Simmering away.

Well…crap…we kind of dropped the ball.

We wandered to the edge of the earth, failed to stop, and kept trudging along, stepping almost mindlessly into the atmosphere, floating away into the ether. Though not physically tired (thanks to our many, many hosts who kept us well rested and well fed), our minds quietly turned the switch to “off”, before slipping into a daze and refusing to snap out of it. Which has been, needless to say, frustrating. I imagine we have had the look of small children glued to a cartoon television show, but instead of brightly colored pictures, we have been watching trees, the sky, blank walls. There were a few “what the hell is the plan now” moments, but over all, I’d say we are just pleasantly shell shocked.

But, I guess that is normal after completing something that consumed you for the better part of the last six months.

Tim and I have been talking through this experience, trying to distill it down, concentrate the happenings and learnings into something more compact and less bulky than our current explanation (it is back-breakingly hefty). I would share this “summary” with you, but is very long and I am fearing that if I type it out, you would recoil in horror that we have been regaling unwitting subjects with this conversation squelching monologue and never come back to visit us again.

But we want you to come back – to stick around for the remainder of the trip (yes, it is technically over, but the boil has now reduced to a simmer, and our summations, ideas, feelings, and experience has begun to thicken, coming together in something a bit more smooth and cohesive. I’d say we are now making beurre blanc; before we were making coleslaw). So, here’s the deal: Show up every four days and we will have another story to tell. Keep us accountable - Every four days! Who knows, we may get crazy and (gasp!) start churning posts out everyday or every three days, but we aren’t making any promises.

Day 50 - Hawaii - Lanakila Pacific

Slept with the sliding door open, heard the rustle in through trees, and woke up before the sun rose. Worked with Lanakila Pacific Meals on Wheels. Spooned gravy over roasted chicken, scooped brown rice, and portioned peas and carrots into eco-friendly containers, pushing them down the line toward the sealing machine. Compiled cold packs with butter, fruit and milk. Got a quick tour of the other programs – received handmade fabric leis and a performance of Hands in Harmony. Delivered meals to a number of elderly through out Honolulu, either in single family homes or apartment units. Ate a lunch of traditional Hawaiian foods, a meal that was being served to the clients. We left the facility, backpacks on backs, pant legs and shirtsleeves rolled up, aimlessly meandering into the immediate unknown.

Day 49 - Alaska - STAR

Worked with the STAR (Stand Together Against Rape) in Anchorage by helping to carry boxes of food and assorted snacks into the facility that houses the waiting rooms, interview rooms, and exam rooms. Heard about the services provided by STAR while touring the building, seeing the differences between the adult facilities and the children facilities, taking care to note the creativity and gentleness with which the children’s rooms had been structured and designed. Spoke about the process of reporting an assault and how all the complementary parties work together to ensure that the victim and his or her family receive the support they need. Saw a moose eating from a tree in the building’s parking lot and a bald eagle cruising down the coast.

Day 48 - Washington - People for Puget Sound

The car limped, coughing and sputtering into Seattle, where we deposited it quietly in a garage and grabbed a ride to the work site. Though we arrived a few hours early, we found a member of People for Puget Sound and a boy scout troop working away, cutting through fibrous netting to plant to plant trees and shrubs in the sloped riverbank in Tukwila, WA. Later, additional volunteers arrived in the form of the steward program. A large group, we planted up and down the bank and ripped out the prolific blackberry infestation, seeking out the knobby root bulbs after chopping away at the dense nest of vines with long armed snippers. The entire group stayed late, finished the job, and left the area free of invasive species, but dotted with trees and shrubs.

Day 47 - Oregon - NeighborImpact

Visited NeighborImpact in Redmond, Or. Spent the morning working in the Head Start program, Tim in one classroom and me in the other, reading books and playing in the yard. Moved inside to complete puzzles, make binoculars out of colored paper and bright masking tape, hammer nails into wood (in a very safe and supervised fashion), eat sandwiches and write in journals. In the afternoon, we moved into the food services portion of the organization, touring the facility that was expanding and changing. Broke down and sorted pallets, counted cases, complied other pallets, and packed boxes. Carried cases of produces, dairy, eggs and dry goods to a man who helped to hoist them into his truck, before he hit the road to distribute the wares to organizations in the area.

Day 46 - Idaho - Hays Shelter Home

Saw the intersection of services – a community organization working with other organizations to expose kids to the benefits of volunteerism. Met with staff of Hays Shelter Home, and with them came 2 residents staying at the facility, whom we spent the day volunteering with. Drove by a local church to pick up bags of food supplies for families and individuals in and around Boise. Took the food to another local organization, a full service organization offering food, employment assistance, prescription assistance, etc. Quick trip to the blue grass and around Boise before heading to the shelter for a tour. A bright, lodge style dorm, each resident had their own room, their own chores, and engaged in group activities. Ate lunch at the long family style tables outside the kitchen before driving to a local center to pick up meals to deliver to elderly residents all over the city.

Day 45 - Montana - Thrive

Toys, toys, toys. Bikes, trikes, tunnels, and bouncy balls. Kids - zero to five - rumbling, tumbling, and romping, burning off midwinter energy, switching from “scoot” toys to pedal toys and riding at break neck speeds, skillfully avoiding collisions with the acumen of a racecar driver. Moms and Dads lining the walls, catching up, some brave souls venturing into the mass of waist high and unders for some quality play time with their children. Gym Day, one of the services provided by Thrive in Bozeman, MT, is a once a week activity that enables parents to connect and children to play.