Farm Life

Greetings Earth Lodge! My name is Geoff Cox. I am a two-year veteran of the Earth Lodge (I lived there way back when it was called the Outdoor House). During my all too brief trip to Richmond this winter break, I was flooded with memories of my time in the Earth Lodge and reminded of what a tremendous impact the experience had on me. I am writing to you from an educational farm called Hidden Villa, where I live and work now. Hidden Villa has farm animals (chickens, pigs, goats, sheep and cows!) and five acres of community supported agriculture nestled in the foothills of the Santa Cruz Mountains in California. I have been here since late August, working as a teacher and learning how to grow my own food and take care of farm animals. By day I roam the farm and surrounding 1500 acres of wilderness with a different small group of students, ranging from kindergarten through high school, each day. My job description: to inspire the kids I work with to have a deep reverence and curiosity about the natural world and maybe most of all, to help them start to see how all things are connected, to know where food comes from and to understand their own biology a little better. Most of the students I work with are growing up in a city and have never had the satisfaction of pulling a carrot from the earth or seeing a breathtaking view after a steep hike. I am supposed to inspire them, but I think I am more inspired by them from seeing the natural world through the fresh eyes of the children every day and remembering what a miracle it is to take even one breath on the amazing planet.

My afternoons are spent getting dirty in the garden or taking care of the animals. Almost all of the food we eat comes from our farm, either from the plants or as milk, eggs or meat from the animals. There is something incredibly natural and empowering about actually taking an active role in the cycle of growth and death that sustain us all. I am finding that working with my body and my mind and ending the day tired and dirty fulfills me in a way that the work of classrooms and offices never did.

When I talk to my other Richmond friends, who all seem to have made their way to graduate school, an office, or back to their parent’s house, I can’t help but reflect on how my Earth Lodge experience influenced my vision of myself in the world. I have endless memories of backpacking, caving, huddling together around the fire on a snowy hillside, laughing, hanging out on the James River and feeling at home in the Earth Lodge community. Looking back now, I realize that impact of the Earth Lodge went way beyond the magic of the wilderness adventures and community. Through the class with Lee Carleton, I was invited to read great literature that helped me really examine both myself and the world I lived in. I was challenged to live more authentically and more bravely and not back down from hard questions. For once, I had the space to take a breath of fresh air and really consider what was meaningful to me in the context of a supportive community and learning environment.

My two years in the Earth Lodge were like starting a fire through friction (which I did with a group of high school students in the rain today). If done correctly, the friction of a stick rubbing on a baseboard creates a hot coal that when placed in a bundle of tinder and blown on can burst into flame and be the foundation for a fire that lasts through the night. For me, my time in the Earth Lodge made me look more deeply into where biology meets technology and my role in helping create a world worth living in for future generations. I was struck by a vision of a world on fire with development and destruction and the odd notion that we are still biologically and neurologically still hunter-gatherers trying to make sense of this complex, digitally-mediated modern industrial world. We think we are so insulated from the dangers associated with survival; yet, some of my wilderness experiences during my time in the Earth Lodge reminded me that we are still and forever part of this great mystery of life and death, one hurricane or car stuck in the snow away from survival being the only thing that is important.

(Earth Lodge winter camping trip)

So for me, my time in the Earth Lodge compelled me to follow my questioning back toward the roots of human livelihood. I realized that before I could make sense of the modern world, I had to better understand my human heritage by learning to do what humans have done for millennia, grow food (something that was not part of my suburban upbringing) and be closer to the earth. Here at Hidden Villa, I have been so inspired both by the kids I teach every day and the opportunity to live where I am and do what I am doing that I spend most of my spare time doing naturalist training and really getting to know the world around me. I am getting to know the plants and animals in the area and am noticing the patterns and connections that weave throughout the landscape. I spend part of each day just sitting in one spot, bringing my awareness to the present moment and delighting in watching life, big and small, take place all around me. I feel like my eyes are being reopened to the newness of each moment and the richness of my own biology and the world around me. Even on my walk down the farm to meet the kids in the morning, I am intrigued by new bird sightings, the growing sprouts, and the tracks and signs of animals. By the time I make it to work, I am filled with gratitude and awe and am reminded to be open to the richness of each moment.

I do not think that technology and the modern world are bad. Even now I am using our most ancient and profound technology, language (although I am admittedly a bit out of practice), and transmitting it through the Internet, another amazing tool with infinite potential. I just think that as a modern people we have forgotten so much of what makes us human and our relationship with and dependence on the natural world. From what I have seen and learned in college and beyond, I think we will continue to destroy the world and ourselves if we don’t reclaim and reintegrate the wisdom of our biology, which is inextricably linked to the natural world. So here I am, years later, still living the questions that came up while living in the Earth Lodge, still exploring where biology meets technology and being humbled by the mystery of life and death in the modern world. It is a wonderful journey.

When I think about the Earth Lodge, I am reminded that more than being just for people who love camping and hiking, it is a place for people who want to be in a community that is eager to live a little more deeply, to ask hard questions of themselves and be brave enough to listen to the answers and explore the mystery. Who knows where it will take you?

To all of you out there on the digital ether, enjoy the journey!

If you want to learn more about where I work or what I am doing, check out www.hiddenvilla.org or email me at geoff.cox@richmond.edu.

High ropes, Mountaintop & Riverside: Rising to the Challenge

The illustrious Lodgers of 2009 began by literally stretching themselves on UR's high ropes course.
Watching safely from the ground, I was immediately impressed by their easy collaboration and mutual encouragement in such a challenging and stressful situation hovering 40 feet above the ground.


In class, their creative collaboration led to several interesting and insightful class exercises that explored some of the themes in our readings. George Stewart's 1949 novel Earth Abides provided their inspiration to examine group dynamics, value formation, authority and leadership. In the novel, a survivor of a deadly global pandemic named Ish is working to gather a reliable community as he dreams of rebuilding civilization and negotiates the rules and customs of his small tribe. Stewart's narrative is punctuated by italicized passages that encourage to shift our perspective and reflect upon the place of our species in the larger ecosystem - a most relevant exercise.

This year it seemed as if rain was predicted for every weekend we considered camping, so we just decided to toughen up and go for the trip regardless of the weather. Though it was cold, foggy and rainy all weekend, we had an advance crew head up early to get the tents set up - and what an advantage that was! The rest of us arrived in a couple of shifts, but we got a fire started (no small feat in the wet) and good cheer shone through all weekend. And then there was the entertainment...just ask a Lodger about the creepy bear hunters or the amazing mountain runner marathon. And then there was that creepy outhouse....





Our semester concluded with the Richmond Riverside Safari, a 7-mile loop hike that takes in some great views of Richmond and passes through several historic spots. That hike ended up at Forest Hill Park where we had lunch, a fire and a birthday pie!

Bryson and The Colony

Today's discussion of Bryson's A Walk in the Woods and the idea of how people become so dependent on technology reminded me of a show I'm keeping up with on the Discovery Channel, called The Colony. The Colony documents a ten-week experiment that involves ordinary people from all spectrums of life and how they cope with a worldwide "disaster" context. As part of the experiment, a fairly-large section of Los Angeles is sectioned off and designed to resemble what the city would look like if a viral outbreak killed much of the population (think I Am Legend without the zombies). Here's a more thorough explanation from the official website:

"What would you do in the wake of a global catastrophe? How would you find food? Water? Shelter?

The Colony is a controlled experiment to see exactly what it would take to survive and rebuild under these circumstances. For 10 weeks, a group of 10 volunteers, whose backgrounds and expertise represent a cross-section of modern society, are isolated in an urban environment outside Los Angeles and tasked with creating a livable society.

With no electricity from the grid, no running water and no communication with the outside world, all the volunteers have to work with are their skills and whatever tools and supplies they can scavenge from their surroundings.

Experts from the fields of homeland security, engineering and psychology have helped design the world of The Colony to reflect elements from both real-life disasters and models of what the future could look like after a global viral outbreak.

Over the course of the 10-week experiment, the Colonists must work together to build the necessities of survival, such as a water-filtration system, a battery bank that powered their electricity, a solar cooker, a shower system and a greenhouse – and even some niceties (a coffee maker!)."

The show categorizes the struggles the colonists go through for the viewer by breaking up portions of the episodes into "Phases" and the "Contexts" that accompany that phase (for example, the "Traders" phase has a context of "Negotiation Skills"). As the days progress for the colonists, they go from vital phases such as "Arrival and Survival" and "Sustainable Energy" to non-essential tasks such as "Creature Comforts", where they build a rudimentary shower. Wikipedia does a pretty good job explaining the progression of events as the series goes on.

The show is (in my opinion) fascinating because it really highlights how dependent people have become on technology and societal luxuries and, because of this, how much they have forgotten how to live in a "natural" or "primitive" fashion. In the very first episode, for example, some of the colonists complain about the fact that the toilets don't flush (they must be manual activated by dumping water down the drain), that there are no beds, that there is no power or water (and, they later discover, they need a type of water-filtration system), and only a limited number of canned foods. Because of this, from the very beginning they are forced into "survival" mode and must make due with what they find in the warehouse they live in or can scavenge from the outside world. It is clear from the start that in this type of situation, there is definite benefits in numbers as one person alone could not possibly know how to accomplish all of these deeds on their own; one of the colonists, for example, used to work as a solar panel installer/handyman and is therefore proves to be an expert when it comes to power generation, while another has a marine biology background and is therefore useful when the group explores the surrounding area for food and must fish.

However, scavenging and innovation are not the only challenges the colonists must face. As part of the experiment, the producers have hired a dozen or so of "marauders" that try to steal the colonists' supplies, infiltrate the colony, and in general do other things that would threaten the security of the colony and thus remind the colonists of the true hardships of a survival situation. They begin to realize that they are not the only ones in need of things to survive and that many "outsiders" have no qualms or morals when it comes to survival. Putting this in a camping perspective, the colonists are like the campers with food, and the "outsiders" are the bears and other creatures who would steal it during the night if it were not stored properly. Similarly, the colonists quickly realize that not only must they acquire resources, but once they do, they have to take measures to protect them. The sense of security they possessed when in society is gone; here, they are truly in the "wild."

If anyone else is interested in the show, check out the first link, you can watch full episodes from there. Also, it is still playing Tuesday nights at 10pm on the Discovery Channel.

~Meg

Greetings from the Jersey Shore

This summer has been somewhat different than the ordinary, at least for me. I spent the first six weeks of my summer break recovering from extremely invasive surgery (during which portions of twelve of my ribs were cut!). So, needless to say, I knew I was in for a relatively subdued list of summertime activities.

However, I started work in July at Wells Mills County Park, where I’ve volunteered and worked every summer since 2004. It is a beautiful, 900 acre slice of the unique New Jersey Pine Barrens ecosystem. The park serves as a passive recreation site, where people are encouraged to enjoy themselves hiking, canoeing, and birdwatching without impacting the natural beauty of the area. The park has to be one of my favorite places in the world. I consider myself very lucky to be paid to enjoy myself in a beautiful natural area for eight hours a day. I spent my time at work this summer renting canoes, illustrating songbirds in watercolor for a display, drawing ink sketches of waterfowl for the park’s Decoy and Gunning Show literature, and eating wild blueberries. Time well spent, in my opinion!Just the other day I went down to the Brigantine Division of the Edwin B. Forsythe National Wildlife Refuge where

I was actually working that day s a tour guide on a birdwatching van trip with a fellow coworker and bird nut. We spent about five hours birding on a fantastic stretch of tidal salt marsh with a view of the Atlantic City skyline in the distance. In total, we catalogued 58 different species of birds, including: terns, gulls, plovers, sandpipers, herons, Black Skimmers, Clapper Rails, Glossy Ibises, and an extremely rare (and frankly unheard of) juvenile Roseate Spoonbill. We got some good looks at the AC Utilities Authority’s five windmills, too.

Recently, some friends and I took a day trip to Cape May to spend some time walking along the streets and seaside promenade looking at the local gingerbread Victorian homes – in full costume! It was about ninety degrees that day, and there we were, in full length Victorian-style dresses and suits, posing for pictures and ducking into shops to soak up the air conditioning. Needless to say, we decided to spend a few hours at the beach afterword to cool off!

I had a great summer, but I am very excited to return to Richmond!

Adaptation: the key to survival

Those of you who joined me to scout out our campsite for this year's retreat will notice that this image shows that the lake we planned to swim in is even lower than it was when we saw it in May! As you can see below, I did swim in it with some Summer Scholars, but the mud was deep and it was no fun getting in and out of the water, so we're adapting our plans...















I will be scouting out two possible alternatives the week before we meet and I'll go for the one with the most water and the promise of a cooling dip. The St. Mary's Wilderness Area is supposed to have a small falls and a swimming hole. Originally the plan was for a short, easy backpack into a campsite from which we could swim. We can still backpack into the woods, but the trail will be a bit more challenging. Alternatively, we could "car-camp" on Bald Mountain and take a short day-hike for our mountain swim - without our heavy backpacks. But no matter where we choose, any spot near the Blue Ridge Parkway is likely to be a good one.

Think about the options and we'll decide when we meet on Friday the 21st - see you then!

Travis's Summer

Hey guys!

Immediately after returning home to Baltimore from Richmond, I enjoyed three weeks of nothingness: lying around the house, eating too much, getting sunburn, catching up on reading. To keep up with my 4-year plan (who could afford a 5th at richmond??), I enrolled in a summer calc II course at Towson University for the next five weeks, while also working at Morris Meadows Recreational Farm as a lifeguard and cook. I took a weekend trip to Ocean City, MD with some friends after I finished the class. I continued working, and in mid-July made my way to Connecticut to visit fellow Richmonders, Shelby Brown (Parker's girlfriend :) ) and Lauryn Esposito.

Since my trip to the nutmeg State, everyday brings more hours of staring at a 5-foot deep pool of yapping soccer moms and their toddlers; is it bad that some days I wish someone would need saving? In three days I'm tagging along with my friend's family to Ocean Isle in North Carolina for a week-long beach vacation!

I have yet to go camping this summer, and can't wait to hit the trail in two weeks. More importantly, it'll be great to finally get to know all of you!

Enjoy your last days of summer '09, and take it easy!

Travis

summer time when the weathers fine

hey everyone!

I hope you're all enjoying your summers and are excited for the return to Richmond. This summer I have been working about 5-6 days a week as a hostess and counter server at a gourmet French/Italian restaurant called Sovana Bistro. It's just a mile away from my house so it's really convenient. The owner/executive chef there, however, is pretty cool because he uses local produce and dairy whenever possible and changes the menu seasonally, so the food we serve is fresh and local. One part of the menu is a 100-mile menu meaning all the dishes are made from foods sourced within 100 miles of the restaurant. Pretty neat.

Besides my job, I have been keeping busy by enjoying this gorgeous weather. I joined at summer frisbee league (as Sally said) and she and I have games every Monday and Wednesday night. Playoffs are next week so I'm really excited!! We'll let you know how our team does. I have also been kayaking on the Brandwine River, which is a pretty big river about 15 mins from my house. My dad's real big on kayaking so he tries to recruit me to go with him almost every weekend.

My big summer trip was a road trip to Canada with 4 of my friends from high school. We drove up in a minivan and stayed at my friend's grandmother's guest cottage in St. Gabriel. It's absolutely gorgeous up there. It was my first time going to Canada and I loved it! I hope I can go back again soon.

I can't wait to get to know everyone! It sounds like we have a really great group of people. Unfortunately I doubt I'll be able to make the camping trip because I'm an OA this year and we have a packed schedule. I'm really bummed about it because the trip sounds like so much fun and it's been too long since the last time I've gone camping, but I hope you all enjoy it and you'll have to fill me in on all the details.

See everyone soon!!

-Kelsey