Maya and her visiting friend from Bellingham studied in her room in our chalet today (Maya's billowing decor above them).
Nate and a fellow student friend joyously gesticulate in the dining hall.
On a hike to see the avalanche yesterday, Maya's buddy stopped for a picture. Today, the temperature dropped to six below zero in the village. It was a big indoor enjoyment day!
Hooray! Maya has been looking forward to her Bellingham friend's arrival for quite some time, and today she arrived. The girls look forward to studying and being creative together.
The girls stop for a moment outside Chalet 4, where we will live out the rest of our Holden days!
With Mt. Dumbell in the background on this sunny day, the girls enjoy their reunion (we'll have to figure out a way to cheer these girls up!).
The whole family hiked two miles west of the village to see this fabled "huge avalanche" we'd heard about for days. We were all blown away by the scale of this thing! The smell of pine was strong in the air, from the many trees which had been snapped into pieces and carried down along with rocks and other rubble during this powerful event.
The rubble from the avalanche supports the weight of Nate the Great, a stark contrast to the peaceful mist which rolled down the Railroad Creek Valley.
Bob, Nate and Maya start gingerly climbing the site of the avalanche which occurred about a week and a half ago.
Standing on this huge avalanche field, we wondered what things will look like on the trail to Hart Lake which we have hiked several times in the summer and fall. How much trail damage has occurred? With the size of this avalanche, we're thinking there will be a significant amount of trail repair that will need to take place next summer when hopefully much of this avalanche debris will have melted. 
There are certain occasions in one's life that are worth the inconvenience or sacrifice to make happen. Our family planned to spend this past weekend skiing with friends, and then extend our stay to be sure that we were in front of a TV so that we would not miss President Obama's inauguration. Having missed much of the excitement of election day because of necessary limitations to internet access in the village, we were determined that our family would not miss the momentous day when our first African-American president would assume the highest office in our country. We have been hoping and praying for this day for months, a day where a Christian president would actually live out the values of grace and forgiveness, loving one's enemies, looking out for the poor and oppressed rather than the rich and powerful.
We have returned to Holden Village for our last week (two weeks for Maya and Bob) before our return to Bellingham. Just as this chunk of snow has impacted the lake into which it was thrown, our six months at Holden Village has affected our family in long-lasting and beautiful ways. What a privilege it has been to experience life in a tiny mountain community, surrounded by truly majestic mountain peaks, meeting interesting people from all over the state, the country, and the world!
As we left the village for a week-long "out" we traveled over the pass to the west with a great friend of Nate's and Maya's from California. He has been in the village for five months, and throughout this time, he and Nate have played in countless talent shows and watched movies at our chalet. Daniel is an engineering student who took the semester off to be at Holden for awhile. Although we tried to talk him into considering Bellingham and WWU (we're gonna miss him!), he's resuming his studies at Chico State.
While waiting for the boat near the Lucerne dock, we passed a couple of hours in this rustic A-frame with Daniel. Nate built a fire that kept us warm and we all enjoyed some music.
Nate joins in with other villagers to give a warm "hippie greeting" to 30 students from St. Olaf Lutheran College in Minnesota, who have heard that this wilderness retreat center is full of 'em!
The high school girls, including Maya, join in the hippie festivities, waving peace signs and doing a welcoming "interpretive dance," for the benefit of the two busloads of students who are spending their J-term studying Christian Ethics and Christian Practice in Community during their stay here. Everyone got into the act, with drummers drumming, tie-dye clothing flowing, and flowers and peace signs enough to really set the tone for these (possibly frightened?) college students. There was delight taken in giving them a "What have I done?" feeling when they arrived. 
As it turns out, we will have spent 26 weeks at Holden Village, rather than the 52 weeks originally planned. Yes, our family will be leaving the village to return to Bellingham toward the end of January so that the kids can be back in time for the start of second semester in school. (You are welcome to email me directly for more on what brought about this tough decision.)
