For Thanksgiving, nothing beats sitting around the table with family and close friends. This year, was the first time ever I wasn't home for the holidays, and I'll admit I missed you guys terribly. But if I couldn't be in Texas with loved ones, my Thanksgiving was probably the next best thing.
One of the members of the Habitat For Humanity board of directors opened up their home for us to cook and eat. It was a big, beautiful building with lots of natural light streaming in the windows and plenty of wooden beams and roughly hewn stone that gave the place a rustic, homey feeling. There was even an old-fashioned log-burning fireplace and mounted animal heads on the walls.
The best part, however, was probably the view of the mountains. The house was situated atop a hill, allowing for a spectacular 360-degree vista of the wide-open Wyoming skies. The weather was phenomenal, a cool 60-degrees after several freezing mornings. The landscape turned even more striking as the sunset, turning the white clouds a cotton candy pink against an inky purple expanse.
Nicole, an AmeriCorps volunteer who works with Habitat For Humanity, hosted and cooked most of the meal, but we helped out a little with the side dishes. Our menu consisted of the following: roast turkey with gravy and stuffing, cranberry sauce, mashed potatoes, beet salad, roasted assorted vegetables, butternut squash, house salad, and rolls.
My favorite part of the meal were the appetizers that we munched on while we waited. That menu included: dark chocolate-covered waffles, sugar cookies with homemade whipped icing, assorted cheeses and crackers, and fruit with caramel dip.
Finally, for dessert, we had: tres leches cupcakes, pecan pie, puff pastry with raspberries and homemade whipped cream.
After dinner, we lounged about in varying states of food coma. The house had a pool table upstairs, and the rest of us napped on the couches or played card games. The host also had a 13-year-old labrador named Abby who was blind, deaf, and slightly crippled, so we had fun loving on her as well.
Though I couldn't be in Texas for the holidays, it was nice to have a different Thanksgiving experience in the heart of America. While it wasn't home, it sure felt homey and warm, and there was plenty of food, so who am I to complain?
I promise my time here has been more than just eating and hanging out; I've done a lot of hard work too. Hopefully I'll have some time to post those pictures in the near future, but I also wanted the opportunity to wish my readers a very happy Thanksgiving!
My last day in Sacramento was one of the best I've had since arriving, primarily because it was the first time I was able to truly relax and have some time to myself since AmeriCorps NCCC began. After a long evening of hanging out at Harvey's and late-night conversation with new friends, I slept in until 11:30 a.m. and lounged cozily in bed for an additional two hours. I curled up with a good book, some green pomegranate tea, and a box of chocolate-covered almonds and put on some chill, acoustic music. It was heaven having time to myself, the last that I'd have for a long, long time.
Later that day, I met up with good old pod 22 for a reunion dinner in Midtown Sacramento. Every second Saturday of the month, the city's galleries open for a free event appropriately called the Second Saturday Art Walk. Other businesses join in on the fun with live music, outdoor vendor booths, and street performers.
This particular excursion made me fall in love with Sacramento. During my other trips to the Midtown area on Sunday afternoons, the city was always pretty and pleasant enough, but never captivating or particularly lively. This evening, however, the streets pulsated with activity, showing a vibrant, energetic side that I had not had the opportunity to see. Cafes, yogurt shops, pizza places, burger joints, bookstores, and clothing boutiques were lit with neon signs on every corner, ranging from the edgy to the quaint. But what completed the decidedly urban atmosphere was the people who flooded the sidewalks, loitering under the trees strung with Christmas lights and dancing to the music emanating from the packed nightclubs. I saw one guy doing backflips down the street for absolutely no reason at all. I loved seeing Sacramento as a living city.
Our pod left campus early to catch the light rail but had such awful luck with transportation that it took two hours to get downtown. We missed the first train, and then missed our stop, and by the time we made it to our destination, we were starving. But it was great having the opportunity to spend time with old pod members; we got updates on where everyone was going for their projects and played silly games, which is something I miss since my new team isn't very keen on such juvenile pursuits.
After wandering through town, we finally settled on an excellent diner called Hamburger Patties. It may have been our hunger, but the food was amazing. I inhaled my Buckaroo Burger (with ranch dressing and thick slabs of bacon) in a matter of minutes, and the entrees came with a side of seasoned spicy fries.
Because our detours had taken so long, we only had about an hour left to explore the galleries. Most of my pod mates dispersed to various groups of new friends to frequent the aforementioned clubs and bars. However, due to an AmeriCorps rules that prohibits alcohol consumption 24 hours before leaving on projects, I could not join them, not to mention I still had to pack. Instead my friend Casey and I decided to catch the closing hours of some of the local art exhibitors.
The first place we happened upon was the Smith Gallery, which showcases a wide variety of artists. There were some truly amazing paintings, from photorealistic to abstract, and a very impressive range of California landscapes that showcased the state's mountains and vineyards. My favorite artists there were Steve Memering and Andrew Hindman, who particularly impressed me with their work (check out Hindman's incredible painting "Breaking Boundaries").
We left with plenty of time to spare to catch the final light rail, and even had a chance to take a short detour to visit The Shiny Nickel Art Gallery. This exhibitor was not on the official list of Second Saturday participants, but we were attracted by the techno and hip-hop beats playing in the yard and the crowds of people chatting with beers and cigarettes in hand. The art here was definitely more graphic and avante garde with an edgy, indie flair.
It's a shame that my final day in Sacramento was when I finally grew to appreciate the city, but more adventures await. I was excited to finally be caught up in my posting, but I unfortunately don't have regular Internet access at my housing in Sheridan, Wyoming, making it difficult to stay updated. I've already been here for a week, not including the three-day road trip through California, Nevada, and Utah. I do love it here; it's beautiful, and there are surprisingly lots of things to do for fun. The people are wonderful, and the job is hard, tiring, and very fulfilling. Check my Facebook profile for the latest photos, and I'll try my best to get you details as soon as I can!
I mentioned in a previous post that I am heading to Wyoming very soon (tomorrow!), but I realized I haven't told you yet what I will be doing there! From Nov. 18 through Dec. 16, my team will be working with Habitat For Humanity of of the Eastern Bighorns (HFHEB), which works to eliminate poverty housing and homelessness from Sheridan and Johnson Counties and to make decent shelter a matter of conscience and action. The organization targets households that lie between 25 and 60 percent of the state's median income. Since its inception in 1995, this Wyoming chapter has successfully built 18 homes. HFHEB hopes to have five more homes constructed by the end of 2009, four of which our teams will actively help finish before Nov. 31.
In past years, HFHEB’s Family Selection Committee has found that a specific segment of the population was in need of affordable housing, such as single mothers, handicap individuals or the elderly. However, the trend has been shifting recently so that there is not one particular demographic showing a greater need than another. In other words, all types of people and families are now are in need of affordable housing, demonstrating the urgency required to address this issue.
In addition to working construction, we're expected to help engage and recruit volunteers from the community. A local community college is starting up a Habitat chapter at their campus, so we also hope to assist their efforts to organize and possibly recruit for the NCCC as well. Furthermore, we will lend a hand at the ReStore, Habitat’s warehouse that sells new and used quality construction materials that help raise funds for projects. Helping out at ReStore involves picking up donations, organizing volunteers, creating workshops and recruiting volunteers.
The city of Sheridan bills itself as "The West at its Best!" It is a quaint and charming town of about 16,000, making it the sixth-largest city in Wyoming. The main industry here is tourism, spurred on by the breathtakingly gorgeous Eastern Bighorn mountains and National Forest nearby that make for great camping, hiking, snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, fishing, biking, and other outdoor activities.
The city has rich and storied history as a hub of western ranching, mining, logging, and railroading. Buffalo Bill of the famed Wild West Show, which featured legends like Annie Oakley and Sitting Bull, allegedly auditioned acts off the front porch of the historic Sheridan Inn, which he built and leased.
Even today, Sheridan retains much of its old school charm, and it also hosts a full roster of rodeos, parades, and festivals, including a lovely Christmas stroll on Main Street that we will get to enjoy during our stay. In 2006 and 2006, True West Magazineranked Sheridan as one of the country's top Western towns.
During our project, my team will be staying in the basement are of a large house donated by a partner of Habitat for Humanity. The walls are framed, but there is no drywall, so we'll basically be sharing one large room and a single bathroom. It is, thankfully, heated, and we will also get to use the kitchen and common living spaces. We'll be cooking most of our meals and shop at the local Safeway and Wal-Mart. They also have a pretty nice YMCA, which provides memberships for just $5 a month and includes use of their indoor swimming pool and running track. I'll post pictures of our new home for the next month once we arrive.
One of my legitimate concerns is the snow, which is already reportedly more than 10 inches thick. Temperature highs top out in the 40's and plunge down to the teens for the lows. While I've seen snow and have been on a skiing trip before, this is my first time to actually live in the stuff for the long-term. I will definitely need a crash course in driving in snow (in a 15-passenger van, no less), and a quick tutorial on how to dress for the weather (apparently they make special "snow pants"?).
That's a quick overview of what I'll be doing and where I am going for this first project, but I'll be able to give more specific information and impressions once I actually arrive and start the work. We leave tomorrow for the two and a half day road trip, which means plenty of team bonding, hopefully. If not, I have books and crossword puzzles to keep me occupied. Today I'll be plenty busy packing for next month, especially since we can only bring two small bags with us, and much of it will be taken up by our official uniforms and gear. Until then, in honor of my impending project, I'll leave you with this little ditty. Feel free to sing along!
The day has arrived: the end of training and the beginning of our lives as approved AmeriCorps National Civilian Community Corps members. After our early morning physical training, we donned our "AmeriTux," a uniform consisting of our crisp white AmeriCorps polo, black slacks, and our newly shined steel-toed boots, and prepared for induction. We took our official team photograph, then headed over to a nearby theater pavilion for the ceremony.
The ceremony was inspiring, short, and sweet. Everyone was in a boisterous mood and enthusiastically shouted our respective unit cheers before the program started. Silver Unit's cheer goes something like this:
Here we go, here we go, Silver, Silver, here we go, Heigh ho, Heigh ho, Silver, go! Heigh ho, Heigh ho, Silver, go! BEN RICHEY!
We had only a few speakers, including Pacific Region Director Jim Phipps, who opened the program with words of encouragement, pride, and gratitude for our service.
Our guest speakers came from much higher up in the organization. Charles Davenport, the AmeriCorps NCCC director of projects and partnerships, came from Washington, D.C., to offer his congratulations and words of wisdom, and Kristen Haggins, who heads the California state office of the Corporation for National and Community Service, was the keynote speaker. You can see some photos and watch a video of their statements below.
The team leaders lead us in a recitation of the AmeriCorps pledge, which goes like this: I will get things done for America - to make our people safer, smarter, and healthier. I will bring Americans together to strengthen our communities.
Faced with apathy, I will take action. Faced with conflict, I will seek common ground. Faced with adversity, I will persevere.
I will carry this commitment with me this year and beyond. I am an AmeriCorps member, and I will get things done!
Finally, per popular request for photos of me, I'll include a picture of me "chucking a tres" in honor of my official induction into Silver 3. Heigh ho, Silver, go!
