Two weeks is a lot to detail, so I'm going to try the bulleted version of the trip to Hotevilla, a Hopi community on the Third Mesa of the reservation in northeast Arizona. Here we go....

- My arrival at the build marked the first time in two months that I had seen people with whom I had some history. It was a bit overwhelming at first to meet new volunteers, when what i really needed to do was spend some time with familiar people. After a day, I was back into the swing of things.

- I was blessed with many gifts during my trip to and time in Hotevilla. It began with a package of chocolates that were dropped off with the stewardesses on my flight from SF to Phoenix. My good friend, Adam, had a flight that departed minutes before I arrived at his gate. At Hotevilla, I was presented with a care package from my friend, Carol, who had been at the site several weeks earlier. Soon after, I received a package of fresh dates that were brought for me by my friend, Dennis. At departure, I received a yucca basket from Shana, the daighter of the elder for whom we built the home, as well as a tiny pair of handmade mocassins from Mary herself. There were many nonmaterial gifts that I received during my time in Hotevilla... too many to explain here.

- Small World Event number 3 million.... during my second day in Hotevilla, many volunteers were taking off. One of them mentioned that she overheard that I had been traveling in Costa Rica. She asked what I had been doing there, and when I replied that I attended a timber framing course, she replied, "This may be a long shot, but did you meet a guy named Dave from Sand Point, ID." Of course I had! Of the five other students at the timber framing class, he was the person with whom I had spent the most time and with whom I hit it off the most. Go figure...

- I was fortunate to spend a great deal of time with some skilled carpenters... Dale from Boulder, CO and Mike, my friend who is the construction coordinator for Red Feather. I am sure that I drove them nuts at times... but I learned tons about framing, plumbing, electrical work, and other finishings with which I had little or no experience prior to the build.

- Hotevilla is absolutely beautiful. The old section sits on the edge of the mesa overlooking the large open mesas to the west. There are numerous traditional homes, built from hand-sculpted sandstone brick. Words don't do the structures justice... it is difficult not to appreciate the energy and love put into these buildings.

- The weather was quite extreme. We had a snow storm one morning while I was there (there was another earlier in the build), high wings, rain, sun, and freezing nights. It didn't help that I had lost my fleece in Costa Rica, leaving me with my rain jacket as my only long-sleeved article of clothing. Luckily, my friend Anne grabbed a long-sleeved t-shirt at a thrift store during her visit to Flagstaff.

- If you ever want a well-trained dog, adopt a rez dog. The dogs on the rez are nearly feral (i.e. a formerly domesticated animal that has become wild again). The alpha-male society is in full swing, and they appreciate any human that either feeds them, or refrains from beating or killing them. We had hoards of them around the build, and I even encountered a pack of somewhat wild dogs on the edge of the mesa on the day I took time to explore. An old tip from my friend Kathleen kept me from any trouble: if you ever are being chased by wild dogs, pick up a rock. A little bit of useful information to keep in the back of your head...

- I learned a bunch about Hopi culture while there, most of it extremely fascinating and valuable for me.

- I got a lift to Southern Cal from a generous volunteer who lives in L.A. I arrived in Riverside a bit earlier than expected, but I arrived. Luckily, Senanu and Cynthia were very accommodating.

- I didn't bring my digital camera to the lab today, but you can view photos from before and after my arrival in Hotevilla from another Red Feather volunteer here.

I'll toss up more updates as I have the opportunity... I hope you're still reading!