Beach Glass - Alison

It was a perfect piece of sea glass. Rounded edges, smooth middle and slate blue coloring. How many years had it been tossed around to arrive here like this? As I walk, I see other pieces that need more time. I reach down and throw them back into the sea, one by one. I imagine them protesting as they hurtle through space. Willow and I call to these pieces, “see you next year after a few more adventures!” and continue looking for treasures.

I gather twisted pieces of wood and discarded coconut shells. “How do you decide what things to pick up?” Willow asks me. The youngest ones always ask the best questions. “Hmmm, I like pieces that have unusual angles and curves. Things that aren’t symmetrical. Objects that have been through some storms.” She doesn’t respond and we walk in silence for a while. “Mama, I just pick up things that I find interesting.” Tell me more. “I don’t pick up anything that is too sharp or too dull.” Wise kid.

I’ve always been drawn to those people, objects and places that have been tossed around a bit. I’m with Willow: too sharp or too dull and I leave it on the beach. Sometimes, however, pieces just need a little more time. I know most people walk right over those, but somehow it makes me feel like I am contributing by throwing those objects back to the sea.

Each year the pile of treasures builds as the days progress. Some we enjoy while we are here, others we take home. We make driftwood sculptures and cairns of beach glass on the window sill. I like mine piled on top of one another. I notice that Willow arranges each of treasures meticulously and separate from one another. Side by side, the styles complement. Such a pleasure to be doing something where there is no “right,” a game where no one strikes out and it’s impossible to score against your own team.

How do you know what to pick up, what to walk past and what to throw back? The answers are personal and take time. Last year I gathered mostly blue glass. I needed that intense beauty and color. Healing light. This year, I am drawn to the white, cloudy pieces. Empathy. Once you have your treasures what do you do with them? How do you arrange them? Always, I let the colors overlap, pile on top of each other. This way, I can see what rises.

What a difference! From barrels filled with books to a real library - By Alden

A few years ago, we started to build a library in the local school here in Dominica. When we started, there was no library. There was a room with a couple computers that was also used for Spanish. Here's a picture of the library with the bookshelves we added last year.

It had maybe ten books that students used when they were at school. The walls were just cement and there were no shelves. Today, we went in to the new library for the first time. It had one big shelf and a few little shelves that we had raised money for last year, it had around a thousand books that we had collected over the years. The walls in the room were painted with castles and fairy tales by the students, and the only thing they use this room for is a library!

It made me feel so proud that we helped make this happen. Look at the pictures of the library today!

Comments are good!

My mom (Tally) mentioned she was having trouble posting a comment, so I thought I'd post something giving EVERYONE permission to post comments, ask questions, let us know what you'd like to see more of, less of, tell us what kind of weather we're missing, etc.

It's easy! If you're on the blog, all you need to do is click on the comment link which appear at the bottom of every post. If there are no comments, "0 Comments" will be listed. Simply click on that link, and "voila!": you can post your own comment. If you're looking at the specific post, it's even easier because there's a comment section. Just lay down your brilliant prose then click the "Publish" button.

This is particularly useful for Alden and Willow, who will be thrilled to know that their posts are being read.

As parents of young kids, Alison and are accustomed to talking and getting no response, but if you have something smarmy, witty or even nice to say, feel free to post a comment.

Go on, give it a try!!

Alden's First Day reflections

As I run to the village for the first time, I feel the rush of the wind in my hair. I wave to the ladies in the shower caps saying hello. On my way down, I notice the chickens walking around me and clucking, sometimes pecking at my feet. I see a few of my friends, smiling while they help their mom hang up laundry and cook the fish for dinner.

They run up to me with open arms and huge smiles. I give them a hug and we go off to play on the beach. The sun is just setting and the sky is a pinkish-orange. My friends go back to help their mom before it gets too dark and we walk back up, warm and happy.

Willow's Finally Arrived

Dominican Hugs
By Willow

Chapter 1:
Getting on the airplane feels like we are being rushed. We don't have time to linger or talk until we start flying. I love seeing when we take off. I am looking forward to our trip. When we land in Dominica, it feels like our Portsmouth life is stopping and our Dominican life is starting.

Chapter 2:
The car ride to Mero Village from the airport is a bumpy, long adventure. I see cars thrown on the side of the road with windows smashed open The clay walls stack as tall I would think Mt. Everest is. I love the sweet breeze that blows in my hair and I roll down my window to feel it. When I hear dogs barking and horns honking and people saying, "yeah, man" in their Dominican accent, it makes me feel this is where I belong.

Chapter 3:
Running down to meet our friends is awesome and I wave to people on my way. The stone roads push against my feet. The hot sun warms my face. And then, I see my friends just waiting there for me with open arms and I run up to them and give a squeeze. Then I run down the beach and play until sunset.

Chapter 4:
The moon glows brightly and the sky is a pink, blue, orange and yellow blaze. As I run home with Alden I see old, beaten up houses and think to myself how fortunate I am! I hear waves crashing in the in the distance and dogs barking, and I think to myself, they are barking for me because I am finally here.

Images from our First Full Day

Our first full day started with a beautiful rainbow, shown here from our window. The rental car logistics and general settling in took the bulk of the morning, so we decided to get some snorkeling, heading to the southernmost tip of the island called Scott's Head. Alden is captured (above) as she practices her diving skills.

As we leave the town of Scott's Head, the fishing boats provide inspirational reminders of things we sometimes forget in our busy lives: Faith, Praise, Hope.

Relaxation begins to coarse through our veins, lowering our pulse and broadening our smiles. It's nice to be back.

Dominica's Presents - Alison's reflections

When I was six I planned my own birthday party. It was going to be magnificent – magic show at ten, swimming at eleven and hot dogs at noon. I’m sure there were specific minutes attached to the hours just to appeal to my sense of order. There was only one problem. My guests didn’t follow my schedule. They wanted to swim before the magic show. They wanted me to open gifts immediately. “You guys aren’t getting it!” I protested. The heat came up from my heart and into my cheeks. For the next two hours I cajoled my friends back to my plan. I was not smiling. As the magic show wrapped up, I burst into tears, unable to hold back the dam of frustration any longer. I never got to open my presents.

We arrive in Dominica and I do not feel ready for the sensory assault. The garbage, the potholes, the inability to get email. I feel frustration grabbing hold of me. Each year the events of the winter offer something different that I take on this journey. Last year, it was Switzerland. This year, there are many convergences. I am packed but not ready to be here. My schedule isn’t aligning with the plane tickets. I should connect with a few more clients. I need to see Sara. I want a little more time on the phone. “Your rental car was in an accident so we’ll have to give you this truck,” we are told on arrival. I sit in the front seat and feel our bags jostle in the truck bed behind, fully expecting them to bounce off the back with the bumps. “The Layou River has washed out the road. We need to drive around it. It will take some extra time.” I am six years old. I want the magic show first. The heat is rising. Wilson drives on, talking calmly.

“It wasn’t even a tropical storm that created this wreckage,” he informs me. “I have lived here my whole life and I have never seen anything like it…it was just ordinary showers.” His face is without emotion as he tells me 7 cars washed into the river when the dam burst. “Houses that survived Hurricane David were wiped out and everything in them swept away.” I look around at the solidness of Dominica: the thick vegetation, the strong bodies, rich soil. It was unimaginable. “But that’s nature,” Wilson concludes.

That’s nature? That’s it? You sit back and just let things get washed away? By ordinary showers, no less? I am a fierce protector of what I hold close: friendships, kid snuggles, beach rocks, words that resonate. I do not let anything precious get washed away. The magic show has to come first. It has to. “The dam burst,” says Wilson. “The river washed the bridge away.” So now what? I ask as we bump along the road. “We rebuild,” he tells me with no dramatic effect. “That’s nature. You need to move with it.”

Ah, I get it. Dominica’s first lesson. It’s primary lesson. My schedule doesn’t matter. Dams burst. Parents die. Friends get sick. People come into your life at unexpected times. “That’s nature.” I feel the heat leave my cheeks. I look around and see the garbage piles by the side of the road as the vestiges of Carnival instead of merely the disrespectful marring of beauty. Rebuild. It’s OK to swim before the magic show. “That’s nature.” If I practice moving with it, maybe this time I’ll actually get to open my presents.

Thanks for all your help!

Thanks to help from many friends and family members, we've packed up 6 55-gallon drums with more books and have shipped them off to Dominica, where they are scheduled to arrive in 2 weeks.

We're in the final stages of preparation, with clothes strewn all over the dining room floor, snorkel gear, cameras, more books and food. This year we will be bringing books both the to school (where Alden and Willow have attended classes the past years) and to the town of Mero, which we have heard has created a makeshift library by re-purposing a shipping container. We are looking forward to seeing the new library in Mero and adding our shipment to the shelves there.

The girls are collecting lesson plans and assignments so we can continue school work while we're there. And Alison is speaking with the local principal about the possibility of teaching a class or two with Alden and Willow at the primary school.

Thanks so much for the support you have offered, whether it's boxes of books dropped on our doorstep, words of encouragement, or donations to help us fund this venture. We hope you enjoy hearing about it as much as we enjoy making this happen. Ultimately your collective support has enabled us to take this project much further than we ever envisioned. If you're able to help again, we're trying to make it as easy as possible. Check out the "Chip In" option to donate on the blog or simply click this link to make a payment online through PayPal or with a credit card.

If you'd prefer to send support by mail, please send checks to our home address:
698 State Street in Portsmouth, NH 03801

Thanks again, and we hope you'll follow our adventures this year. We leave for Dominica this Wednesday and after a layover in Puerto Rico, we'll be settled in the seaside village of Mero on Thursday just in time for dinner.