Trees, slugs, and other bugs

Currently on a friends laptop in our main classroom. I'm so excited to tell you guys every detail, adventure and wonder, but let's be practical now. :-)

The view off the bridge where I hitch-hiked for the first time.

Washington's version of "roaming hills."

My commute here went better than I expected--didn't get LOST (which is saying a lot for me), didn't get mugged, didn't get kidnapped... I even had my first hitch-hiking experience. Since the minute I got here, people have been only kind, gracious, and welcoming. I feel so at home here even though less than a week has passed by.
It's such a different world here, I feel like I'm in a jungle sometimes. The trees seem to only grow up and not out. They are sooo tall compared to the trees back East. Scraggly, winding branches up to the sky. It's hard being in a different place, though. So much of my tree and plant identification is back to square one--eastern hemlock is western hemlock, elderberries are poisonous, and the only sorrel is sheep sorrel, not wood sorrel.

SLUGS! I love slugs. They have so many giant slugs here (they are actually quite a problem in the gardens). There are beautiful brown slugs with orange tread, huge black slugs that come out at night, and banana slugs that supposedly numb your tongue if you lick them, though I haven't tried it yet. The first day I sat with one of the banana slugs and studied him for like thirty minutes straight, taking pictures, following his tracks, and the like. I then went to set up my camp a few yards away. There's no better way to say this so: on the way back, I stepped on him. It was the worst. The loss of a close friend so early on. Needless to say, I've since been much more careful where I walk.

Moss climbing high on the trees.

The squishy moss that makes my feet smile.

The last real difference I'm going to mention here is the blanket of green that covers everything in the deep woods--the ground, dead logs, tree roots, trunks, and branches all the way up to the sky. MOSS. It comes in all shapes and sizes and is an amazing cushion for us bare-footers. I am really growing to appreciate it for all that it has to offer.


I spent the weekend hanging out with the residents and interns who reside here; went to an amazing concert, played music, had a bonfire (started from a handrill coal shared between me and a man they call Junco [like the bird]), made art, gardened, and much more. Wow, that really sounds like the life, aye?

Today was day two of the permaculture intensive. If I could describe in one word how its treating me... well, I couldn't. Haha. I definitely have some mixed feelings about it that I wont go into detail on here. For those of your who do not know, permaculture is a design approach to sustainable human communities. "It's not how you do it, but how you think about it" ~Bill Morrison. Permaculture teaches you to look at a space and see the relationships between all its parts in a way that will give you the most output for the least amount of input. It's all very amazing work, I get to get my hands dirty, and it's the doorway to the sustainable living style I have been seeking since high school. The only reason I am unsure of it in any way deals with my own pessimistic views of the future. For now, it's making my mind, body, and soul happy and healthy.

So much more I could share, but for now. Sending my love and missing you all incredibly. For real though, I'm already a little bit home sick! <3