during squirrels and trees but the lumberjack made some of us MAD by cutting down the trees. We liked listening to the funny jokes and stories about African Tales during quiet time.

Saturday morning we had a yummy breakfast with yummy French toast and yummy syrup. During session we talked about feelings and thoughts and practiced listening to one another.

After session the JCs were captured by WILD PEOPLE and all of us had to go collect beans to get them back. Work projects were lots of fun. We faced spiky trees, collected logs in a wagon, scaled trees to pick apples, combed the garden for seeds and collected 20 gallons of black walnuts. We found that if we worked together we could get a win/win situation when challenged. We then were very much calmed down by a peaceful guided mediation. During self-space we puzzled, swung, showered, napped, apple-sauced and frogged.

Then came yummy supper. Rattler and Miner was very, very fun and we learned how much we could use our ears. Cabaret was greatly enjoyed and many events occurred like juggling, pillow jumping, k’nex car jumping, yoga for the rich, piano, singing and penny whistle solos, the loony Quaker fashion show and very funny traditional bus stop and JC skits.

Three-way massage was very relaxing with many of us falling to sleep right after (and some of us during!).

We will leave this conference knowing how to resolve conflicts and relax after them.

Being Present

Another month, another conference; but this was not just another a conference. But then again they never are. Friday night started off on a rather mellow note; despite many people not yet present, dinner was welcoming and filling as ever. With the commencement of session came the ordinary rules and introductions followed by the newly resurrected game of Black Rose. A quiet but very present news of me was followed by a relaxed free time and preparations for sleep.

Wake up on Saturday felt, as usual, very early. But after a breakfast of Jacki’s wonderful pancakes, we were soon more fully awake, as a contagious game of all-weekend Outbreak was also resurrected. Throughout the weekend our friends would die laughing, plagued by an unknown carrier.

We began session by coming to a consensus that the evening would sport a more freeform coffeehouse as opposed to cabaret. Following a second name whip, Jacki lead us in several sun salutations. Holding onto our relaxed state, we distributed ourselves amongst the library, game room and common room, ready for a new form of guided meditation. We tried to touch the radical roots of Quakerism in a joyful relaxing awareness exercise, opening ourselves up to the possibility of change through the inner light. We brought what we had gained into small groups, discussing our reactions and feelings concerning it. The pace changed a bit in the next small group activity, which was the describing of a randomly chosen taste and texture. Re-solidifying into one group, we played the most entertaining game of Mrs. Mumbly in years. We dissolved into the first of two free time sandwiching lunch, and from there moved on to work projects.

Coming together following work projects, we enjoyed a brief snack, and moved on into session with a very positive check-in. Missing the usual meditation-segue into self-space, we nonetheless scattered to the separate corners of Powell House. Reuniting for a dinner of sublime lentil patties, we wished our Octobers a happy birthday and settled into session. Splitting into three groups, we greatly enjoyed an energetic freeze-improv session. We came together again briefly before splitting off again for three-way massage. After dragging ourselves from the stupor often created by three-way massage, we dissipated to prepare for coffeehouse.

Coffeehouse, although more spontaneous than cabaret, was just as fun and amazing. Featuring poems, songs and skits and stories with a lively bass line, we al had to agree that the highlight of the evening was the completion of the terms of Helen’s bet against Maizy. Maizy could eat all that food, and Helen had to perform many of the most difficult and embarrassing Primate Bellows cards. In the process Helen resurrected another Powell House tradition by sending Mike and Chris into another room and then having all the youth attenders sneak out of the building.

The most exceptional part of the remainder of the evening was a nighttime walk featuring a bright moon (and a moonbow!) to rival that of Planning.

Rising on Sunday anticipating the usual routine of bed-making, bag-packing and breakfast-eating, we completed the morning ritual and moved into clean up and games. The best is yet to come.

Power Play

People began arriving on Friday, the times ranging from early to late. Either way all were welcome. The first night was spent eating Jacki’s lovely pasta, meeting new people or reconnecting with old ones during the wagon wheel. It was a calm open atmosphere as we shared our news of the days. Of course there were many games in between to lighten any mood. A game of Dragon and Trolls started soon after dinner, and a few were spotted pata-pataing to the pata-pata. We played a group game of islands, everyone squeezing to fit on 4 pilllows – we got no further than that.

After a snack of saltines and toppings, we played a game of Sardines that didn’t want to end, and led straight to quiet time. Some found partners for massages and settled down, while others cuddled on couches or lay alone. No matter where we lay we were still able to listen to Chris read snippets from a Wrinkle in Time. After practically falling asleep where we lay, we trudged off up to bed with a lack of huggle. But warmness was still in the air as we all went to bed.

We woke up Saturday morning ready for more POWERFUL loving to come. Jacki fed the group with some hot oatmeal (with all the trimmings) and the day progressed. During session, we ran away from rolling snakes and afterwards we went into small groups ad discussed how listening connects with POWER. Following this, we lifted our friends with two fingers each while saying, "Light as a feather, Stiff as a board." We then fell into free time where we played Ultimate Frisbee, busted open some innocent walnuts by smashing them into the ground, and our power and love were tested in one of the most amazing tackle and kiss wink’em games ever faced.

After the brilliant lunch Jacki prepared us, the group had a big stretch of free time in which a big rowdy game of Capture the Flag occurred in the maze. It’s safe to say that everybody who played enjoyed the game, with all the "rule modifying" that went on. After free time we had invigorating work projects, in which we exercised our power against walnuts, quilt squares, branches and bonfire preparation. It proved in check-in that we were all tired by the way the day was progressing so we continued on to a much needed 3-way massage and self-space. Afterwards in supper, the vegetarians weren’t the only ones eating vegetables with vegi stir fry as the main meal. Then we all grouped together for session, in which we had a guided meditation in small groups, and an incredibly funny game of what are you doing occurred? This progressed on to a Halloween costume edition of Cabaret (in which people in the audience came dressed up). Cabaret was, once again, overflowing with talent, with great music, poems, the return of Sombrero Man and Company, one of Ethan’s lip-sincing adventures, and plenty of new skits.

Then we ventured through the dark to the bonfire, and when somebody mentioned cake, the group ran back to the ACC to find Jacki’s Halloween special graveyard cake, which proved delicious. After that we explored the true origin of Halloween in quiet time sharing stories about our ancestors with Jacki. After bumbling through a huggle we made our way to bed (this time with an extra hour of sleep because of daylight savings time!)

As we woke up in the morning, we made our beds and traveled down to a pancake-licious breakfast. As we separate for clean-up projects the group doesn’t know what will happen next, but you better believe we are looking forward to it.

A Riddle or Two

This is the domell yonse epistle for "A Riddle or Two". (Hint: Try writing the letters in Powell house upside down and backwards.)

It was a nice happy afternoon sliding into evening, when we began arriving for a Riddle or Two. After a slithery game of snake in the grass, we had a yummy supper.

Then we had session and played games to learn each others’ names. During free time, we went right, left, funky chicken, knee, knee, kick, clap, turn as we danced the pata-pata. Then it was dark and scary and stuffy and hard to find the sardine. We listened to Mike read Si Ling and the Dragon. Some people got and gave massages. It was a peaceful, relaxing end to the day

On Saturday, we had an amazingly good breakfast followed by a session where we split into groups and had a "riddle off." For some, telling riddles was the best part. For other, solving the riddles was most fun. During free time, wild people captured our JCs and we had to running around in the maze to find beans to free them.

We had a delicous lunch of soup, homemade bread and cheese. We also gave donations of chicken noodle soup to the "make the dogs happy" bowl While lunch crew cleaned up, many of us played the fun and exciting game of banana tag and got really muddy.

Work projects included: an awesome raking of leaves into a huge pile for jumping; dancing on walnuts – a fun but smelly way to free them; putting the gardens to rest for winter; and winging walnuts into the woods or into buckets. Free timers were filled with games like ping-pong, Maybe, Mad Libs, Risk plus music and socializing with friends where we practiced the art of conversation.

Afternoon session began with a happy, laughable ‘Honey if You love Me..Smile." 3-way massage made us all sleepy but content. Self Space was afun quiet time to do homework, read, make paper airplanes, draw and sleep. A delectable dinner of chicken and tofu and potatoes, peas, pumpkins and spoons, forks and knives was followed by a session with News of Me out of the silence.

Cabaret was really funny. People did poems, yoga skits, talk shows, mother –daughter outings, the traditional bus stop, pillow jumping and throwing, gymnastics, gibberish, Whose Broadway Show Is it Anyway, plus great musical numbers including oboe, piano, violin and vocals It all closed with a hilarious cookie skit which included aliens, super heroes, and yoga gurus. Ice cream and apple crisp were greatly enjoyed and then we had another great dragon story and stumbled up to bed. Still looking forward to Sunday, we end our epistle with a riddle:

Doing skits, making friends
Something we hope never ends.

What is it? domell yonse.

Winter Song '05

Neither snow nor sleet nor rain….Although we were delayed, nothing could stop the weekend. We arrived Saturday at 10 a.m. and immediately began to make up for the lost hugs and love. The changes in the routine were explained for all.

After everything was settled, or rather, less chaotic than before, we sat down for "wagon-lines." We were quickly warming up and soon progressed to a hectic bout of "catch your partner" accompanied by Dave Matthews.

After this we brushed upon the rules and slaughtered our lunches with vigor previously unmatched. While the wonderful lunch was dexterously cleaned up, there was on chill time. After lunch, we divided up for a variety of workshops: Lighting the Peace Tree; Walking in Winter Wonderland; Travelers’ Tales; Inner Labyrinth; Improv; Planning a youth weekend; A Renovation Design Session; and Dining Room Decorating.

Free time can only be defined by the word "chill." We just had a great time with crafts in the dining room, and "wink"em" in the common room. A late afternoon session started each person singing his or her name. Small groups discussed why possible donors to Powell house should support our program. An option of three-way massage or the cradling exercise brought us into free time and preparations for the dress-up dinner. The people looked beautiful as they settled into the dining room with styles of dress ranging from formal to remarkably unconventional.

Dinner was a delicious vegetarian lasagna, homemade rolls, salad from heaven, sparkly grape juice, and delightful conversation. Between cleanup and cabaret, a dance party developed in the common room. Many amazing moves were exhibited before we all moved to Pitt hall for cabaret. Stories, songs and skits delighted us all.

We headed back to the ACC for the tree lighting ceremony and a period of sharing out of the Silence.

Snacktime’s highlight was the chocolate that Will S. brought back from France for the whole group to enjoy. Many exquisite thanks to Will! Free time included watching the original "Grinch Who Stole Christmas." Claire Beetlestone illuminated quiet time with stories from the Silk Road in central Asia and then we journeyed off to bed.

Wake up was 8:45 and people started bringing their stuff over from Pitt Hall. A hearty brunch featuring coffee cake was followed by everyone doing something to clean up both buildings. As much as people enjoyed seeing these awesomely cool people, it was soon time to go.

Seriously Silent

It’s finally Friday: your eyes on the clock, you watch the minutes count down, counting down to Powell House. Your teacher drones on and on and on…. And you envy those already on their way.

At last! In the car speeding toward a weekend of ultimate silence and anticipated wonderfulness, you look forward to hugs, love and laughter.

Finally, you arrive. Perhaps first, perhaps last, perhaps after everyone else has finished dinner. Either way, you are greeted with the hugs, love and laughter you had expected. Not long after enjoying your meal of tempeh lo mein, and maybe helping out with the dinner crew, you and your friends hurried over the wet paths toward the warmth of Pitt hall and the company of the adult Silence weekend attenders. Sitting on the floor of the library, entangled in your friends, you listen the expectations for both their weekends and yours.

After racing back over the still-wet paths, you return with the group to a session in which you all make known your intentions for the weekend’s silence and make suggestions for games. From this, you settle into News of Me (out of the silence, of course) and learn about the lives of the people you have missed.

This weekend was…together, relaxing, good, calm, nurturing, fun, inspiring, thought-provoking, life, loving, splendid, nature, peaceful, warm, essential, quiet, and ahhh!

In particular, folks mentioned these aspects of the weekend as good: the quiet; climb up to Dorson’s Rock; being silent but understood; climbing waterfall; not falling flat face in the mud; lack of a schedule was good; silent activities; snow on Sunday morning; arts & crafts table all weekend; journals; the hike; the moonlit walk; yoga; intergenerational; not being able to talk; talking about the silence for everyone; and the Buddhist blessing.

Sharing Friends

It was one not stormy night when all the little Powell Housers joined the JCs and AP for a big huggle and a weekend of sharing friends. We sang songs, ate spaghetti and played games. And had lots of fun sharing friends. We finished the night with a story of a girl who met a pretty revolting girl and tried to be friends with her.

Saturday arrived sunny and incredibly warm for January. Session involved the fun and sometimes frustrating cup pyramid building. Our tools were one string apiece and a one rubber band per group with no human contact allowed with the cups. We then had an interesting discussion about friends. We had 8 questions about why and how you needed and got and kept your friends.

A plague ran through our group at the end of session. One was guilty, several died, all laughed. And on top of that 3 clans of bobble-eyed aliens and one tree captured our JCs. We received a signal, which Chris translated. We had to each get 4 beans from the aliens to rescue our JCs. We succeeded!

Lunch came around and we had bread, soup (ginger, sweet pea) and sweet potatoes to gain energy for the work projects which followed. The game closet was cleaned out head to toe from top shelf to bottom shelf. Along with that, two boxes full of fabric were sorted to be kept or to be thrown out. Cinnamon rolls were made, nuts were cracked, and wood was hauled.

Free time arrived with a rained out banana tag. Everyone seemed to be doing good. People showered, went for walks, made cranes and did other origami, which was nice.

3-way massage was very relaxing for most of us. Self-space gave us time to think about things at home, comforting things, time to find a sit spot or maybe make a button or take a nap.

We had pigor chicken for dinner, which was either pig or chicken and was very good. The tofu was appreciated by the vegetarians.

In session after dinner we found out that we loved one another but couldn’t smile. Small group affirmation circles were helpful because they let us see things in each other we hadn’t noticed before.

Then CABARET! Filled with action, funniness, talent, career, mess ups, gibberish etc…

After going to brush our teeth and change, we came back downstairs to hear about Lizzie Logan, the revolting girl. We were all disappointed to not get to hear the end.

Sunday again came along. Another new day. No spider plant incidents, happily. We ate breakfast and had eggs, grapefruit, and the delicious cinnamon rolls that were made on Saturday.

Now we are looking forward to playing Primate Bellows but not to saying good-bye.

Chocolate Hearts

Powell House youth attenders were greeted with welcoming hugs when they arrived Friday night. After settling in, everyone enjoyed a delicisou meal of sphagetti made by Jacki. With full stomachs, we all gathered for session during which we realized how much we all have in common.

We had News of Me out of the silence. It was fantastic to hear what people have been up to since the last conference. Elisabeth (our adult presence) shared her beautiful voice by reading to us during quiet time. She also sang "Imagine" and it was magnificent. We all gathered for huggle and most were off to bed.

Saturday morning officially began at 8:00 a.m. with wake up and the living-dead trudging and shambling downstairs. 8:15 saw a weary breakfast crew toiling in the kitchen. Finally, the long awaited "Jacki’s breakfast" woke everyone up and we were ready for session. We did a name whip with two things that taste good together. To wake us up further, we played a vigourus game.

We made maps of ourselves and our relationships. Then we broke into small groups to discuss relationships and do another name whip on who we feel comfortable with and why you feel comfortable with that person. We reviewed our small groups discussions and then ended by playing squirrels and trees.

After a delicious do-it-yourself lunch, and free time, we broke up for the highlight of the weekend- chocolate work projects. Zebra cookies, black walnut fudge, no-bake choco-oatmeal cookies, fudge, chocolate-dipped crackers and the rest. We ate as much as we worked – and maybe more. Afterwards, everyone was tired, bloated, content and ready for 3-way massage.

Art and Spirit with Ginny and Barbara

Lions, Lambs and Luges

There were Lions, Lambs and a mischievous sardine at this conference but no luges. We really liked sardines. They made us feel happy, scared, squished and befuddled. Wild people was really cool too. It made us feel tricked, tired, upset, beaned out and satisfied. Self-space was really neat. It made us feel relaxed, sleepy, content, centered. Some of us had fun at the labyrinth during self-space.

Content and happy expresses the mood of the weekend. Zany and relaxed were a wonderful and somewhat unusual combination of feelings that we shared.

We found our friends to be a lot of fun to play with. We discovered every time that we come we meet someone new who is interesting. Every single person here has at least five things about them that are really cool and interesting. Whenever you come, good friends are always nearby.

Cabaret was a wacky expression of our creative spirit. We felt exuberant, exhilarated, happy, silly and pretty.

We’ll be sad to leave but we are excited about reuniting with our pets and family. We will miss our friends here but we are looking forward to the next conference which Promise to be exciting and beautiful and connected.

Stress Busters

We all came into this conference STRESSED OUT. With all our lives in crazy stages we were ready to again retreat to PoHo and relax. Just coming through the door and getting hugs was enough to relieve stress a little…But if you were caught in the traffic block of the accident on the Taconic around Route 84, the only thing that could cleanse your soul from at least some stress was Jacki’s AMAZING spaghetti.

After our tummies were relaxed we went into session. We went around with some name whips to remember the faces of new and old. Then the stunning Luke Jones during his first (and last) time Jcing, got us all to play a very long (in length not time) game of the Honduran Hat Game. We the split into small groups and rated the levels of stress we have in different categories. We were surprised at the results.

Afterwards we danced into free time with the Pata-Pata and then piled onto couch piles…There were tickle fights and cuddling, there was just so much love…I cannot stress this enough. A jubilant game of Sardines and all the accumulating love brought us into a Chillax quiet time, where we heard the story of Milly and the Lemon Drops. Then tired we reluctantly went to bed (or at least to our bedrooms!)

When Saturday morning dawned, it found many already up and about (somewhat of a surprise, considering so many of us stayed up past lights out last night). No yawns and sleepiness here – the group bumbled down to breakfast. And oh what a breakfast it was! Scrambled eggs, cereal and stress-relieving popovers were what Jacki presented to us. I can safely say they were duly enjoyed.

After the breakfast crew had wrestled with all the greasy muffin pans in the kitchen (inviting much frustration) we all grouped together for session. We split up into small groups, discussing our areas of stress and came back together for some relaxing Qi Gong moves. After we were all tired out from ridding ourselves of stress and strain, Beth (another one of our fabulous JCs) led us in a comedic Honey If You Love Me…

Afterwards we had much-appreciated free time (filled full to the brim with couch piles). We then had our standard delicious lunch and moved on to more free time. The most ultimate game of Ultimate took place (It was frickin’ huge for the record) and a stress relieving (or was it stress inducing) game of wink’em took place. After all the stress of being awesome it felt good to participate in work projects (involving much stress relieving activities such as hacking away at bushes, digging ditches, smashing and winging walnuts, collecting garbage and organizing the Game Closet). We then trudged in excitedly for a Newman-O snack.

After snack the bell rang for session and an absolutely stress relieving 3-way massage. Once we all had our massages and we were all relieved of stress, we listened to a guided meditation and we were released into self-space, to take a stress relieving shower and relax even further.

Supper was deliciously stress relieving. We had potato pancakes in the form of potato pancakes, corn beef, tofu, veggies and to top it all off we had apple crisp with whipped cream! After our completely relaxing supper it was time for session.

We went into small groups and sculpted each other to different prompts (like stressed, relaxed, fearful, fearless). We affirmed one another around the circle. We went from session to Cabaret, which was a special treat. There were a lot of wonderful music acts including guitar, violin, viola and wonderful singing voices. After another crazy free time, we went into a relaxing quiet time with a blue chipmunk followed by huggle with a lovely lullaby sung by our lovely JC Kristen. We then trudged off to bed.

We woke the next morning to have buttermilk pancakes for breakfast; our stress beginning to rise as we realized the weekend was nearly over.

Gifts We Bring to Swing

A flip, a trip, and a bippity bop. Swing Dancing! Greetings. Guidelines. Agenda. We ate easy, breezy macaroni and cheesy, and commenced to fall into two well-ordered circles to learn swing basics under the inspired tutelage of Ms. Melanie-Claire. At alternate extremes of coordination and confusion, the evening progressed on a six count. We settled into a groove of equality and rocking out.

Anxieties over our trials and triumphs within the higher education system were distributed over the group, receiving sympathy, commiseration and congratulations. We floated to bed (except for a few late night philosophers) on legs light with dancing, preparing for the morn.

Then sun rose. The children got up. Bagels for breakfast. In session, we learned about how Quaker testimonies apply to swing dancing. Then we continued into the dining room for some tuck turns and push spins. Free time. Lunch. Free time. Madd hoppity boppin wink’em. Then we did some highflying aerials and gargantuosuly amazing small groups. 3-way massage was a great way to cool down and ease up. Supper was some Greek lasagna craziness, yum, yum, yum! Dessert: Banana pie. 7:00 review for come Sunday morning some would have to flew. Sleep, sleep, sleep, sleep, sleep.

Awake. Sheets. Towels. Luggage. PANCAKES!!! YES!!! AWESOME! Sorry this Epistler skipped over Cabaret. Cabaret was totally off the hook. But that was last night though. After breakfast, we went into the office to write this "A pistol shop-bop-a do-op, said a yeah, yeah, YEAH!

Peeps said they liked the schedule. This Epistler liked Mike’s quiet time story. A twirl, a dip and thank your partner for this dance.

Earth, Air, Fire, Water
Intergenerational Women’s Weekend
Led by Pat Steere Sears of Housatonic Meeting in CT

Camping in the Maze II
4^th-6^th grade
August 18 - 20, 2006

The weekend started with brightness, first of the sunshine as tents were pitched and then of the beautiful Milky Way in the sky. Around the campfire, stories and S.mores gave hints of warmth, fun and delicious food that would fill the weekend.

A treasure hunt sent us exploring the maze and other wonderful Powell House places as we created cross-generational bonds through sharing important stories of our lives. After great fun swimming (and for some of us, covering ourselves in mud) the afternoon unfolded with a plethora of Powell House favorite games. Capture the Flag took a new twist as it tested our running, hiding and accepting skills. It brought us to a great conversation. We exhibited good skills in listening in our large circle as we explored aspects of conflicts that emerged during the games. The Dodo game left us breathless but Banana Tag proved to be the most fun as it was a great equalizer.

As dark approached the rains came, taking us into a night of almost swimming in our tents! Humor, a shifting of the nighttime fire into the pavillion fireplace and some great stories made this evening fun as well.

Closing the weekend, the warmth of the community we built was evident as we affirmed the gifts we saw in each other. Those of us who are parents, were enriched and supported in the affirming and sharing for the parenting we’d like to do everyday. We all saw new life spring from old roots as we dined on the old big leek roots that previous youth attenders planted for us.

Ooh, and did we say it was fun enough times!