Scott's Orcas Adventure

It's been almost four weeks since I arrived here on Orcas Island and eight weeks to the day since the ferry delivered Shareen and I here for the first time and this whole adventure revealed itself as a possibility.  Maybe you remember when we were here in September, we learned from the matriarch of the farm we stayed on that they needed some help with the farm - cleaning it up from the tourist season and getting it ready for winter - and doing some remodeling work on a couple of other properties they own. That's the conversation that set this plan in motion. Shareen and I got home from our trip, talked about the possibility together, then with the farm family, and decided to have a go.  I started at "Can Barely Contain My Excitement" and, at various times, have visited "WTF Am I Doing?!"; been in-between those extremes most of the time. I remember eights days before I set sail from home, I felt 100% pure excitement. The next morning I was walking Georgia pas...

Today is my 11th day on the farm; my seventh doing a variety of chores. The basic idea is that we're cleaning up the farm from the summer / fall seasons and getting it ready for a more dormant winter season. Lots of espresso bean harvesting, apple picking, raking, sweeping, pruning, weeding, chipping, mulching, mending, schlepping, feeding, and herding.  At the end of every day I'm pooped. That good kind of pooped when you feel like you made good progress, maybe accomplished something, and it's all you can do to muster enough energy to make dinner and collapse onto something soft. And I wake up every next morning with energy and excitement for whatever is next. (It's still early, I'm super curious to see what happens to this feeling of excitement and renewal over time.) Also, I've met a full cast of characters this week. I'm thrilled to introduce you to some of them this time and through the next couple of posts. From Queen Victoria, a 15 YO muscovy duck who...

Before I get to the treasure bit, I added a "subscribe" button to the blog so you don't have to check back every day wondering what I'm up to. Click the hamburger menu in the top left and you should see it. I think it'll send you an owl when I've posted something new. An owl - all the way from Washington! Next time: The amazing animals, their names, and stories.  Right now I'm super excited - I stumbled into hidden (in plain sight!) treasure on the farm today! I was out in the alpacas' field and all along the fence line there was something familiar. I couldn't quite place it at first - I wasn't looking for it - but after looking at it for a bit and considering, I realized what it was! The family who owns the farm never mentioned it and honestly I don't think they'd do anything with it if they recognized it. So I'm not going to say anything to them. I'm so excited - tomorrow morning before anyone is up, I'm going out to pluck...

  Eighteen hundred miles, five states, three time zones, 55 hours, 16 charging stops, five mountain passes,  four coffees, three Cokes, half a bag of pretzels, more turkey sandwiches than one person should be allowed to consume in three days, a number 2C,  two naps, my first time in Idaho, and one ferry ride. I made it.  And if you’re reading this, it’s largely because of your love and support that all of the above and all that’s coming is even possible. There’s an important difference between how I got here (a technical question) and how we got here (a more existential - and probably more interesting one). More to come on how we got here. For now, the trip… After weeks of planning and talking to all of you about this great opportunity and days of somewhat nervous, humorous acknowledgement between Shareen and I that the 15th was coming, it was time for us to say goodbye. We hugged, cried, laughed with each other, walked to the car, and I was off. (After we’ve se...