I took a midnight train to Georgia...

literally! ha ha ha!

But seriously, I am in Georgia right now after some really excellent couch surfing experiences, a day of waiting + train + waiting + train, and a delicious breakfast at the "Flying Biscuit" this morning.

Last night was a really chilly train ride (I forgot how much AC there is on those things) with not that much sleep, but it was all worth it for the Gary and Me reunion, and meeting his friend Steve (who is super cool and lives in Atlanta).

Anyways, tomorrow we are leaving for Bonnaroo! Woo!

And On The Surf We Found Our Friends...

Sometimes it just feels like you've been screaming for a really long time, and then it stops suddenly and you wonder "how did I forget what silence is like?"

That's kind of what I feel right now. Being at the homestead had frustrations that I couldn't even vocalize sometimes, so I felt like my brain was kind of screaming at me "figure out what it bothering you!" for the longest time. Now, however, I am in a place of awesome silence because:

WE ARE COUCHSURFING! YAY!

It has been such a great weekend so far! First we started out by couchsurfing at this fantastic families home. We were there first couchsurfers ever, so it was kind of neat. They made us some amazing veggie-Indian food, and we spent the evening talking about one million things that we all had in common. Great times!

Yesterday we arrived at our current host Lori's house. She is also fantasticly fun! We spent some time touring around with her yesterday as well as going to a show with four exceptionally great bands. Today we went exploring a place called "The Last Unicorn" (http://www.thelastunicorn.com/) which was a sight to behold. Basically this man, who works with Iron, has turned his five acres of land into this odd-mapped out-spectacle-show room. I never really knew what I was looking at... but it all seemed to be there for a reason. Odd, but cool.

We also hit up the Carborro farmers market today, as well as a thing called "the really really free market". What that is, is once a month some neat people around here organize a place for people to bring whatever they want to get rid of to. So you bring your stuff to this once public, outdoor location, throw it down, and take whatever you want. There was free clothes, shoes, books, toys, games, toiletries, office stuff, etc. There was also free food and zines. On the poster it also suggests that you can bring your skills to teach for free, or provide services for free (i.e. if you were learning to cut hair, you could give free hair cuts. Or, if you taught hula-hooping, you could teach for free). The banner that flew above the whole thing said "Anti-Capitalism Carnival" and it really committed to the point it was making. I (obviously) loved it, and I could see a lot of happy people because of it. I think Edmonton needs something like this!

Anyways, the weekend has been good and will continue to be good with these fabulous people we are with. And then, on Monday, I am off to Georgia to meet Gary and his friend Steve to begin our Bonnaroo adventure!

And AWAY We Go!!!

In about three short hours Beth and I leave the homestead! We are going to be couchsurfing for four nights in Carborro, and then parting ways.

To be honest, its not the saddest of farewells. My expectations or 'wants' were just different than what we got from this place. And the people are cool, but I don't feel incredibly and deeply connected to them so it makes the goodbye a lot easier than say, our last farm. We are both looking forward to some good times in town though, as the music scene is apparently pretty legendary.

So, to good food, new friends, and some excellent music adventures - I am excited for you, Carborro.

Flower Arangements...

Ah so I see I haven't written in a while, oops!

Time moves really strangely here. The days move so fast, but I don't really know why. Usually days move fast because:
1) You are doing something incredibly fun
2) You wake up late/go to bed early

See, I haven't REALLY had either of those, so I don't know what is up! Lets start with number one; Well, I must say that even though its not really that BAD here, being here does make me appreciate our lovely last farm a ton. Its not that there is nothing to do, but most of what there is to do is, well, a bit difficult to see the purpose of. The work kind of goes towards this farm (being about two people) and not much further. Because of the super small community reach, it was getting a bit tricky to justify the work.

BUT THEN CAME A CHANGE

Our host lady (who can be a really great person, but is definitely the giver of silly tasks) had to leave for a work engagement in another state. She got stuck there because of a sick friend and VOILA, no more pointless work.

"But Laura, didn't you go there to work? Why would you just stop?"

Well, we didn't stop working, we just ended up working even more for this AWESOME eco-institute that we happen to be neighboring! They run environmental summer camps for kids, as well as eco-work shops for people of all ages. We also got to help them with a school group that came through. So, by helping them with their garden and various other projects, we are helping run something that I really see a lot of value in. Yay contribution! We also got to help run a couple of cool events they were hosting in their ballin house (looks like it should be on cribs, FOR REAL). A nice touch.

One of the events had a band playing as a fundraiser for the institute. My first task of setting up was flower arranging, which is something I wish I could do endlessly. Possibly one of the most relaxing "work" related tasks ever. It also prepared me for my second bout of flower arranging that needed to be done today - flowers for the death of the rooster. That's right, the poor old rooster (which by the way I had to shove pills down his poor little throat all of last week) died today. He was old, sick, had just battled a mean case of mites, and was all stressed out due to some new chickens (and a new rooster) that were introduced two days ago. Because of all this the poor old bird is no more. It was kind of a weird ceremony we held for him, but a ceremony none-the-less.

To close, rest in peace good bird. I hope people can catch onto bad cases of the mites sooner for the next birds.

I see new faces in new places...

I've been really busy this past week and a half at the new farm we are at. It is a really strange transition between our last place and where we are today, as they are totally different in almost every way. The last farm was a CSA which is Community Supported Agriculture, and as I mentioned in a previous post, was SUPER community involved. The people around supported San Ysidro, and they in turn supported the people around them with awesome fresh + organic produce, eggs, and beef. A win-win situation, I would like to call it. The place we are at now is a homestead, which I am still trying to get the grasp of. In my opinion, its like a home... with a big garden... and chickens and goats. And bees.
But really, the difference I am seeing (or just feeling) is the community involvement part, as it is not a CSA. So, it is hard for me to see the worth in all I am doing, just because I haven't gotten a grip on where everything we work towards goes to. Oh well.

Anyways, the good stuff! First off there are two other wwoofers here for almost the exact same time frame as us - neat! They are super cool AND from New York. Badass.

Second, I have learned a few new skills SUCH AS:
- Chainsaw safety (I'm not the best... oh well)
- How to blanch vegetables
- More gardening tips
- A bit about beehives
- A bit about goats
- That strawberries grow best in straw... WHOA! (totally didn't connect that before)
- How to cook off the top of my head (in our neat little kitchen)
AND
- All about Cicadas.

Cicadas? What are those you might ask. WELL, they are super cool bugs, and the ones that are here right now come once every THIRTEEN years. Thats right. They lay underground, dormant, for thirteen years. Then they burrow up and through the ground over a three week period as beetles. After out of the ground, they climb onto something, slowly shed their outer shell, release their new-found wings, fly around, mate, and then die. Awesome.
Also, cicadas are also known as locusts, so I'm thinking that is where a lot of plague stories come from - cool onslaughts of these weird bugs.
Right now I can here their very loud mating song through the window. Its this eerie kind of noise that is constant and very present. I like it but I think it bothers the dogs!

I'll put up some pictures soon! Back to goat researching I go.

W a-s-h i-n-g t-o-n, baby D.C.!

What a terrible place! Really, Washington is a ridiculous city. Its this zombie like land full of monolithic buildings covered in masonic references and secrecy. There are thousands and thousands of people, but no one seems to live there. Everyone just commutes to D.C., walks around franticly with stress on their face, and then leaves again, so the streets are empty of anything 'open' by 6pm. It also doesn't help that we got there the day Osama Bin Laden was reported dead.

The city felt shrouded in this blanket of both pride and terror. A high level of security is everywhere, so you always feel guilty of something, and I never felt 'secure' because of it. While walking to see all of the monuments of the wars, everything is presented in a very strange way. Like, surrounding the Washington monument is a lot of very large American flags. Not just one, or four, but like twenty five or more maybe. There presence is very "This is America!" when you look at it, which I guess makes sense but still feels intimidating. So, you walk past the monument, and start with the war memorials. Between the names of those who died are words like "Victory on land, Victory on sea, Victory in air" or "Freedom isn't free", all driving home the messages of war as a necessity. It just made me feel strange looking at it, the words that seem meant to make you feel proud of war, next to the people who actually died for that war to happen.

Well, other than all of that weird stuff, D.C. does have one cool thing - the Smithsonian. A lot of museums fo' free!
Beth and I attended: the Museum of Natural History, the Museum of the Native American, the Botanical Gardens, the Air and Space Museum, and probably a couple more. The best one was the Native one, probably because I just like things like that. All were decent, but all were very tiring to be in.

Basically, the best part of D.C. was couchsurfing with some pretty cool people in a pretty cool neighborhood, and leaving.

Moving onwards...

Our time in Virginia has passed, and we've moved onto new things. Leaving our dear farm had some mixed emotions, as on one hand I really love Micheal and Kaitlyn and would love to stay and help them out forever, but on the other hand, I was really excited to move on to new adventures.

I will definitely miss the great people we met in Fredericksburg, and the town itself. There was such a free spirit to many of the people we met, so I'm happy to have gotten to know them all. I will also miss the cast of very ridiculous characters that we were fortunate enough to meet. People with strong opinions on random things, with close minds, or just interesting ways of being in general.

One thing I realized though, after leaving, is that we learnt absolutely NOTHING about the civil war. This is a bit odd as we were on the grounds of the civil war, and stuck flat in the middle of a LOT of history. Oh well... I guess I'll read up on it sometime, and if it really peaks my interest, I'll have some friends to stay with when I go back.

Until then, farewell Virginia.

A world of perfection...

So you know those movies that feature suburbs, rows of perfect houses with perfect lawns, and perfect trees, flowers, paint jobs, lawn ornaments, etc.? Well, I think they filmed those movies here. Just driving around it feels like we have jumped back in time and are living in this forgotten time of porch swings and lawn windmills. In a way, I can see why people strive for "the American Dream", it is pretty good looking after all. I don't see inside these "perfect" places though, so I am missing the fights, over consumption, and whatever else might be going on inside.

I like being here on the farm though, as its a little less "picture perfect" and a bit more "content" perfect. We keep meeting so many new and cool people from around the neighborhood. There has been a lot of action around as well, such as the new cow that's here. When the cow arrived she was first put in the barn for a night to chill out and such. The next drama filled day, when the cow was introduced to the other cows she flipped out and started running away from them all, mooing constantly. We watched as a small herd of cows RAN all around the field trying to get a sniff of their new compadre. But no, she mooed, you will not sniff me. This cow was like a very angry teenager. She just complained and complained until it got to the point that we all were going to herd her into the neighbors pasture (which is like cow paradise, p.s.). Well, the new cow did not like us being around her, so instead of just walking into cow wonderland, she jumped the fence into a neighbors yard (not the ones with the land). The day involved a lot of chasing, and the cow did a lot of fence jumping. Once she was somewhere that was away from the other cows, she would jump over to go see them. When she was with them, she would jump to get away from them. She's in the barn now, in a extra high stall (as she ESCAPED from a lower one... !). Crazy cow.

Other excitement includes:
- Meeting new friends! Yay!
- Getting tickets to see Iron and Wine THIS Wedensday! Yay!
- Putting the baby chickens that have been growing up with the bigger chickens
- Going to a southern Church for Easter
- Giving the little baby calf antibiotic needles... and being DONE with it.
- Bon fire! ... and what a bon fire it was. It may have been a 6 person party, but it was enough fun for 20.


Anyways, lots has been happening, lots has been good. We are here for one more week and then off to North Carolina!

Farmer days...

Meow meow goes the cat.
Cluck cluck goes the chicken.
Moo moo goes the cow.
Neigh neigh goes the horse.
Ow ow goes the Laura when the rooster flaps at her.

This farm is pretty sweet, just to start off. I love accomplishing farm tasks, like planting, feeding animals, building things, carrying water, etc. I love eating amazing food cooked by one of our marvelous hosts, Caitlyn. And I love seeing community in action, in a way that I think I can really take home with me.

When Micheal, the guy who runs this farm, told me in emails that this is a "community farm" it didn't quite click with me that he actually meant the whole community is involved. Take today for example, we took the used coffee grounds from a local coffee shop, and in exchange for us cleaning out the buckets (which we use for compost) we got some free drinks. Helps them, helps us. Or when we took some little pots with seeds in them to a ladies greenhouse to help them germanate, in exchange Mike helps her out with things like weeding and lawn mowing. Helps her, helps us. I really like the concept of neighbors helping neighbors, everyone putting in an effort so everyone benefits.

So I've seen community in action, I've learnt about growing organic goodness, but I have also met a few, shall we say, stereotypical people. There is quite a "southern" tone to a couple of people who believe that "normal" means "keeping your mouth shut, following the government, getting a job, earning money, and eating food that's cheap and tastes good". Meaning, some people I disagree with. Lucky for us, our hosts are NOT like that, which saves a lot of tension! There is definitely a wide cast of characters here, and I like the variety of people I have met who are all coexisting in a relatively smooth way. Granted, no one else LIVES here at the farm, we've just met them the odd day or seen them in town.

So far the only TERRIFYING thing that I can think of (or negative at all thing) is that I just found out they have black widow spiders here! What!
Due to this I will not be doing the following:
- Reaching my hand under old wood piles
- Reaching my hand into dark crevasses that I can't see into
- Wearing bare feet in places that either of the above may happen

Michael says he only knows one person that has ever been bit... so I'll just be careful.

Training for adventures...

The train - the lost art of travel. I must say, I love the VIA rail train. We took it from Edmonton to Toronto, and it was sheer bliss. We sprung for a "shared, upper berth" which costs more than seats, BUT includes your meals.
Meals. So good. There was a veggie option at each meal, it was sit-down-fancy style, and SO delicious. Could not have asked for more delicious main courses, richer desserts, or a wider selection of local + organic teas. Even though the train takes longer and costs more, its the way to go as far as comfort and eco-goodness.

Our first adventure was Toronto where we stayed with some of Beth's Katima-friends. A free place to stay, and awesome people to spend the days with. Never having been to Toronto, I now know what I've been missing out on. The stretches of hippy goodness, the brick houses, the ravines - awesome. A beautiful city with a incredibly diverse crowd. Going elsewhere makes me see what my city is lacking, and is frustrating because all that Toronto is lacking is an abundance of all my friends. Next time I hit the big city though, I plan to bring an empty suitcase and a bit of cash.

At this moment I am in New York, but only for a few hours. Beth finally got to see Times Square in all its touristy glory, and that's about it. Neat to be passing through though, as the energy here is always incredible. Our next train arrives at 3am where we head to our first farm. From the business of Toronto and New York, I welcome you country life.

New Travels!!!

Alright folks, I am happy to announce that I will be embarking on a new journey! Beginning April 4th, Beth and I will be headed first across Canada via the Via (rail that is) to Toronto. We will stay there for a couple of days and then head down to our first major stop: Fredericksberg, Virginia. We will be staying on a farm there, which we found through the WWOOF (world wide opportunities for organic farming) organization. After about 3 weeks there we will head to North Carolina to spend a month on another farm. After that I will be heading to Bonnaroo music festival in Manchester, Tennessee, and Beth will be most likely heading home (unless she gets a chance to volunteer at the fest.). After that I will be headed home mid-June.

The plan is to travel mainly by train as it is the most eco-friendly method of transportation across big patches of land. Also, I will be nurturing my eco-side by learning to grow food organically, and also seeing where food really comes from. I get to go on a trip and give the planet a big squeeze all at the same time - perfect!

Anyways, those are the plans for now!

After a journey...

After a journey... I feel slightly off.
I feel kind of like I had a lot of excitement and am now in a very stagnent place.
It's that time where Christmas is over, my relitives have gone, and I am left to answer: what comes next?

Right after I returned from Japan I got on a bus and headed to Vancouver for a few days. I went with a very good friend of mine to see Roger Waters perform The Wall live. It was a really good trip and I found it to be exciting, even though close to home. The process of just taking a journey is a really amazing thing, and I think what I will be doing with the rest of my time is taking some closer-to-home journies. Some ideas that I have are as follows:
- Go to a wilderness school to learn how to live in nature
- Volenteer within my city
- Go to music festivals in the states
- Move out! (not away... just out. A very close to home journey)

I guess I just need to do things that take up less fossil fuels so I don't feel guilty while doing them. I need to do things that help the environment more than getting there destroys it.

You may have looked at this post expecting to see me saying "I'm planning a crazy trip to Africa! or Europe! or the Middle East" but that is just not the case for me right now. I would LOVE to see those places, and hopefully some day I will, but I just need to find a more sustainable way to do that right now.

*FYI I started adding pictures to old posts... better late than never right?*