may 16, 2025: life in the slow lane

spring break in boise, snow melt, and dinner parties

Spring took forever to arrive in the valley. But when it finally did, it came with full force.

A few weeks ago, Beck and I visited his parents in Boise. When we left, the rooftops of Holden Village were each supporting about four feet of snow. Ten days later, we arrived back in the Village, and my jaw dropped — there was barely any snow to be found.

Since then, the little creatures of the Northern Cascades have been out and about. Darting chipmunks, ambling deer, sun-bathing marmots, and one inquisitive adolescent black bear.

Marmot kisses! Taken by a fellow villager.

In addition to the new animal residents, the village is starting to fill up with people: work week volunteers, college groups, May Youth Weekend, and summer short-term staff are bringing a steady influx of new energy. (Speaking of which: The Village is looking for a back-up medic, naturalist, youth program assistants, etc. If you know someone who may be interested, direct them here! Summer staff can stay for as little as two weeks.)

Perhaps my favorite part of the last month was my time in Idaho. Idaho, let me tell you, is an underrated state. It has the forested mountains of Montana, the desert wildflowers of Oregon, and natural hot springs that are free to the public.

Another magical thing about Idaho is that you can get a full dental cleaning and X-rays for $59. As the phenomenon was explained to me, this is because Boise is filled with Mormons and Mormons love to be dentists, creating an extreme surplus on the supply side.

As they say, “while in Rome,” and in Idaho, this means attending a professional bull-riding competition (PBR). Beck observed that bull-riding is for theatre kids who don’t know they’re theatre kids, and I would say that is pretty accurate. Everyone shows up in deliciously campy cowboy attire, a rodeo clown dances this way and that, and for a few hours, you get to revel in the performative absurdity of men trying to sit on cows, albeit cloaked with a respectable veneer of Americana and old-school masculinity. (Beck’s uncle works for a sponsor of the event and was kind enough to share free tickets with us.)

While we enjoyed some experiences that were new for me, like bull-riding and visiting hot springs, most of our time in Idaho was spent relaxing. We cooked, watched Survivor, and had dinner with Beck’s parents and family friends. All of which was lovely, and a nice break from village life.

Scenes from the drive, in and around Boise, storytime with Shelia's pre-K class, cooking.

Since being back, I feel myself stretching into new roles at Holden. For example, while I’m sad to be far away from the political momentum in New York City surrounding the mayoral race, I’ve enjoyed starting and participating in a political education group that discusses different essays, films, and podcasts each week. I’m also looking forward to beginning a work exchange in the kitchen. My goal? To become excellent at two things: bread and granola.

My first two months as an art teacher and studio manager have brought unexpected lessons, including how much I enjoy problem-solving in the role. I like learning how to fix looms or creating a plan to make the Craft Cave more organized and accessible. So while there is the very loose and creative side of the job (I can teach whatever class I want), there is also a more strategic side to managing the space.

I’ve also been experimenting with simple cocktails in my free time (since you have to make your own fun around here, no bars to be found). This newfound interest is largely inspired by our friends RC and Tristan, who have collected an impressive home bar during their time in the village. Tristan helped choose a cocktail for a dinner party Beck and I hosted this week (my only instruction was that I wanted to use bourbon), and it was yummy enough that I’m sharing the recipe below. Black currant liqueur, which my untrained tastebuds thought was cherry, makes it a fun, purply-pink drink.

Bourbon Renewal

Ingredients

• 2 oz bourbon

• 3/4 oz fresh lemon juice

• 1/2 oz creme de cassis

• 1/2 oz simple syrup - brown sugar works well

• 1-3 dashes Angostura bitters

Instructions

1. Add ingredients to a cocktail shaker and shake over ice until cold.

2. Strain into an ice-filled old-fashioned glass.

3. Garnish with a lemon wedge, or if in season, fresh currants

moments from a recent hike