David_WW_63_France_June 29th to July 10th_2011

David left this morning, now we have a break in the stream of fine and fun willing workers since spring. David an independent ww, who was usually smiling  has been travelling between school years. Before the Blaeberry he had been travelling and hiking in BC, with his next plans to woof near Pincher Creek Alberta, onto Yellowstone Park and then finish up in LA.  David was here while Anais and Daniel were here. The first Monday after he arrived all three of them took the medi bus to Radium for some hiking and swimming at the hot springs.  Then on Tues, the work started, with two guys it was a great opportunity to do some heaver work, firewood, dig up the pathway in the garden and. move soil. After Daniel and Anais left David painted the front of the barn and he house sat while we went to Kamloops. Another day he helped to put in fence posts for a new fence and gather rails for the fence around the lodge. On the last Saturday David was here, we were busy at the lodge, so David caught a ride to Gacier Park with a neighbour who works there, and went hiking for the day. Although the weather wasn't perfect, he hiked past the snowline and had a great day. We know David will have great adventures.

Anais_WW_61_France_June 19th to July 7th





Anais was here almost 3 weeks. Anais just graduated from school as a hospitality manager and I can see her managing a lodge someday. Anais was a great help, she cleaned in the lodge, kept the barn clean, weeded in the garden and flower beds, helped with the heavy firewood, baked batches of yummy cookies, and helped with a lot of the housework.  But it wasn’t all work, while Anais was here, Daniel arrived and then David. We visited Thompson Falls one evening, went fishing twice, and then Daniel, David and Anais volunteered at the Canada celebration with Alicksa from the Golden Chamber of Commerce, and then one day the wws and Alicksa and I went into Yoho Park to sight-seeing and hiked into Wapta Fall. After three weeks here, we found it quite different without Anais, she was immediately missed by all of us. Anais left for Lake Louis to hike and then she was headed to woof near Saskatoon. I had an email from Anais today, she met a lot of friends in Lake Louis and hiked many of the trails she had hope to hike.

Daniel_Number_62_Munich June 25th to July 6th_2011

Can we really say that Daniel is WW Number 62 when Daniel first visited us in the fall of 2005 as WW # 13. Now finished his studies as an Engineer interested in alternative energy, Daniel returned to find the lodge open, a pond and a hub of activity. It was great to have Daniel around, he is always happy. Unfortunately while he was here Loren was recovering from a sore knee, so no hiking for us as a group. This wasn’t a problem for Daniel as he had been hiking in for a week before he arrived here. Anais was already here when Daniel arrived, and then four days later David arrived. As a group they kept themselves busy. They volunteered at the Canada celebration with our neighbour from the Golden Chamber of Commerce, road the gondola up Kicking Horse Mountain Resort, hiked into Wapta Falls, visited Takaka Falls and had tea at Emerald Lake. Daniel went to Susan Lake twice, the first time while just Anis was here and the fishing was great, the second time it was all of us and the canoe as well. The weather was much better than the fishing (we were skunked for the first time in ages). Daniel helped with clearing the ground for a walkway in the garden, heaving firewood, mowing lawns and much shavelling (there's a joke in this mis-spelling)…We look forward to Daniel’s return, and who knows perhaps we’ll see him in Munich, that is unless he takes work in another country.




Woofer #60_Kai_Germany_June 7th_12th, 2011





Wow, since August of 2003, we have had 60 willing workings. And overall, the experience has been postive and rewardng. Kai was another positive and willing to learn willing worker.  Since he was only here for a week, we were just getting to know him when it was time for him to leave. Kai found the atmospehre here and the work during the day in the garden 'very peaceful and a contrast to the noisy cities' he'd visited before he came here. Although when leaving Kai expalined that he enjoyed the quite, but preferred something more like a villae where there are more people.  Kai had a great work ehtic. He worked a lot in the garden, raked around the chicken coupe and chased down invasive weeds in the garden. We did mange a sucessful fishing trip to Susan lake, and as a result Kai learned how to fillet a trout.