Working in Community
Caring for the natural world at Sahale
One of the easiest ways to get to know the Goodenough Community and to experience our commitment to cooperation, congeniality, and deep relationships is to attend one of our most vibrant programs: the Nature Systems weekend. These weekends, which start Saturday morning and continue through mid-afternoon on Sunday, are fantastic opportunities to get out of the hustle and bustle of city life. Nature Systems weekends capture a glimpse of the rhythms of living on the land at Sahale - our community heart - on the banks of the soothing Tahuya River in rural Mason County.
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While in the summertime we are busy hosting campers and retreats for like-minded communities and organizations, in the colder and quieter months of January - May and October (including both Memorial Day and Labor Day weekends), we open up Sahale and welcome community members and their friends to come and help with the ongoing labor and care that the land and the infrastructure needs. From trimming and weeding, to mulching and pruning the fruit trees - we work to keep Sahale's rustic charm managed and spiffy. Be it tending garden beds, raising the Big White Tent, or chipping downed limbs, we do this work together - having deep conversations, discovering new things about our longtime friends and newcomers alike - and the experience of working shoulder-to-shoulder toward a common purpose is one of the most engaging parts of community. We always try to suit the projects to the abilities of our attendees, so don't worry; there is always plenty of work and play for everyone to enjoy!
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What Happens During The Weekend?
While we work on Saturday we sit together for meals and talk, laugh, and enjoy each others' company. After the day's work is done, there is usually a fire in our firepit next to the dining room where the conversation and laughter sometimes goes into the wee hours. There's also usually our cedar hot tub to relax in - perfect for rejuvenating muscles, stargazing, and having quieter conversations. After a good night's rest, we regroup on Sunday to finish the work we started on Saturday, get in a few more light chores, enjoy lunch, and then clean up and get ready to depart. We leave having connected with attendees by working together, talking together, sharpening our skills, and having contributed to something larger than ourselves - the essentials of life in community, and an antidote to the division, solitude, and loneliness that plagues so many of us in today's fractured social landscape.
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So whether you come to get out of the concrete of the city, come hoping to see if any of the five salmon runs in the Tahuya River are spawning, come to visit with your old Goodenough friends, come to meet new people, come to get a sense of "life in community" - or come for all of these reasons - we look forward to having you come and join us at Sahale.
See you soon!​​​​​
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