I would like to take this chance to thank these individuals for their generosity and aid. Without them, I would not have been able to perform my fieldwork this summer.
Al Milo of
Dunwell Elevator Electrical Industries, Inc.
879 Grand Street Brooklyn NY 11211
Steven Principe of
Principe Agency
2697 North Jerusalem Road
East Meadow, NY 11554
Mary Morello of
Mary's Contracting Services
Don Spanno of
Interstate Batteries of New York
Peekskill, NY
Michael Galina of
Rabinowitz & Galina Attorneys at Law
94 Willis Avenue
Mineola, NY 11501
Richie Centore
Edward Dolan of
White Rose Construction & Maintenance
531 70th Street
Guttenburg, NJ 07093
Anthony Colao of
Flag Waterproofing and Restoration
750 Elmont Road
Elmont NY 11003
aka, My Pops, who, without his enduring aid and supervision, I would never get anything of quality done.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Saturday, July 24, 2010
Guerrilla Gardening
Most of the information that I receive on Guerrilla Gardening is from the book:
On Guerrilla Gardening: A Handbook for Gardening Without Boundaries by Richard Reynolds
You should also check out the website: www.guerrillagardening.org if you have any further interest or if you want to become a volunteer for a Guerrilla Gardening troop.
Through this website, I have found a recipe or guide to making see bombs (aka green grenades) and will no longer be buying seed bombs in the store (I have found them for purchase at an outrageous expense at the store Anthropologie).
I find it important to make your own for several reasons. First and foremost, when purchasing seed bombs, you are not tailoring the bombs themselves to suit the needs and native ecology of the area you are throwing them. This was my primary concern when throwing store bought bombs. Second, when creating your own, you are absolutely sure of the ingredients which go into the mixture. Just like when cooking your own food, you want to know exactly what you are putting into the ground and whether it is actually harmful or not. Third, I prefer to not pay an exorbitant amount of money to a retail store when I can create the items on my own for a meager fraction of the cost.
I chose the most common type of seed bomb. Here is a description coming directly off from the provided website:
"1. Classic Clay Seed Ball
On Guerrilla Gardening: A Handbook for Gardening Without Boundaries by Richard Reynolds
You should also check out the website: www.guerrillagardening.org if you have any further interest or if you want to become a volunteer for a Guerrilla Gardening troop.
Through this website, I have found a recipe or guide to making see bombs (aka green grenades) and will no longer be buying seed bombs in the store (I have found them for purchase at an outrageous expense at the store Anthropologie).
I find it important to make your own for several reasons. First and foremost, when purchasing seed bombs, you are not tailoring the bombs themselves to suit the needs and native ecology of the area you are throwing them. This was my primary concern when throwing store bought bombs. Second, when creating your own, you are absolutely sure of the ingredients which go into the mixture. Just like when cooking your own food, you want to know exactly what you are putting into the ground and whether it is actually harmful or not. Third, I prefer to not pay an exorbitant amount of money to a retail store when I can create the items on my own for a meager fraction of the cost.
I chose the most common type of seed bomb. Here is a description coming directly off from the provided website:
"1. Classic Clay Seed Ball
A mixture of clay soil (or potter's powder), compost and sees in the ration of 5:1:1 with water to bind. This is the most widely used method and their invention is credited to Japanese biologist and farmer Masanobu fukoka.
PROS: Easy to make at home, cheap and easily customised to local condition, moulded into any shape. All the ingredients are entirely natural.
CONS: Dirty to carry, the clay can easily become baked solid which then slows or prevents germination if there is insufficient rain."
Included on the site is a video demonstration as well as a documentary. Generally, for the other methods of seed bomb creation, there are pdf directions for how to make them.
If you are interested in volunteering, go to the previously posted website and click on enlist. You will find me as Natleenewt. Also, while reading On Guerrilla Gardening, Reynolds listed many areas in NYC as well as (more surprisingly) Delaware County, NY as hot spots of Guerrilla Gardening. I will be spending a lot of time in Delaware County, specifically in Delhi, and will post back to you anything I see or hear about this progressive movement in this area.
Friday, July 23, 2010
The Onset of a Guerilla Gardening Campaign
Just a little update:
On my ride home I threw out several wildflower seed bombs (if you don't remember what a seed bomb is, refer to an earlier post about guerilla gardening for a more detailed explanation).
A seed bomb, in short, is a ball of dirt and compost with some sort of seed embedded within it. You throw the the ball out of moving car, or wherever you would like, and it remains there until it rains and is implanted in the ground. Personally, I prefer to throw these seed bombs in the divider of highways where there is plenty of fertile land going to waste.
Anyways, here is a SHORT list of places I threw seed bombs:
Denver, CO
Deadwood, SD
Chicago, IL
Greenwich, CT
I will be doing some more guerilla gardening throughout the month of August.
Also, while staying at a KOA in Durango, CO I noticed that they had an herb garden as well as many other KOA's with recycle centers. I am going to do more research into the official policy of KOA (Kampgrounds of America) and look into how environmentally responsible they are as a whole, or if this was just the policy of the individual site.
On my ride home I threw out several wildflower seed bombs (if you don't remember what a seed bomb is, refer to an earlier post about guerilla gardening for a more detailed explanation).
A seed bomb, in short, is a ball of dirt and compost with some sort of seed embedded within it. You throw the the ball out of moving car, or wherever you would like, and it remains there until it rains and is implanted in the ground. Personally, I prefer to throw these seed bombs in the divider of highways where there is plenty of fertile land going to waste.
Anyways, here is a SHORT list of places I threw seed bombs:
Denver, CO
Deadwood, SD
Chicago, IL
Greenwich, CT
I will be doing some more guerilla gardening throughout the month of August.
Also, while staying at a KOA in Durango, CO I noticed that they had an herb garden as well as many other KOA's with recycle centers. I am going to do more research into the official policy of KOA (Kampgrounds of America) and look into how environmentally responsible they are as a whole, or if this was just the policy of the individual site.
July Conclusion and Apology
You gotta live and learn
You gotta crash and burn
You gotta take some stances and take some chances
You gotta laugh and love and take all life has to give
You gotta live and learn so you can learn to live
-Darius Rucker
My experience in Utah has been informative in many ways. First, it proves useful to know that agricultural landscapes can be created by people who have not grown up in the industry. Danny, as I have written, grew up in California and went to college to study film. He realized after moving to Los Angeles that he was disenchanted with the city life and craved the country; this is when he began considering opening his own vineyard. He started the vineyard on a vacation house his parents purchased which the previous owner had not watered in over five years. He learned about starting vineyards through reading an endless supply of how-to start-up books. This is truly remarkable and inspiring, and as it is a perfect illustration of how possible urban sustainability actually is. An upbringing in the field, as we learn, is not as important as drive, initiative, and environmental literacy.
Post-Utah served to be a disaster, epic illustration of poor planning, and unfortunate misplacement of trust. I left the choosing, planning and contacting of the New Mexico farm to another individual. Long story short, the contact which the planner was in correspondence with turned out to have given us wrong information. She had told the others at the farm that we were arriving a week earlier and by the time we arrived no one knew we were coming and had completed most of the harvest. On top of this, there was nowhere for us to sleep and basically no room for us without us being invasive and a nuisance. On top of this, the "farm" was actually a poorly organized three acre field. There were MANY other issues with the living arrangements which I will not include here for respect for the individuals inhabiting the residence at the current moment. Bottom line, the farm was inhabitable and I immediately left.
To say I am disappointed with the outcome of this trip would be an understatement. In the past, I have learned to take the leadership position in group projects. My attention to detail, persistence, and integrity have proven my work is reliable and consistant. Unfortunately, post-bachelor degree, I thought that I could rely on others to be as meticulous and well researched as myself. I was wrong. I have relearned that the only work I can count on to be of quality is my own.
I sincerely apologize to anyone who donated to this cause and trusted me to perform the research and work that you are all accustomed to receiving from me. I am embarrassed. In fact, I am mortified and desperately seek forgiveness. I do, however, assure everyone associated with this project that I WILL be doing another week long work exchange at another organic farm. I am already looking into a particular one in Suffolk County, Long Island and am in correspondence with the owner. This time I assure you I will not be working in conjunction with any other individual and the work will be performed solely by myself. I assure you I will put my best effort into the research. I thank you all again, everyone who follows my work as well as everyone who donated, and I hope that you trust that I have learned my lesson. I will continue to put out the quality of work I have in the past. I hope you continue to place your faith in my education and work.
Sincerely,
Natalie Colao
You gotta crash and burn
You gotta take some stances and take some chances
You gotta laugh and love and take all life has to give
You gotta live and learn so you can learn to live
-Darius Rucker
My experience in Utah has been informative in many ways. First, it proves useful to know that agricultural landscapes can be created by people who have not grown up in the industry. Danny, as I have written, grew up in California and went to college to study film. He realized after moving to Los Angeles that he was disenchanted with the city life and craved the country; this is when he began considering opening his own vineyard. He started the vineyard on a vacation house his parents purchased which the previous owner had not watered in over five years. He learned about starting vineyards through reading an endless supply of how-to start-up books. This is truly remarkable and inspiring, and as it is a perfect illustration of how possible urban sustainability actually is. An upbringing in the field, as we learn, is not as important as drive, initiative, and environmental literacy.
Post-Utah served to be a disaster, epic illustration of poor planning, and unfortunate misplacement of trust. I left the choosing, planning and contacting of the New Mexico farm to another individual. Long story short, the contact which the planner was in correspondence with turned out to have given us wrong information. She had told the others at the farm that we were arriving a week earlier and by the time we arrived no one knew we were coming and had completed most of the harvest. On top of this, there was nowhere for us to sleep and basically no room for us without us being invasive and a nuisance. On top of this, the "farm" was actually a poorly organized three acre field. There were MANY other issues with the living arrangements which I will not include here for respect for the individuals inhabiting the residence at the current moment. Bottom line, the farm was inhabitable and I immediately left.
To say I am disappointed with the outcome of this trip would be an understatement. In the past, I have learned to take the leadership position in group projects. My attention to detail, persistence, and integrity have proven my work is reliable and consistant. Unfortunately, post-bachelor degree, I thought that I could rely on others to be as meticulous and well researched as myself. I was wrong. I have relearned that the only work I can count on to be of quality is my own.
I sincerely apologize to anyone who donated to this cause and trusted me to perform the research and work that you are all accustomed to receiving from me. I am embarrassed. In fact, I am mortified and desperately seek forgiveness. I do, however, assure everyone associated with this project that I WILL be doing another week long work exchange at another organic farm. I am already looking into a particular one in Suffolk County, Long Island and am in correspondence with the owner. This time I assure you I will not be working in conjunction with any other individual and the work will be performed solely by myself. I assure you I will put my best effort into the research. I thank you all again, everyone who follows my work as well as everyone who donated, and I hope that you trust that I have learned my lesson. I will continue to put out the quality of work I have in the past. I hope you continue to place your faith in my education and work.
Sincerely,
Natalie Colao
Saturday, July 10, 2010
Montezuma Canyon Ranch Day 6
Today is our last day at the ranch and fortunately, it was also a day off! We went to Recapture Lake, a 250 acre, 150 foot deep, man-made lake only a few minutes away from Monticello. We brought two pontoon boats, two kayaks, fishing poles, and a dog; it was a truly relaxing day at the lake. Our intention was to catch dinner, we brought all the cooking supplies and even a watermelon. Yet, as luck would have it, we arrived at the lake just as soon as thunderstorms started to role in. After minutes of deliberation whether or not we would take our half metal boats into the lake, we finally left, defeated, and went to the museum.
After about an hour of touring the museum lobby (the entrance fee was $5 and no one wanted to pay it, we can learn enough in the lobby we all said)...the storm rolled through and we raced back to the lake for sun and fun. We had pontoon boats, kayaks, and plenty of swimming. Fishing did not go as well. Because of the storm, none of the fish were biting and all I or anyone else caught was a tree or a few twigs.
Later that night we all had a great farewell party which included venison burgers, a log cabin and some house music over satellite radio. We also took a night ride/hike through the canyons. It was an experience to say the least.
After about an hour of touring the museum lobby (the entrance fee was $5 and no one wanted to pay it, we can learn enough in the lobby we all said)...the storm rolled through and we raced back to the lake for sun and fun. We had pontoon boats, kayaks, and plenty of swimming. Fishing did not go as well. Because of the storm, none of the fish were biting and all I or anyone else caught was a tree or a few twigs.
Later that night we all had a great farewell party which included venison burgers, a log cabin and some house music over satellite radio. We also took a night ride/hike through the canyons. It was an experience to say the least.
Thursday, July 8, 2010
Montezuma Canyon Ranch Day 4
Remember how I was complaining about all the bugs and bug bites yesterday? I may have muttered, "if I get one more bug bite I'm going on a homicidal rampage"??
Well, yesterday I decided, "forget organics!! Pesticides were the greatest invention ever, lets kill them all!!"..during that proclamation, I DOUSED myself in deet, all day long in fact, and even before I went to bed. I was determined to not wake up with eyelids covered in mosquito bites. Well, I woke up this morning with eyes so swollen I could barely open them; they were ON FIRE! Also, I spent a good portion of the morning washing my sun glass lens without any success on getting them cleaned. Finally, it dawned on me. No, my lens would never be clean because the deet actually melted little pockets throughout them. My eyes swollen, burning, and goopy? Why yes, magical deet. Needless to say, I have (again) seen the light and revoked my anti-organic stance. I mean, the stuff BURNS THROUGH PLASTIC!! When you are at the supermarket considering whether or not to spend that extra 30 cents on organic versus the other stuff, remember what I am saying here: the chemicals used to kill the insects on your food, as well as the chemicals that cover your food (in increasing abundance) BURN THROUGH PLASTIC (I can say it again if you'd like).
Aside from that revelation, hydrocortisone cream works very well in reducing the inflammation and itching caused by mosquito bites. I am no longer going insane from itch, all though I am still quite itchy, I think that I won't murder anyone....today.
After almost 2000 vines, we have switched from planting Chenin Blanc to Riesling. As Danny was explaining to us today, Riesling is a very common white wine in Germany and Eastern Europe. At one point in the United States, it was more common than Chardonnay. After 2000 vines, even the smallest change is an exciting one. Tomorrow we will be continuing to plant Riesling and will have a new WWOOFer with us. Tonight someone from Minnesota will be coming to join us, and tomorrow a group of WWOOFers from Britain will be coming in as well.
I suppose that is all to talk about today. Except maybe that we felt rain drops while working. Throughout the day and night we will hear heat thunder and see heat lightening, which (self explanatory) is caused by the extreme heat. Yet, today we actually felt rain drops (again, we have been doing nothing but plant vines for hours a day for the past four days, this is exciting stuff people!). We also decided that we are going to crush Benadryl and put it in Danny's morning smoothie so that we can either take the day off, or steal one of his dogs and hold if for ransom. I suppose we don't actually have to do it anymore since tomorrow will be our last day working. Saturday we are going fishing. Danny will be showing us how to gut a fish and then we will be grilling them as we catch them on coals. I am pretty excited for this.
I will try to post pictures ASAP but the Internet is so slow that I am having a hard time doing it. Wish me luck everyone! Lets hope my sore legs and feet can last one more day.
Oh yeah, and we were going to go to four corners today, but got out of work too late. Tomorrow we will most likely visit four corners (I've been there, its a plaque in the ground where CO, UT, AZ, and NM meet and that's about it, but still fun to do at least once in your life).
Talk soon! My skype name is Ncolao86 if anyone is interested.
Well, yesterday I decided, "forget organics!! Pesticides were the greatest invention ever, lets kill them all!!"..during that proclamation, I DOUSED myself in deet, all day long in fact, and even before I went to bed. I was determined to not wake up with eyelids covered in mosquito bites. Well, I woke up this morning with eyes so swollen I could barely open them; they were ON FIRE! Also, I spent a good portion of the morning washing my sun glass lens without any success on getting them cleaned. Finally, it dawned on me. No, my lens would never be clean because the deet actually melted little pockets throughout them. My eyes swollen, burning, and goopy? Why yes, magical deet. Needless to say, I have (again) seen the light and revoked my anti-organic stance. I mean, the stuff BURNS THROUGH PLASTIC!! When you are at the supermarket considering whether or not to spend that extra 30 cents on organic versus the other stuff, remember what I am saying here: the chemicals used to kill the insects on your food, as well as the chemicals that cover your food (in increasing abundance) BURN THROUGH PLASTIC (I can say it again if you'd like).
Aside from that revelation, hydrocortisone cream works very well in reducing the inflammation and itching caused by mosquito bites. I am no longer going insane from itch, all though I am still quite itchy, I think that I won't murder anyone....today.
After almost 2000 vines, we have switched from planting Chenin Blanc to Riesling. As Danny was explaining to us today, Riesling is a very common white wine in Germany and Eastern Europe. At one point in the United States, it was more common than Chardonnay. After 2000 vines, even the smallest change is an exciting one. Tomorrow we will be continuing to plant Riesling and will have a new WWOOFer with us. Tonight someone from Minnesota will be coming to join us, and tomorrow a group of WWOOFers from Britain will be coming in as well.
I suppose that is all to talk about today. Except maybe that we felt rain drops while working. Throughout the day and night we will hear heat thunder and see heat lightening, which (self explanatory) is caused by the extreme heat. Yet, today we actually felt rain drops (again, we have been doing nothing but plant vines for hours a day for the past four days, this is exciting stuff people!). We also decided that we are going to crush Benadryl and put it in Danny's morning smoothie so that we can either take the day off, or steal one of his dogs and hold if for ransom. I suppose we don't actually have to do it anymore since tomorrow will be our last day working. Saturday we are going fishing. Danny will be showing us how to gut a fish and then we will be grilling them as we catch them on coals. I am pretty excited for this.
I will try to post pictures ASAP but the Internet is so slow that I am having a hard time doing it. Wish me luck everyone! Lets hope my sore legs and feet can last one more day.
Oh yeah, and we were going to go to four corners today, but got out of work too late. Tomorrow we will most likely visit four corners (I've been there, its a plaque in the ground where CO, UT, AZ, and NM meet and that's about it, but still fun to do at least once in your life).
Talk soon! My skype name is Ncolao86 if anyone is interested.
Wednesday, July 7, 2010
Montezuma Canyon Ranch Day 3
So the internet is extremely slow here, but I do have it! It takes a while to do anything which is why I have not updated recently.
Anyways, today is my third day working at Montezuma Canyon Ranch and Vineyard, and let me tell you I'M EXHAUSTED. We are planting vines, Chenin Blanc, and working from 9:30am to around 5pm with a lunch break in between. The first day was incredible. The first 4 hours flew by without me even realizing it. After lunch, we all lost momentum (like usual) but it was still easy work. The second day was a little bit more difficult but nothing to complain about. Let me tell you, day three was excrutiating. Among the regular aches and pains one receives doing physical labor, I am covered head to toe in bug bites. All I remembered about Utah the last time I came here was how great and beautiful it was. Yes, I remembered the bugs, but not as vividly as I do now. I must admit, this morning I was in tears over the situation, I mean for goodness sake I even have bites on my eyelids. How the hell do you itch you eyelid?! I can tell, all the workers are a bit more fatigued today and we were all asking for the time more often than the other days. We even heard stories about previous workers who only had to work 5 hours a day. I called for a strike and even the formation of a union. We are still working out the details. Let's see how tomorrow goes!
Here is how one plants roots for a vineyard. You dig a hole. You put the root in (making sure all the roots are facing down or else they will grow upward and strangle the plant). You put a little bit of dirt over it. You put a "vine shelter" on top of it. You fill the vine shelter with dirt. You make a mound outside of the vine shelter. We do this for 8 hours a day. We need to do 3000 more. Yes, life is good.
Yesterday after work, we went for a hike around the canyon and learned a lot of interesting facts. First, the canyon is 50miles long, thats MONSTROUS. Throughout the canyon (which is 90% public land, along with the rest of Utah apparently) are Anasazi ruins. For those of you who don't know, Anasazi are a prehistoric Native American tribe. We went hiking to many of their shelters and kivas (ceremonial houses). As a budding Anthropologist, this was AMAZING. There was one part of the hike where there was almost a flat rock wall with little (and sparse) footholds going to a cave above. We all eagerly climbed up to look at this ancient shelter, only to realize how terrifying the climb down was. We also went to several other shelters where ancient pottery was littered throughout the clearing. There were the more popular pieces, which were black ink on top of white stone, and then rarer pieces including black ink on red stone, as well as crude arrowheads. I have visited Anasazi ruins in Utah state parks before, but it is an entirely different experience to find these ruins on your own without a huge arrow pointing you where to go. It was absolutely spectacular.
Danny Bull and his parents own the vineyard and they are originally from Santa Barbara, California. Danny opened the vineyard 5 years ago but lost most of his first years batch in a fire. When my group first arrived at MCR, Danny took us on a tour around his property. He has just under 200 acres, but only 30 are farmable. Mostly, it is a vineyard, but he also has a small vegetable garden. He carries many varieties of grapes, including my favorite, Pinot Noir, which does very well in the region. One of the most interesting aspects, for myself at least (a complete vineyard novice), was that the actual wine making process takes place in a cave on his neighbors property. He took us inside the cave and showed us where he racks and makes the wine (as well as his "vinegar barrel", or in other words, his mistake barrel). The most interesting aspect about this vineyard is that Danny started off as a novice as well; he learned about vineyards from books and then started his own. Prior to opening his own vineyard, he said he worked on others (where he learned nothing), took a seminar on planting, and read tons of books. While the vineyard may not be flourishing (it is only 5 years old), he is definitely doing exceptionally well for himself considering he is teaching himself every step of the way. Even yesterday Danny's neighbors came to his house and brought him over so that he could check on their vines. They thought they may have a virus, so they went to Danny, the novice, to ask for help; he diagnosed it as a potassium deficiency. Danny studied film at college, but decided that the big city LA life wasn't for him. It was around then his parents bought this farm in UT and let him start a vineyard on it.
The WWOOF (world wide organization of organic farmers) program itself is quite exceptional and diverse. Along with my group is another woofer and exchange student from South Korea who is attending a college in South Dakota. Previously he spent 5 weeks working on a farm in California. He will be spending the next 5 weeks here in Utah and visiting New York during his summer break. I haven't gotten a chance to ask him what made him interested in the WWOOF program, but it is definitley on my list of things to do. Friday, a couple of WWOOFers from Britain will be joining us.
There are so many things to write about but I just can't think of what else to say at the moment. Saturday we will be getting a one day fishing liscense and Danny will be taking us trout fishing at a nearby lake. I asked him to teach me how to gut a fish, so we will be bringing coals with us and cooking whatever we catch for dinner. Sunday we leave Utah and head for Arizona. We will be spending one day in Acrosanti and another day in Taos, a city very similar to Acrosanti in that it is purely sustainable (and quite famous, everyone asks me if I've been there). Also on Sunday, a surprise WWOOFer will be joining us. My boyfriend will be coming to join us for our farm work in New Mexico and leaving the day our original group begins to head home. I only have a one person tent packed with me so this will be quite hilarious (or enourmously frustrating, we will see).
As for everyone back home, enjoy the heat wave!! I bet you all wish you were in the pleasantly dry and moderate temperature desert with me!! Oh yeah and at night, its outright COLD!
Talk soon!
Anyways, today is my third day working at Montezuma Canyon Ranch and Vineyard, and let me tell you I'M EXHAUSTED. We are planting vines, Chenin Blanc, and working from 9:30am to around 5pm with a lunch break in between. The first day was incredible. The first 4 hours flew by without me even realizing it. After lunch, we all lost momentum (like usual) but it was still easy work. The second day was a little bit more difficult but nothing to complain about. Let me tell you, day three was excrutiating. Among the regular aches and pains one receives doing physical labor, I am covered head to toe in bug bites. All I remembered about Utah the last time I came here was how great and beautiful it was. Yes, I remembered the bugs, but not as vividly as I do now. I must admit, this morning I was in tears over the situation, I mean for goodness sake I even have bites on my eyelids. How the hell do you itch you eyelid?! I can tell, all the workers are a bit more fatigued today and we were all asking for the time more often than the other days. We even heard stories about previous workers who only had to work 5 hours a day. I called for a strike and even the formation of a union. We are still working out the details. Let's see how tomorrow goes!
Here is how one plants roots for a vineyard. You dig a hole. You put the root in (making sure all the roots are facing down or else they will grow upward and strangle the plant). You put a little bit of dirt over it. You put a "vine shelter" on top of it. You fill the vine shelter with dirt. You make a mound outside of the vine shelter. We do this for 8 hours a day. We need to do 3000 more. Yes, life is good.
Yesterday after work, we went for a hike around the canyon and learned a lot of interesting facts. First, the canyon is 50miles long, thats MONSTROUS. Throughout the canyon (which is 90% public land, along with the rest of Utah apparently) are Anasazi ruins. For those of you who don't know, Anasazi are a prehistoric Native American tribe. We went hiking to many of their shelters and kivas (ceremonial houses). As a budding Anthropologist, this was AMAZING. There was one part of the hike where there was almost a flat rock wall with little (and sparse) footholds going to a cave above. We all eagerly climbed up to look at this ancient shelter, only to realize how terrifying the climb down was. We also went to several other shelters where ancient pottery was littered throughout the clearing. There were the more popular pieces, which were black ink on top of white stone, and then rarer pieces including black ink on red stone, as well as crude arrowheads. I have visited Anasazi ruins in Utah state parks before, but it is an entirely different experience to find these ruins on your own without a huge arrow pointing you where to go. It was absolutely spectacular.
Danny Bull and his parents own the vineyard and they are originally from Santa Barbara, California. Danny opened the vineyard 5 years ago but lost most of his first years batch in a fire. When my group first arrived at MCR, Danny took us on a tour around his property. He has just under 200 acres, but only 30 are farmable. Mostly, it is a vineyard, but he also has a small vegetable garden. He carries many varieties of grapes, including my favorite, Pinot Noir, which does very well in the region. One of the most interesting aspects, for myself at least (a complete vineyard novice), was that the actual wine making process takes place in a cave on his neighbors property. He took us inside the cave and showed us where he racks and makes the wine (as well as his "vinegar barrel", or in other words, his mistake barrel). The most interesting aspect about this vineyard is that Danny started off as a novice as well; he learned about vineyards from books and then started his own. Prior to opening his own vineyard, he said he worked on others (where he learned nothing), took a seminar on planting, and read tons of books. While the vineyard may not be flourishing (it is only 5 years old), he is definitely doing exceptionally well for himself considering he is teaching himself every step of the way. Even yesterday Danny's neighbors came to his house and brought him over so that he could check on their vines. They thought they may have a virus, so they went to Danny, the novice, to ask for help; he diagnosed it as a potassium deficiency. Danny studied film at college, but decided that the big city LA life wasn't for him. It was around then his parents bought this farm in UT and let him start a vineyard on it.
The WWOOF (world wide organization of organic farmers) program itself is quite exceptional and diverse. Along with my group is another woofer and exchange student from South Korea who is attending a college in South Dakota. Previously he spent 5 weeks working on a farm in California. He will be spending the next 5 weeks here in Utah and visiting New York during his summer break. I haven't gotten a chance to ask him what made him interested in the WWOOF program, but it is definitley on my list of things to do. Friday, a couple of WWOOFers from Britain will be joining us.
There are so many things to write about but I just can't think of what else to say at the moment. Saturday we will be getting a one day fishing liscense and Danny will be taking us trout fishing at a nearby lake. I asked him to teach me how to gut a fish, so we will be bringing coals with us and cooking whatever we catch for dinner. Sunday we leave Utah and head for Arizona. We will be spending one day in Acrosanti and another day in Taos, a city very similar to Acrosanti in that it is purely sustainable (and quite famous, everyone asks me if I've been there). Also on Sunday, a surprise WWOOFer will be joining us. My boyfriend will be coming to join us for our farm work in New Mexico and leaving the day our original group begins to head home. I only have a one person tent packed with me so this will be quite hilarious (or enourmously frustrating, we will see).
As for everyone back home, enjoy the heat wave!! I bet you all wish you were in the pleasantly dry and moderate temperature desert with me!! Oh yeah and at night, its outright COLD!
Talk soon!
Saturday, July 3, 2010
Day 3 Sustainability Project
Today was the third day of endless and nonstop driving. I personally drove 11 hours to Denver Colorado, and tomorrow we will have a final 7 hour drive until we finally make it to our destination in Utah! We had a bit of drama today. First, we feared for several hours that my engine was overheating (it was 95 degrees out) only to realize that the maintenance place I took my car to before the trip began forgot to reset the oil light. After that drama, and 11 hours of driving, we finally made it to Denver where we had made reservations at a motel outside of town. After checking in and entering my room, I immediately noticed toe nails covering the bed sheets and floor as well as a sign on the door reading, "For personal safety, always use deadlocks when inside room". Needless to say, I am now staying at the Sheraton (the others in the party found their rooms to be adequate).
As for the drive today, we went all the way through Kansas (9 hours) and one third the way into Colorado. Kansas is absolutely the flattest and definitley one of the most mundane places to drive through. There is not much going on, just flat fields of grain and the occasional picture of Jesus and promotion for adoption over abortion. In other words, it was extremely boring. Upon passing the state line into Colorado I was desperately looking forward to the Colorado of my memories from the last time I drove to Utah, unfortunetly, it wasn't until literally Denver that we saw the mountains we were craving. Aside from that, there really isn't much more to talk about.
These few days have been very difficult for me for a variety of reasons and so I am eagerly awaiting our arrival in Monticello, UT. This is a town that I have previously spent 6 weeks at and remember fondly. I cannot wait to revisit old places, but more importantly, focus on an entirely new topic: sustainability. This is something that I was unfamiliar with during my last visit. I cannot wait to view this city with new and educated eyes.
As far as WiFi connection, I am not sure if I will have it on the farm in Utah. If this is the case, I will try and update every few days by driving into town (my estimate is about 20 minutes away from the farm) and finding something to work off of.
Wish me luck!
As for the drive today, we went all the way through Kansas (9 hours) and one third the way into Colorado. Kansas is absolutely the flattest and definitley one of the most mundane places to drive through. There is not much going on, just flat fields of grain and the occasional picture of Jesus and promotion for adoption over abortion. In other words, it was extremely boring. Upon passing the state line into Colorado I was desperately looking forward to the Colorado of my memories from the last time I drove to Utah, unfortunetly, it wasn't until literally Denver that we saw the mountains we were craving. Aside from that, there really isn't much more to talk about.
These few days have been very difficult for me for a variety of reasons and so I am eagerly awaiting our arrival in Monticello, UT. This is a town that I have previously spent 6 weeks at and remember fondly. I cannot wait to revisit old places, but more importantly, focus on an entirely new topic: sustainability. This is something that I was unfamiliar with during my last visit. I cannot wait to view this city with new and educated eyes.
As far as WiFi connection, I am not sure if I will have it on the farm in Utah. If this is the case, I will try and update every few days by driving into town (my estimate is about 20 minutes away from the farm) and finding something to work off of.
Wish me luck!
Friday, July 2, 2010
What Can Go Wrong...Will - Sustainability Trip Day 2
I must have said the words, "Murphy's Law" at least a dozen times today.
Lets make a list of everything that has gone wrong:
GPS-broke
Kindle (Electronic Book which I cannot live with out and was oh so looking forward to reading)-broke
Trackball on my blackberry-broke
Around this point of the day, I decided that I was terrified to use my laptop. I was right, somethings up with the internet, and applications are randomly deleted (its been funky since before i left, BUT STILL!)
Oh yeah, don't forget about the ticket yesterday and how we lost a driver....
Go on with the self pity? Absolutely not. After speaking with a friend, she pointed out how hilariously awful the situation actually was. Seriously? How the heck could EVERYTHING have gone wrong? At this point, there's nothing to do but laugh. And laugh we did. And now after the multitude of emotional breakdowns? I'm actually impressed with you, yes you, Murphy.
Anywho, the drive today was way better and more entertaining the yesterday. Missouri is absolutely hilarious to drive through. Alongside the endless adult superstores (I saw one that was drive thru!! I will not repeat the scenerios we created that would go along with a drive thru adult superstore-use your own imagination) are GIANT Christian Crosses matched up with Adult Arcades. Of course, we saw the general cornfields, but in between, hilarity ensued.
I drove the entire 8 hours today from Indianapolis to Kansas City and to be honest, it was pretty easy. Im hoping that I will be able to do another 8 tomorrow before I let Annabel take over and hopefully do 4. The more hours we do tomorrow, the earlier we will get to Utah on the 4th. Also, tomorrow night we are going to be spontaneous and find somewhere to sleep on the spot rather than book in advance. Lets hope that we will find something vacant!
We also visited both Kansas Cities today. "Both?", you ask. Why yes, in fact Kansas City is split between Kansas and Missouri. I bet most of you know that, but we didn't. So if you received a phone call from me today saying, "we made it to Kansas", well..I lied haha. Kansas City in Missouri is actually way better. We visited the Jazz District (well, we blinked and missed most of it) and Riverside (theres an awesome Farmers Market there, which was closed). We also went to a park and saw a giant cock something or other (the badmitten thingy you pervert). it was a pretty cool city all in all.
Right now, I'm getting eaten by bugs so I have to end this a little earlier than I would have wished. I will post HOPEFULLY tomorrow, but if not, very soon.
Wish me luck, and that something else won't go wrong (or that if it does, its not something important!).
TTYS!
Lets make a list of everything that has gone wrong:
GPS-broke
Kindle (Electronic Book which I cannot live with out and was oh so looking forward to reading)-broke
Trackball on my blackberry-broke
Around this point of the day, I decided that I was terrified to use my laptop. I was right, somethings up with the internet, and applications are randomly deleted (its been funky since before i left, BUT STILL!)
Oh yeah, don't forget about the ticket yesterday and how we lost a driver....
Go on with the self pity? Absolutely not. After speaking with a friend, she pointed out how hilariously awful the situation actually was. Seriously? How the heck could EVERYTHING have gone wrong? At this point, there's nothing to do but laugh. And laugh we did. And now after the multitude of emotional breakdowns? I'm actually impressed with you, yes you, Murphy.
Anywho, the drive today was way better and more entertaining the yesterday. Missouri is absolutely hilarious to drive through. Alongside the endless adult superstores (I saw one that was drive thru!! I will not repeat the scenerios we created that would go along with a drive thru adult superstore-use your own imagination) are GIANT Christian Crosses matched up with Adult Arcades. Of course, we saw the general cornfields, but in between, hilarity ensued.
I drove the entire 8 hours today from Indianapolis to Kansas City and to be honest, it was pretty easy. Im hoping that I will be able to do another 8 tomorrow before I let Annabel take over and hopefully do 4. The more hours we do tomorrow, the earlier we will get to Utah on the 4th. Also, tomorrow night we are going to be spontaneous and find somewhere to sleep on the spot rather than book in advance. Lets hope that we will find something vacant!
We also visited both Kansas Cities today. "Both?", you ask. Why yes, in fact Kansas City is split between Kansas and Missouri. I bet most of you know that, but we didn't. So if you received a phone call from me today saying, "we made it to Kansas", well..I lied haha. Kansas City in Missouri is actually way better. We visited the Jazz District (well, we blinked and missed most of it) and Riverside (theres an awesome Farmers Market there, which was closed). We also went to a park and saw a giant cock something or other (the badmitten thingy you pervert). it was a pretty cool city all in all.
Right now, I'm getting eaten by bugs so I have to end this a little earlier than I would have wished. I will post HOPEFULLY tomorrow, but if not, very soon.
Wish me luck, and that something else won't go wrong (or that if it does, its not something important!).
TTYS!
Thursday, July 1, 2010
Day One Sustainability Project
4AM wake up alarm, tearful goodbyes, and by 5:30AM Annabel, her brother Jeffrey, and myself were on the road heading towards our first destination on our sustainability road trip: Indianapolis. Like every trip, and the promise of Murphy's Law, my gps almost immediately stopped working. Yet, the with the beauty of old fashioned road maps, we were able to make it to our destination only an hour late: 13 hours. The ride started off chatty, but with all long trips, eventually silence took over and we allowed our thoughts to envelop us. I studied all the farms along interstate 70 and couldn't help but notice that while one hears that the United States is being taken over by corn and soybeans, its an entirely different experience to actually witness 10 hours of nothing but corn, and yes, soy. I never thought I would imagine myself saying this, but I was actually excited when there was an advertisement along the highway for McDonalds or whatever other fast food chain, fireworks shop, or adult superstore. Regardless of this redundancy, it was enlivening looking at all the farms and knowing that I am about to embark on an important and useful adventure: to learn organic and sustainable farming techniques and to adapt these techniques to urban settings.
Aside from the long drive, remembering everything we forgot to take, thinking about everyone we left behind, day one has been uneventful, except for losing one driver due to the fact that they already got a ticket and their parent has requested that they no longer take the wheel.
Actually, perhaps not that uneventful, considering we have decided to bypass one of our booked campsites so that we can arrive in Utah earlier the following day. Instead of stopping at this campsite, we will drive until we can't drive anymore, and then we will HOPEFULLY find a place to sleep. If not, Utah's calling!
We arrived in Indianapolis with enough time to swim in a murky, yet insanely relieving, swimming pool at our KOA. Currently, our tents and beds are set and our coals won't light, guess I am eating a cold dinner until tomorrow when I go out and buy lighter fluid (anyone have experience grilling with coals?? I have no idea what I'm doing!). Considering I am sitting on a sink in the KOA bathroom using the only available electrical outlet while typing on my laptop and being forced to endure this Christian Rock station...I must call it a night. Anyone feel free to call or email me, my phone will be on this whole trip.
Ill update every time I have wifi. Thank you everyone who donated and who is following my cause. I appreciate all of your support and enthusiasm.
Natalie
Aside from the long drive, remembering everything we forgot to take, thinking about everyone we left behind, day one has been uneventful, except for losing one driver due to the fact that they already got a ticket and their parent has requested that they no longer take the wheel.
Actually, perhaps not that uneventful, considering we have decided to bypass one of our booked campsites so that we can arrive in Utah earlier the following day. Instead of stopping at this campsite, we will drive until we can't drive anymore, and then we will HOPEFULLY find a place to sleep. If not, Utah's calling!
We arrived in Indianapolis with enough time to swim in a murky, yet insanely relieving, swimming pool at our KOA. Currently, our tents and beds are set and our coals won't light, guess I am eating a cold dinner until tomorrow when I go out and buy lighter fluid (anyone have experience grilling with coals?? I have no idea what I'm doing!). Considering I am sitting on a sink in the KOA bathroom using the only available electrical outlet while typing on my laptop and being forced to endure this Christian Rock station...I must call it a night. Anyone feel free to call or email me, my phone will be on this whole trip.
Ill update every time I have wifi. Thank you everyone who donated and who is following my cause. I appreciate all of your support and enthusiasm.
Natalie
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