Tis a gift to be simple, tis a gift to be free...
Spent the past four days visiting a boat shop in Maine, where I hope to become an apprentice starting next September. I was blown away by my visit there and I really want to go back. First of all, the weather was perfect and the leaves were beautiful. It would never occur to me to travel to New England just to see leaves changing color, but I can't complain when I happen to end up there in the fall.
A neighbor adjacent to the boat shop's property recently offered 150 acres of land for sale at a reduced price. The boat shop worked with two local river associations to purchase the land and turn 140 acres into a nature preserve. There is a river just down the hill from the boat shop, which leads to a pristine lake which the apprentices use for sailing, canoeing, and kayaking.
The property contains an organic garden
and several buildings containing living and working areas.
Probably the most breathtaking building is the workshop, which was constructed a couple of years ago. It includes a machine shop, paint room, lots of work space, and a library/meeting room on the third floor.
During my visit I mostly worked in the garden and on two skiffs that were in their final stages.
The staff and apprentices at the boat shop were so welcoming and thoughtful about including me in the various work and weekend activities. One apprentice who was planning on going for a jog before dinner offered to take me sailing on the lake when he realized I hadn't been on a boat since arriving at the boat shop. Two of the staff who are building a house for themselves about a mile down the road invited me along on Saturday to see the progress they had made so far, and go "bushwhacking" with their 4-year-old son. The apprentices were all so interesting--one is a singer from Scotland about whom there is a documentary, and another showed photos from his bike ride from Fairbanks, AK to Ushuaia, at the bottom of Argentina. All meals Monday through Friday are shared around one big table, with people taking turns with the cooking. Each meal is preceded or followed by a blessing, reading, song, or discussion. I'm definitely under the spell...
A neighbor adjacent to the boat shop's property recently offered 150 acres of land for sale at a reduced price. The boat shop worked with two local river associations to purchase the land and turn 140 acres into a nature preserve. There is a river just down the hill from the boat shop, which leads to a pristine lake which the apprentices use for sailing, canoeing, and kayaking.
The property contains an organic garden
and several buildings containing living and working areas.
Probably the most breathtaking building is the workshop, which was constructed a couple of years ago. It includes a machine shop, paint room, lots of work space, and a library/meeting room on the third floor.
During my visit I mostly worked in the garden and on two skiffs that were in their final stages.
The staff and apprentices at the boat shop were so welcoming and thoughtful about including me in the various work and weekend activities. One apprentice who was planning on going for a jog before dinner offered to take me sailing on the lake when he realized I hadn't been on a boat since arriving at the boat shop. Two of the staff who are building a house for themselves about a mile down the road invited me along on Saturday to see the progress they had made so far, and go "bushwhacking" with their 4-year-old son. The apprentices were all so interesting--one is a singer from Scotland about whom there is a documentary, and another showed photos from his bike ride from Fairbanks, AK to Ushuaia, at the bottom of Argentina. All meals Monday through Friday are shared around one big table, with people taking turns with the cooking. Each meal is preceded or followed by a blessing, reading, song, or discussion. I'm definitely under the spell...
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