Lara's Bootcamp/Wheaton Labs Experience/BRKish

It was a lovely week this week — a bit chilly, and woke up to a bunch of snow one day (pretty but I’m over it) but also sunny and joyful. My heart is filling up.

We spent a lot of time this week preparing for the tour tomorrow, and this place is looking mighty fine. I’m excited to welcome some fresh faces and possibly welcome back some familiar ones.

Today I had a milkshake for the first time in a long time and it tasted like a little cup of heaven. Picked up fresh farm eggs and sang in the car.

Yesterday we cleaned the Abbey and then cooked dinner in there, and that little home is glowing and warm and so lovely. Boot gardening yesterday was very wet and cold, but we had an excellent time and I laughed a lot. I repotted plants for Paul’s room, watered some hugels, watched cold wet Boots warm their frozen hands and bums on the rocket mass heater.

Tonight I made tabbouleh and some sautéed veggies to eat with leftover beans and rice. And then we sat around snacking on bits and bobs for a long time.

Now I watch Fred pack curtido into jars. Alana washes dishes and Nine reads about germinating persimmons. Daniel snoozes on the couch and Erica palms cashews and floats around the kitchen in her way. Sweet family.

Enjoy photos from the week!

Catching a ride into town which means rare downtime... time for brk! Today was housekeeping. It is so sunny and beautiful, almost 70 degrees.

Lots of planning and reorganizing of the bootcamp this week. Leadership, facilitation, scheduling. It’s an interesting community experiment to be a part of, but I’m having a really good time, even through the ups and downs, at figuring it all out and finding what works, what doesn’t, what pisses people off, what feeds their souls. But it takes a lot of energy, and I’ve found my mornings a real struggle recently; unsticking my eyelids to the sound of my alarm has been especially painful over the past few weeks. Which means... time to detox and go to bed earlier.

The tour was great last weekend. I learned a lot and met some really cool people, one who came all the way from Portland for the occasion, and even though it was cold and drizzling, I was proud of the boots for preparing so well for the tour and I had a good time enjoying the effects of our hard work.

I watered my hugel a whole bunch on Monday, and planted some more seeds. I found a few tiny cotyledons coming up! Erica has a bunch on her side. The kittens helped us as usual, playing in the sun and supervising our efforts.

Yesterday was full office but very productive... one of those On the Ball days where the more I get done, the more I realize I have to do until I’m trying to do 35 things at once and can’t keep it all straight anymore...

Observation for Design is going well; it’s a great class, but being so tired has made it difficult to keep up with the readings. But it’s so interesting, and such fundamental knowledge. We ate delicious pupusas while we listened to our classmates tell excellent nature stories from their observation sessions.

Today is town errands and housekeeping. And tonight is our next stained glass class. We sketched our designs over the weekend — it was super fun to get in the artistic zone and attempt to draw perfectly even hexagons for my bee design.

Enjoy photos of the past few days!

beautiful boy

Hi Lara just watched
Daisy Hikes she was going nobo  on the cdt  and now she's going sobo  so she is in Montana. Will you be having a reunion. Or will you be doing some train magic for other thru hikers. Not sure how far from the train you are. Hope that you can get some hiking in for yourself.

Hey Garry!
That's cool! I haven't been in touch with Daisy in a while but I'm glad to hear she's going strong on the CDT. It looks like it's about 12 hours from here and we are swamped with the summer events so I won't make it out this season, but I'm definitely looking forward to getting back on trail at some point in the future. :)

I really enjoy your pictures you share. Thank you.

What a summer. It feels like I'm back in high school or college and I just hosted a party where everything in my house got broken and now this is the come down. I'm utterly exhausted. I've left my position as rental/event coordinator. And where to go from here?

After ten hours of cleaning the kitchen today, it is lovely to sit and be cooked for and to share a glass of wine with Magdalene. She is like a painting to me; beautiful and delicate, you love to look at it, but there is mystery in its appeal, strength in its timelessness. Magdalene has kept the bootcamp alive all summer with her steadfast resolve and I admire her for her dependability. We have shared some special moments this dreadfully hot summer and I feel grateful for this friend.

Losing Waldo this season was a big blow to my fragile heart. Such an incredible creature. Waldo was proud, he strutted; he never asked, he just told it like it was. He kept himself impeccably clean, even through his huntings. In the end, I remember he followed Gremlin around loyally, perhaps obsessively. Not long after he was gone, her three kittens were revealed to us. And what joy it was to see the rebirth of life, the endless cycle. Somewhere, Waldo's spirit circles around this land and it is imbibed with his endless energy. Golden eyes. You are missed & never forgotten.

There were many river swims. Indelible people with warmth in their very footsteps. Dirty jokes. Card games. Catan games. Laundry. Half a PDC. Mental breakdowns. Definitely not enough dancing. Talents upon talents. Conversation. Chatter. Controversy. Miscommunications. Sadnesses. Goodbyes.

I am less and I am more for it all. I am proud and ashamed. I am trying to learn violin this winter, does anyone have one sitting in their basement they'd like to send me? I can pay for shipping.

Big love x x