Wolf Creek Lodge Newsletter

Adult Cohousing in Grass Valley, CA

August, 2017

Welcome to another Wolf Creek Lodge newsletter. This month we describe how we have evolved our approach to "Getting the Work Done".

We welcome a new member and the return of two travelers.

Cohousing is a continuing education. This month we learned about Saturn, Jupiter, unconformities and the life of a concert musician.

Attentive readers will have followed the trials and tribulations of my cook team. We decided that goulash was perhaps a little robust for some Wolf Creek Lodge palate so this month we offered chicken paprika - it was a hit. We are going to try again next month.

With the arrival of our new member there are now no homes available at Wolf Creek Lodge. We do anticipate homes becoming available. See "Available Homes" below. Contact us if you are interested so we can be more specific.

Bob Miller,

Editor.

Welcome Casey

We are delighted to welcome Casey - our newest member. She closed on her third floor home towards the end of the month.

Casey lived in Livermore for 8 years and before that for 30 years in Fremont. She has a daughter in Ames, Iowa. Her degree is in Fine Arts and Graphic Design.

She now works in ceramics, she paints and makes jewelry.

Casey feels that community is lacking in much of our current society. She has been aware of cohousing for a number of years, read books about it, thought about it and is now enjoying it.

Casey is making some improvements to her home, including a new floor. She will be here full time soon and has already signed up for a couple of meals as a cook. If her potluck contribution is anything to go by we will be adding another talented cook to the kitchen "staff".

The Participation Team and MLOT

Master List of Tasks

In the spring of 2016 some members of Wolf Creek Lodge attended the "Ageing Better Together Conference" in Salt Lake City. Two of them gave a presentation in one of the break out sessions entitled "Getting the Work Done at Wolf Creek Lodge"

The essence of the presentation was that the work was getting done, that we had functional teams, clean teams, cook teams and some tasks done by individuals. The approach was very informal and relaxed but "the work was getting done".

There was a lot of interest in the session. Attendees requested copies of the slides and other documentation.

In the spirit of full disclosure we have to report that over time we found this approach deficient and now have an new team (The Participation Team) and the MLOT ("Master List of Tasks".)

The previous informal approach struggled with change. As new members joined the community they found it difficult to find a way to contribute. The important role of teams at Wolf Creek Lodge was not very visible. When members wanted to change from one team to another or from one individual task to another there was a lack of information.

In response the the community approved a job description for a Participation Team. The team designed and implemented our new system.

The Master List of Tasks is the key to the new system. It hangs on a hook in the common house. It lists all tasks, be they individual ones or tasks done by teams. It lists the "incumbent", "needs" and "interested".

Members are encouraged to enter their needs and interests directly into the document.

Now it's very clear what tasks have to be done, whose doing them and who is interested.

The Participation Team does not intend to track "who does what".

They suggest that we rely on the good will of the community members to contribute in appropriate ways.

However, MLOT does allow individual members to see what people are doing and perhaps be more appreciative.

MLOT makes visible the many teams that are the basis of the operation of Wolf Creek Lodge.

The participation Team undertakes to review and update the MLOT every 6 months. They will facilitate requests for change.

Gallery Reopens

The Wolf Creek Lodge Gallery features artwork by members. It's along a corridor leading to the bridge which gives us access, at street level, to Freeman Lane.

After its first season the gallery was closed while the walls were repainted and a sophisticated hanging system installed.

It reopened on Sunday, July 30th with new artwork. At the opening members enjoyed wine and cheese and discussed the art with the artists.

Music in the Mountains

We enjoyed the annual Music in the Mountains Summerfest concerts in the Nevada County Fair Grounds. Once again Butch and Virginia were active volunteers. A percussionist and a violinist stayed at the lodge for the series. We learned a little about the challenges of being a concert musician.

Of course our own Wolf Creek Lodge violinist, Nancy, was again a member of the orchestra.

Jupiter and Saturn

Wolf Creek Lodge has recently enjoyed visits from a retired astronomer. Steve is investigating our community to see if it would work for him and if "he would work for us". We are hoping the answer is YES to both questions.

On a couple of occasions he has brought along a telescope. We recently saw 4 moons around Jupiter, bands on Jupiter and Saturn's rings

Returning Travelers

Jim went to the Philippines to help his mother return to the U.S. after her three month's stay. The picture is on the island of Samar.

Richard, a member of the Skeptics Society, recently joined other club members for a 6 day raft trip on the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon. He saw parts of the canyon that are not accessible to normal tourists.

He displayed pictures of his trip one night after dinner.

Here you see Richard pointing to the Great Unconformity that represents 1.2 billion years of a break in the sedimentary geologic record between the rock layer above and the one below. The missing rock layer was eroded before the next layer of sediment was laid down.

Granddaughter of the month

Each year the Threshes hold a family reunion featuring a Sunday breakfast.

We nominate Emerson for recognition as Wolf Creek Lodge Granddaughter of the Month.

Wayne

With sadness we note the passing of Wayne at the age of 82. He died peacefully in his sleep.

He was a member of our community from the very start. Wayne was a character. He owned neither a computer, nor a TV, nor a smart phone. . He got his news from the Economist.

His Wayne’s World baseball cap was permanently attached and proclaimed that he was “Wayne”.

He was an expert bridge player.

Despite growing physical limitations, he was often seen on one of his walks around the neighborhood. He was a stalwart of the morning coffee group where he shared a long list of humorous anecdotes.

Wayne was the grand uncle of Emerson. See above - the granddaughter of the month.

We will miss him.

Dabbling in the Dirt

Claire Miller

In the last newsletter's "Garden Tour" you saw a drama of colors in the Wolf Creek Lodge gardens. Four short weeks later, everything (or at least most) of the cast of characters has changed.

Gladiolas are out in profusion. Every color and combination is represented. They grow where planted, and sometimes other places as well. None of us humans is claiming responsibility for the two brilliant purple ones out at the street corner. We are crediting ‘farming squirrels’.

The vegetables gardens are welcoming the first green beans (bumper crop coming on), early tomatoes are ripe, and the late ones get bigger every day. Garlic is all picked and hanging to dry, cabbages are beginning to head, and the potatoes look ready to harvest. That will leave space for late salad crops and crunchy kale for the winter.

Time flies!!

So Much To Do; So Much To See

Wish you lived near sparkling, clear mountain lakes surrounded by pristine alpine scenery and rushing white-water rivers where inviting swimming holes abound? Look no further. All that’s within easy reach for the lucky residents of Wolf Creek Lodge.

A friend and I recently visited the Lakes Basin near Sierra City, about an hour and a half’s drive from Grass Valley. To get there we traveled up Hwy 49, the scenic highway that climbs its way through the pines following the North Fork of the Yuba River. We resisted the temptation to pull off the road for a dip in the icy-refreshing waters of the Yuba and continued winding our way through picturesque, historic Downieville. Twelve miles further, we arrived at Sierra City, the gateway to the beautiful Lakes Basin and its stunning assortment of high-country lakes joined by foot trails meandering through fields of colorful wildflowers.

Once at the parking lot off Gold Lake Road, just a stone’s throw from Gold Lake Lodge, we found the trailhead for the Round Lake Loop. This four-mile loop, a moderate-level hike encompassing six isolated mountain lakes, rewarded us with breath-taking views. The towering Sierra Buttes provided a stunning background to these sparkling blue lakes and dazzling wildflowers, still in full bloom on this sunny, late July day.

Living in the Lodge

Magdalene Jaeckel

The cook team: A cohousing invention

Common meals are an important part of cohousing. They bring us together in the dining room three or four times a week, and we get to know each other in conversation.

Each meal is prepared by a cook team of up to four people, and their job is to come up with a recipe, do the shopping, set the tables, cook the meal and clean up afterwards. It takes a good part of the day.

I myself have always liked to cook, but it was for many years for a family of four, then for my husband and myself, and finally just for myself. The task of cooking for 12 or 16 people was daunting at first. In the beginning, when the meal was on the table, I was too tired to eat. Not anymore. I have been fortunate to find two wonderful partners who could be my sons. I am allowed to come up with the recipe, and they follow my directions and do much of the work. We do the chopping of vegetables and browning the meat together till I have to sit down. I cannot lift heavy pots nor take a heavy dessert out of the oven, and they take over. Over time, this has become fun. I am looking forward to our cooking together.

Available Homes

There are no homes currently available at Wolf Creek Lodge. However, if you are interested in cohousing and Wolf Creek Lodge we encourage you to find out more. This should be a deliberate process. By the time you have decided it's for you we expect there will be homes available.

We try to keep the latest status on our website. By checking on these links to the website during the month you will get the latest updates. Here are the links:

email: [email protected]

For details of Open Houses and much more visit our website at:

www.wolfcreeklodge.org .