And I’m guessing a new record span of time for me not posting to my own site. Ah well, such is life.
I can’t say I have really had time. I just haven’t made time. There have been plenty of hours sitting in front of the computer. Most of them have been spent researching other places in the USA to live, how to get to those places and what would I do with myself once I got to those places.
The rest of the time over the past months have been spent working at Sun Island Farm three days a week. From May through mid-August we had wwoofers on the farm – Sophie, Jeff, Samantha and Jennie, whom all made my time there a lot lot of fun! At one point, Sophie, Jeff, Samantha and I were all there at the same time, which made living interesting in the container. But it worked and we all had a blast! I did some work for Dr. Bob Norton, building things, some irrigation work, planting stuff. We’ve done some great stuff on the farm. When I left things were growing like crazy, when I get back it will probably look completely different!
There have been days spent in Seattle, dinners with friends on and off the island, lots of hiking, some backpacking trips, and even a golden parade. It’s been a great summer, and I am really really really glad I did not make the move to NC I had written about long ago in my last post.
So, the current update:
As I’m writing this, I’m sitting at my sister’s house in Minneola, Florida. It’s hot and humid outside and I’ve spent more daylight hours indoors in the past few weeks than I have in a couple years combined. Florida is hot. Damn hot. And sticky. And flat. But at the same time very comfortable and fun. I’ve seen the best of old friends and spent a good amount of time with them. I’ve made gestures and thought a lot about seeing other friends, but I’ve got only so much money and so much time. I’ve really enjoyed seeing my brother and sister. And, had only a few good days spent with my Mom right when I got here.
My trip to Florida was primarily to help out my brother, who is in the midst of a divorce. There’s a lot I could say about this, but it’s best that I don’t. Mainly, I helped him move out of his apartment and into his new living situation – now he is living with my sis along with her husband and almost-three-year-old Cam. I will say I am slightly jealous of the situation because they will get to spend mucho amounts of time together (which I don’t get to have) and all my nephews – Tyler, Aidan and Cam – will have an absolute blast when they are all around.
There is definitely a part of me that wishes we all were under the same roof again. Being around my brother and sister, there is a relationship like no other – I relate to them and feel a comfort being around them that I do not feel anywhere else. I miss that.
However … I don’t think it’s enough to bring me all the way back to live in Florida!!! If only it weren’t so damn hot and flat. I’m just not compelled to make the move all the way back.
Which brings me to the other point of the trip. I hopped in my mom’s aging Nissan 200SX and headed north. I left August 2 and got back late on the 7th. Aside from a minor electrical breakdown on I-95 in South Carolina that delayed me for almost a day, it was a great trip. I swept through the Appalachians on a mission to put my feet on the ground in a few places I have been considering moving to. Asheville, North Carolina, Athens, Ohio and Charlotte, North Carolina (in that order). It was a great little adventure of 2000+ miles of driving, couchsurfing, camping, exploring and even an interview.
Asheville was great. Pretty much what I thought and was hoping it would be. The night I got there, I met up with my couchsurfing host, Jason, and his girlfriend Monica and went to a potluck. Apparently one of the multitude of weekly potlucks that Asheville is famous for. It was a great first impression as everyone I talked to was really great. Very friendly and doing interesting things. All were very welcoming and encouraging. The next day Jason, Monica and I took a fabulous bike ride around Asheville. We stopped for coffee and did a nice bike tour of the city. I like the terrain a lot – it’s hilly, but not as extreme as Seattle. There’s green everywhere. Lush grasses and lawns, beautiful front-yard gardens and trees everywhere! We met up with another couchsurfer, Katie, chatted for a bit and then walked to Greenlife, the local PCC and Wholefoods-like stores. Greenlife was nice, a little pricey and over-polished – just like the Seattle organic stores. I picked up a few things and we all chilled outside for a few minutes listening to a busker jamming on guitar out front. Once we had our fill, we pedaled downtown, grabbed a cookie at a sub-street level cookie shop called Sugar Momma’s Cookies! We stashed the cookies in our bags and headed off for the banks of the French Broad, where we dispensed of most of our clothing and took a dip. After the refreshing swim, and with thunderclouds looming, we sped back towards West Asheville and had some delicious Mexican fare. We chilled for a while. Jason and I hung out at his place for some hours, exchanging music, talking about life, living, work, eating, etc. Napped, read, prepared, etc. Then we went to a great local eatery for dinner that night, meeting back up with Monica and Katie and with Katie’s friend (who I can’t remember her name…) Dinner was great, then we went to a blues bar for a beer. A pitcher of PBR, an awkward dance, a glance at the watch and we were out of there. I was planning on leaving at 5 am the next day for Athens, Ohio and wasn’t going to get much sleep as it was!
Great time in Asheville. A big plus by that one. I can definitely see myself being there!
So I got up bright and early on the 5th and headed towards Athens. The drive was amazing. Western North Carolina, Western Virginia, Western West Virginia and yes, even Southeastern Ohio are all absolutely gorgeous. The six hours from Asheville to Athens went by really quickly. My main goal was to get to Athens to see what the Wednesday Farmers Market was all about. I made it just before the closing time at 1 pm, arriving about 12:30 after touring downtown Athens hoping to simply run across the market … I neglected to write down directions to the market, but ended up asking someone on the street for the info. The market was bigger than expected. Athens was a larger town than expected, too. I started counting the farmers at the market, but lost count after I got to 10. I guess part of me was hoping Athens was an untapped market of sorts, but there is no shortage of farmers. However, even having gotten there right before closing time, there were a fair amount of people still shopping. And, after having a great conversation with Angie Starline about their Starline Organic farm and the market, Athens and such, it seems the market isn’t really saturated – at least not with organic farmers … and the Saturday market is a whole different story. Bigger, better, etc. I scored some sweet corn and cherry tomatoes while talking with Angie. I also picked up some delicious strawberries from another vendor and ate ever single one of them over the next day and a half.
After my market stop, I had plans to meet up with another couchsurfer – Kelly. She was working at a coffee shop, off at 1:30 and was willing to show me around a bit. We had a really great time! She was a great tour-guide – taking me to the places I would have wanted to see without me really asking to see them. We have a lot in common, which is what made her such a great guide. She’s moved back to Athens four times now, I think. Which is a characteristic of the place I’ve heard from others – it has a strange magnetism that keeps bringing people who’ve lived there back. Of course, I think it’s the great community that is going on there. I’ve just heard rumors, though, and can’t say that yet from experience! Overall, though, Athens is definitely a place I could spend some time in.
There were two other big things I was to do in Athens – visit some property in Dyesville and meet and interview with Green Edge Gardens farm in Amesville. The property is Dyesville is the first property I’ve really looked at on my quest to find my own spot on this earth. It’s a nice spot. Right about 30 minutes from Athens. It’s potentially a little too remote for me … the central “village” of Dyesville isn’t much to look at. An old church, a few other houses, and mostly decaying trailer homes. There are some houses in the hills and woods around Dyesville, but they are mostly secluded and not visible from the road. I could probably go on and on about the property, and the 1887 house that’s on it, but I’ll link to the pictures instead.
After camping out in the pasture, I headed back to Athens, got coffee at Kelly’s shop and headed to Green Edge Gardens. Amesville is a nice drive from Athens. Amesville itself is a bit more substantial than Dyesville, but still a teeny dot on the map. I met with Dan at Green Edge to inquire about a position that is opening up there. One of their interns is making an unexpected early departure at the end of August. So, they are looking for someone interested in working with them from late August until Thanksgiving. I had previously contacted Green Edge about an internship there and was on their mailing list of potentials. The timing was perfect! I had already been planning on seeing Athens, and it fit right in to my trip. I think the timing of the position will work too. It’s something to bring me east, give me a place to live, put a little bit (and I mean a little bit!) of money in my pocket, and give me a chance to experience southeast Ohio without much commitment. And, mostly, to get some incredible experience on a bigger, very successful farm.
Green Edge is awesome. It’s what I’m looking for in a farm at this point. It’s not “big” per se, but bigger than anything I’ve been on both in scale and in sales. I’ll let their web site do more explaining about who they are and what they do.
Anyhow … this is getting long. I’ll try to summarize the rest … after Green Edge, I headed straight south. I had one more stop on my trip – Charlotte, North Carolina. I had a couchsurfing host lined up there and it was six hours away! I got to Charlotte no problem, hunted down Dave and Hannah, my couchsurfing host and got to spend a bit of time in Charlotte. The reason I had Charlotte on my list is there is a decent Electrical Joint Apprenticeship Training Center there … and I wanted to see if my gut would like Charlotte or not as I really knew nothing about it. Dave was a great host. We hit the bar that night, played some pool and once again I had a stellar couchsurfing experience. Charlotte is yet another place I could hang my hat (though it’s low on the list), if only for a while.
Electrical?
Huh? It might be my next direction. There’s not really a short way to explain this one. But it makes sense – when I first went to college, I was enrolled in an “Electronics Technology” degree. Essentially the program was electrical engineering without all the math. The program tanked due to not enough interest. I have always been interested in wiring – initially mainly just car stereos, home stereos, etc., but at Sun Island Farm, working with Joe on some electrical work (and some solar stuff) I realize I have a long-lost interest in such things electrical. The electrical trade is a quite flexible one, and the energy industry is one of those things that is never going to go away and is going to expand, if anything. People will always always need electricity. Renewable energy has long been an interest of mine, and is now finally becoming a national and global interest. The time seems right to me, albeit possibly slightly behind the curve, to follow that path once again. Hence, the interest in the Charlotte JATC. However … I did not even stop by and talk to them (because I previously communicated with the training supervisor there and he was on vacation …)
What of Seattle?
So what does all this mean, then? Actually, I’m not sure yet… Why?
As of today, Green Edge has my references and they are interviewing other candidates. I’m pretty hopeful of getting the position, but am not fully inclined to take it even if offered. I won’t know until Friday at the latest. And that’s the only real opportunity I have in the East.
Mainly because part of me is still looking for a reason to stay in Seattle. It will be really really hard to leave there. The trip I’ve been on to Florida was mainly to see if I can find a reason to leave the Northwest. There are plenty of them, for sure. But man, does Seattle have some gravity to it. And, they have a really good electrical apprenticeship there too. Seattle has just made such an impression on me, and is the place where I feel like I really created myself and who I want to be. I will surely be that person anywhere, but it was most definitely the influences of the people and the surroundings there that have made me.
Realistically, though, to get what I want I feel like the east is where I need to be.