Looking back on it now, I’m pleasantly surprised at how much White Hawk time I got in two weekends ago.
Though totally unrelated to White Hawk, I have to share that it all started Saturday morning with some crazy delicious root veggie pancakes my wife made with some of our winter CSA produce, topped with a coconut cream sauce.
I later had the pleasure of video-conferencing with a young family from Houston who are excited at the prospect of moving to White Hawk. It was a great conversation, in no small part because it allowed me to reminisce and reflect on so much of what I love about this place and these people.
During the call, I voiced a reflection that I hadn’t made consciously before, but in retrospect is, I think, pretty apt: White Hawk is not about the easy life, but rather a deeply rich and meaningful one. We work hard together, struggle with difficult questions together and we gather together. We aim to do so in ever more respectful ways, developing strong rooted relationships with ourselves, each other and the land in the process.
Later that evening, we welcomed back to White Hawk another prospective member family, back for their third visit, this time for a community potluck. Their four year-old son, though shy at first, was soon chasing my son around our kitchen, Legos in hand, donning their imaginative cat personas.
Another repeat visitor came to the potluck with a friend (who, incidentally, built her own straw bale house not far away). Locals waxed about how much we love the life, while our guests expressed a yearning for the same. We capped things off with an spur-of-the-moment jam with fiddle, guitar, mandolin, spoons and vocals. We even got the kids to chime in on “This Land is Your Land” to close out the night.
Sunday was ridiculously (unnervingly) beautiful. With temps approaching 60 degrees, when they were often 80 degrees lower this time last year (yes: 20 below), everyone seemed to be taking full advantage. After spending part of the day peeling my fall harvest garlic for the freezer (for which I’m hugely grateful for my new garlic peeler–can’t believe I’ve never used one before!), I noticed some folks gathering by the fire pit. We went out soon after and were joined by several other neighbors, all of us wearing contented smiles at the peaceful evening.
It was a weekend full of family, community and appreciation for the people and land that contribute so much to our lives here. I realize that this post probably reads like an infomercial. I swear, it’s all genuine and heartfelt, intended purely as reflection and sharing. If you get the chance, please do stop in for a visit if you’re in the area; we’d love to say hi and share our little part of the world with you.
