Mietzke's Holden Adventure

We went on our first out this week. Meaning we got out of the village. We went back to Tacoma to get some things out of storage and to see some friends. I was anxious in the preparation process and unsure of what to expect in returning to a place that I called home for 14 years, and not really belonging there at this point. We got on a bus at about 10:45 and headed down the road towards Lake Chelan and the boat. We hopped on the boat at 12:15 and headed up lake to Stehekin and stopped over for an hour or so and ate lunch. We had burgers and chicken strips and soda pop! Stehekin is an artist community at the top of the lake. I had never been there and I would like to get some more time there. We relaxed and ate burgers and looked out at the lake. The sun was shining and it was cold and beautiful! Then we got back on the boat for our two hour journey down lake and then our three hour car ride to Seattle. The sun shown about half way down the lake and then the blue fog rolled in coating the hills and blotting out the sun. It was a sleepy boat ride.
At 3:30 we reached fields point landing and had to dig our car out. Luckily they have shovels at the boat doc and a nice man helped us dig out. Then we were on the road. The passes were bear and dry so the drive was pretty pleasant. It took us three hours to get over Stevens pass and we were glad to pull into Keith and Karen’s place. On the way we lost the foot of snow off our roof in Monroe and its sliding off was such a weird noise. I thought that perhaps all of the stuff in the back of the car had all fallen out at once and was rolling about the back. Then Dave got a speeding ticket, which all in all wasn’t that traumatic. I also got a chance on the drive to connect with my parents and my grandmas, Auntie Kako and my brother Jason. It was so nice to hear familiar voices!
Our time with Keith and Karen was really nice but short. Lyla is at such a fun great age and is a joy to be with. She entertained us with hide and seek and little songs. We headed out at ten the next morning to go to Tacoma and run some errands. I won’t go into the errand details because they are long and boring, but we got most of them done with only a little stress and anxiety. Then we met Joy and Lauren and Sara at the Mandolin Café and had a nice lunch. The girls were so excited to see their friends and instantly were playing and talking in rapid fire succession. I had a great visit with them and then the kids went off to their sleep-overs.
I was relieved to be around people who know and love me. I had had some nervousness about coming back and it is so good to know that people just keep on loving you even when you aren’t around all of the time. It didn’t even feel like much time had passed. Dave and I then drove past our old house and on the way down the block I felt myself tensing. The house looked the same and so did the neighborhood and I felt such relief that I don’t live there anymore. I was expecting nostalgia and what I got was confirmation that our choice to leave was a really good one. I realized that the tension that I felt driving down my block was the same tension that I felt for the last eight years and I had just gotten used to living with a low dose of fear in my daily life. It is amazing to realize that I am actually free from that daily fear.
The next 24 hours went by like a whirlwind. We saw our couples group went to our storage unit and got our back packing gear and returned a few things then went and stayed the night with our friends John and Teri. It was so good to be with people and to be so warmly welcomed even for a short period of time. It is strange to belong to people but not a place. On our drive from Chelan I kept feeling like we were just going to go home and I kept expecting to go back to my same patterns. It was weird while we were in Tacoma I got out of my van while talking on the phone to my friend Jennifer and walked into Target, something I did almost every week when I lived there and I had this flash of déjà vu and then realized that I don’t actually live in Tacoma anymore, I don’t work at the Tacoma school, and I don’t have a home here. I knew all of this on some level, but there is still grieving to be done.
Amidst the grieving, there is also a great deal of joy, because I also realized that the people who I love are still my people no matter where I live and I am one lucky girl to have so many great friends!
Sunday was also jam packed. We hung out with John and Teri for a great breakfast then met Dave’s sister and her family for coffee ran more errands which included a trip to Joanne’s Fabrics which was so overwhelming I thought I might cry. Then we picked the girls up and headed to Seattle to meet up with out friend Jennifer and played around at the Seattle center before heading to dinner with Keith, Karen, and Lyla.
It was great to see the girls with their friends! There is so much love and acceptance between them and such lightness and fun! Lauren, Kelly, Jordyn and Nyrie ran around the fountain in the Seattle center laughing and playing as always. They were wrestling touching and playing as if we had never left. The same was true of their time with Gwynne and Emily. It feels really good to be known and loved anyway.
We had a great dinner with Keith and Karen and headed out the next morning just before six. It was snowing when we got up and I was a little nervous about the drive, but Dave is a really good driver and got us through without any problems.
We stopped in Wenatchee to get some fish supplies; we bought another fish named Mana-mana and a couple of Snails that we named doot-doo and doo-doo-doo. They made it up and are now hanging out with Grover. We spent a little too much time in Wenatchee. We raced down to Chelan and the boat was already quite a way up lake by the time we got there. We raced along the road neck and neck for awhile and then broke ahead. We beat the boat to Field’s Point, got our things out of the car and made it down to the boat ramp just in time. It was a crazy half of an hour. If we had missed the boat we would have had to wait until Wednesday for the next boat to Holden. We were glad to make the boat and settled in for the ride back. When we came around the curve and saw the bus waiting on the dock for us we all began smiling from ear to ear! We were really excited to be going home!
The bus climbed up the hill and we all felt so joyful to be back! Lunch and a warm welcome were waiting for us and a hike up the kill with all of our backpacking crap. My friend Stephanie had stayed in out house and it was so clean when we walked in! What a treat!
About twenty students left while we were gone and the Village seems strangely quiet without them. The PLU students are leaving on Wednesday also; but we have the Augustana kids for another four weeks. It is amazing how much life the college students add to the village and we will miss them. We are having a woman’s retreat in February which will liven things up a bit, but as our power supply goes down, so do our visitors.
It is snowing again and we are excited to add to the snow pack which has gotten hard and slippery. We are expecting about three feet in the next few days.
It is good to be home! We fell asleep to the sound of a crackling fire and a thick pile of blankets. I am grateful for our time here!

The girl’s class at school has been working on making a maze in the snow as a PE project. They have been out snowshoeing for the last two weeks and readying the trails for people to walk on. They have been creating spirals had hills and confusing twists and turns. Tonight was the Maze debut and the kids put candles all over the place in the maze. I had dish team so I had to come out after most people had already gone. Nyrie took me down and led me through and boy am I glad that I had a guide! I didn’t plan well and I forgot to bring a flashlight. Nyrie was leading and she took me through twists and turns and up turtle mountain (which had glowing eyes and overlooked the maze and is about five feet taller than all of the other parts of the maze). The trails had many holes in them from all the people who had done the maze before me and I must have looked a little like a drunken sailor falling here and there as I tried to follow agile Nyrie who maneuvered with grace and poise through to the end. Nyrie and I kept laughing at my inability to stay upright. We did finally reach the end and what an adventure it had been.
The night was very dark and the stars were our in droves twinkling and sparkling for all that they are worth. Nyrie and I headed up the hill afterwards knocking and jostling one another and laughing out right and chasing each other. As we came up the hill we both fell silent a beautiful sound was carrying across the snow. A flute was playing softly to accompany the stars. When we rounded the bend to our chalet we heard that the music was coming from our porch. Jordyn was playing music to the stars, sitting on a chair on the porch bundled up and looking so joyous! It sounded so pretty and warmed me all over that she was our serenading the stars just because. I have the best kids! Sometimes I feel so in love with them that I don’t even know what to do with myself. I love how deeply they experience everything and the joy that they bring to others. I am such a lucky mama!

Some closeup photos of the hoar frost.
A couple of the Labyrinth.
Chalet Hill from the Copper Basin trail, unfortunately our chalet is hidden behind a tree.

Today was my day off and I hiked up copper basin with two new friends Ani and Steph. We left at about nine and hiked for about an hour and a half. Most of the trail was very steep and since we have not had fresh snow in two weeks it was quite slick in places packed sown smooth. It was a beautiful clear morning and the temperature was somewhere around ten degrees which made hiking very bearable. I even shed a sweater half way up. On our Way up to the basin we went passed the mine which looks like the bones of some ancient giant creature towering out of the snow on a steep bank. I kept thinking if the mine could talk it would have some very interesting stories to tell. Its shell is rusty brown iron and grey cement walls streaked with rust and greenish blue run off from the copper. The same color of the walls on the tunnel off of Rustin Way, in Tacoma. On our way up we played a game where we tried to picture what Kind of animal the other people in the village would be if they were animals. Steph and Ani thought I was an otter.
We continued our hike through a thick stand of trees which helps us to remain safe from avalanche danger. This morning the avalanche risk was low anyway because we haven’t had any new snow and the temperature has been incredibly low.
We crossed one open Avalanche shoot at the bottom of the basin, and we crossed one by one so we could spot each other on the shoot in case of break away snow so if their was an avalanche and someone went down with it we could find them and dig them out. There was no avalanche today only extreme beauty. As we entered the basin all of the trees were covered with leafy frost that grows upwards on their branches like a coat of fur. We licked the frost off some of the trees and it tasted earthy. The peaks of the mountains were so close and the silence that gathered in the basin was thorough. We sat on a ground pad and ate eggs and drank warm water and took in the basin filled with snow, a creek, grand outcroppings of rock, frosty trees and a frozen bluish green waterfall up towards the top. We got up there before the sun had come into the basin and the snow walked its way down the cliffs and the avalanche shoots and moved the shadows around the basin. We sat in silence just taking it all in.
While we were eating some little birds began to flit from tree to tree. They were so tiny. How in the world do they stay warm in these temperatures and what do they eat? They seemed perfectly contented bringing twittery songs to the basin and flitting from branch to branch. After a while we began to get cold and headed down the hill. The way down was beautiful! We could see all the way down the valley to where the lake lies covered in a fog.
As we were walking the sun came out showering us with light. The snow sparkled and glittered and we headed down to the river to take pictures. The Ice on the river is amazing! There are several layers. As the water level goes down the rivers freezes lower and lower creating layers and layers of ice. In some places the ice lies in sheets several inches above the actual water and there are air pockets in the ice that change the patterns and the colors of the ice. I wish I could bottle this all up and bring it back to share but pictures really can’t capture the subtle details the shadows and the movement of this winter valley. I am amazed every day to get up and be here surrounded by constant gentle surprises.
When we got back Dave came up to the chalet with me for a while and we bathed in the sunlight streaming through our living room window and talked and talked. It was so good to be here together in the sun. We are both experiencing so many new things and sharing them has been so special!
The girlies finished their first semester of school and their embroidery teacher had a party for them in her chalet. They had cookies and got to explore Marve and Nancy’s house and had such a good time. They came home afterwards laughing and giggling with their friends. Jordyn has gone down to work on the snow fort for the next hour until supper and Nyrie and her friend Ellie are in the back room squeeking and squeeling, and in Nyrie fashion being such a silly.

Our power comes from copper creek, not railroad creek. There is a diversion dam on copper creek up above the mine that sends creek water down a pipe to the power plant. I'm not positive but the number that comes to mind is 450 vertical feet of elevation drop between the dam and the plant. The water pressure created by the column of water in the pipe, is what turns a water wheel which in turn spins the generator in the power plant. So it's not a traditional water-wheel like you think of spinning in the creek along side of the mill. It's more like pointing a fire hose at a smaller wheel with buckets or cups on it. At times however the diversion dam does get clogged, mostly in the fall, with leaves and other debris. As the winter progresses the flow in the creek gets lower and lower which means less pressure on the water wheel and a drop in available electricity. Right now we are down to about 64 kilowatts (about the same as 50 hair blow-dryers), in the summer we have the ability to generate more electricity up to 300 KW. As an aside our drinking water comes from the same source and is taken off just before the power plant and sent to our purification facility. There is an article on the power control and usage at Holden Village here: Ask Dr. SciTech: Winter 2007

The girls dressed up for Tolkien's birthday
Chalet four, with a mushroom for a chimney.

A band of trees stands white and frozen mid-mountain where the blue frost hung like a shroud today. The trees above are deep green and the trees below though heavy laden with snow have a darker hue. I have never seen a fog the color of the one that snuggled tight against the valley sides this morning. The deep blue grey fog emanates a cold feeling which was both beautiful and eerie, as if maybe another world lay beyond. Railroad creek is freezing over and hoar frost grows by the creek side sending out icy feathers to the east. The ice has formed a bridge above the flowing water a little over an inch thick and cascades in places frozen in time. When you walk down the road frost gathers around your eyes and in your hair. Even layers feel thin and have a difficult time holding back the cold. Toes and fingers numb up fast and your breath catches in your throat and your skin aches. I could be one of those trees frozen in mid thought.

It is very cold the school thermometer says that is was 2 below last night, and 3 below the night before. I got up twice to stoke the fire and it was still only in the 50’s when we got up in the chalet. The girls stay nice and warm in their feety pajamas. Getting out of bed in the cold is a chore though. It is so cold that I haven’t been out hiking or walking. I am not a fan of frozen eye lashes and frosty boogers. This morning when I walked down to the dining hall for breakfast all of the exposed parts of my hair froze instantly. I was wondering if that would be an effective hair trimming method, to freeze your hair and then break it off….Hmmmmm. I was thinking it might be fun to go outside with wet hair and hang up-side down and see what kind of punk rock dew I could manage. Oh winter fun, does it ever stop?! It is so cold that I haven’t even felt like going sledding. The sledding hill is really packed down and hard right now and a little rough on the bum on the way down.
Most everyone is going quickly from building to building and the buildings seem busy and full teaming with voices and movement throughout the day. I keep thinking about the Women’s spa in Tacoma and about being warmed through and through. I have to say that the evenings in our Chalet are lovely! Every night after Vespers, we head up to our chalet and cuddle up by the fire to read. We can get the living room up to 70 degrees most nights by opening the stove door and stoking frequently. Sometimes you just have to warm up. I love that Pajama time with my family. While I read Jordyn has been working on a small loom weaving a strep for her woven bag. Nyrie is learning how to crochet and sometimes knits. Dave fiddles around on his computer or joins us with a book of his own.
When the children go to bed Dave and I have been playing cards or reading to each other. It is so nice to be on the same page with him! We are really enjoying each others company and love to get that evening time together. There is a full moon tonight and we were thinking about getting a baby sitter and going on a snow shoe. It is supposed to be clear and moon shadows are the best.

Blue Hue

The blue light cast by the moon changes my view of everything.
There is no movement in this sleepy blue hue
There is something so solitary about the space around me held motionless, completely still
I have to stop my footsteps for they feel like an intrusion
Even my breath makes a ripple on the air that seems somehow out of place
These mountains, the trees, each plant and bush blanketed into silent waiting
Waiting…
Waiting…
Quietly waiting for spring to come and end this solitary winter slumber.

I love to crawl into bed with Dave after we have built the fire high in the stove and the house is warm. I love to crawl under the covers in our room and pull them up around my ears. I have been opening the curtains in our room at night while we have had clear skies and a bright moon. I love to look out from my comfy warm spot in the covers, out into the cold blue night and watch the shadows of trees on the snow. It is so peaceful and there is stillness in that view that sets itself into my slumber easing me into my other world and bidding me good rest.
What a contrast to Tacoma where I was lulled to sleep by the sound of a freeway and awakened often by shouts and sirens. I can hardly even explain the kind of stillness that these winter nights provide. The only sounds the crackling of the fire and gentle sounds of sleepy breath. My nighttime fears have subsided in my mountain home. The stillness is comforting and sinks deep within me while I sleep within sight of the shadows on the snow.
The water from our kitchen faucet is so cold that it hurts your teeth when you drink from it. Walking in our kitchen is generally a cold experience. It is worth standing on the icy floor when you know that candied popped corn is your reward, and you hear the popping in the pan begin in earnest, suddenly cold toes don’t matter so much any more. Any minute it will be time to eat buttery goodness.

A Taste of Moony Madness

The moon is hanging in the sky like a half eaten apple set on display.
The curve of its body, perfect round ripeness.
Save for the bite that someone has already taken devouring this scrumptious tidbit, and leaving the rest to tempt us from the sky.
Get your ladder and reach if you can for this morsel of wisdom and light which makes moon shadows dance on the forest floor.
Reach if you can for the savory taste of truth that is just inches from your heart and miles from your hand.
But know that if you grasp this beauty,
If you hold her for even a moment your life will be changed forever.
No one can taste the sweetness of God without going moony

Jordyn and a group of other village kids have been making a huge snow fort using the information kiosk in the center of the village. They dug the inside of it out and are filling the gaps between the snow banks and the roof line with snow. The kiosk is lighted so they have lights inside of the snow fort. Jordyn has been out side all day working on it and having such a great time. She and some of the other kids are thinking about having a snow slumber party. Jordyn is so serious about this kind of work and loves planning with the other kids. They have been working and then taking sledding breaks and hot chocolate breaks.
Nyrie spent the day indoors with her friend Rachel. They have been giving birth to many babies, and shopping at the “store” using chairs for shopping carts. Nyrie has been at the height of fashion all day wearing a dress that matches her Raggedy Ann doll. Saturday Nyrie and Jordyn were dressed to the hilt for the Lord of the rings day. Nyrie was wearing a floofy wedding dress complete with lace and sequins. We braided her hair and put it up in a princess due complete with a waterfall of hair hanging down her back and a crown up on her head. She looked so cute wandering through the snow trying to carry the bottom of her huge dress so as not to trip.
Jordyn was a little more practical about her outfit. She started out in a shorter princess dress but quickly came back home to change into a tunic and pants for the game. She still looked cute and made sure to have a fancy belt and her weapon.
I believe Dave already wrote a piece about the Lord of the Rings game and that Jordyn got swept up in the game and headed off with the fellowship across the river to the second level loop trail with the high school students. I think that he told you that I thought she was with him and he likewise thought she was with me. When we realized that neither one of us had seen her in quite some time and that she had not taken a coat with her I was pretty freaked out. I took her coat and went wandering down the trail looking for her. I was wearing a skirt and boots when I headed out onto the trail looking for her. I was glad when they finally ended the game and the bell had been rung to signal that it was over but I got scared when they still hadn’t shown up after a half an hour.
My stomach was in knots until I saw her walking down the path. Her feet were cold but other than that she was in good shape and fine spirits. We all learned a good lesson about boundaries and communication, and had a family pow wow about it. I think I will be a little more intimately involved in the planning portion of these events in the future especially where the kids are concerned. Luckily for us they were all safe and had had a lot of fun tromping through the snow.
There is a reporter here from the Seattle PI doing a piece on Holden. I am not even sure what the emphasis is going to be, or what part of the paper it is for but maybe you will get to see Jordyn and Nyrie in their finery in the PI.
I have been really missing family and friends for the last couple of days. I am hungry for familiar faces and voices. I would love to see some of you up here and be able to share in our experiences. One of the mechanics told the best/worst story of trying to get down to the lake in 1983 in his story there were several avalanches and many broken down vehicles and finally rescuers on ski’s trying to help dig a path for the snow cats to cross a 30 foot high 150 foot long avalanche that had crossed over the road. They never did catch the boat and it took them many hours to get back to the village. It was a pretty exciting story!