On The Road Again...

It is a truth universally acknowledged that a single dog in want of a good adventure will jump into any open car he sees.

So, after I packed my car and hugged my parents and went to the bathroom one last time*, I went outside to actually leave. And what did I find? A stowaway, of course.

...and a stowaway wannabe.

Any-hoo. I'll stop posting pictures of dogs now. I swear I'm not one of those people.*

I'm currently in Beckley, West Virginia, a bit over halfway to Brightwood Vineyard and Farm, where I will be spending the next eight months (approximately) of my life. I should be arriving sometime in the afternoon tomorrow, and starting work on Monday.

And - of course - I will be transcribing my many new experiences here. So stay tuned!


*I still had to pee half an hour later. I have a bladder the size of a grape.
**Cross my heart. We don't have a dachshund-sized Santa Costume. Would I lie to you?

Snowpocolypse 2011




Thanks to the "storm of the century" that has been ravaging the Midwest for the last couple of days, my carefully planned itinerary, originally chock full of grad schools and farm visits and friends, has been shot to hell.

Well, mostly. I was originally planning to drive to Pittsburgh on Monday, where I would visit Chatham University and check out their brand new Food Studies program on Tuesday, but the ice storm had other plans. The storm continued unabated, forcing me to also cancel my visit to White Rose Farm, a biodynamic farm in Maryland I'm looking into.

However, I spent a good hour this morning pouring bucket after bucket of hot water onto Sylvester, my trusty Toyota Echo, and eventually managed to clean off three inches of accumulated ice.

According to Itinerary 2.0, I leave this afternoon and arrive in Perry Point, Maryland tomorrow, where I will visit with several AmeriCorps friends (which one can portmanteau to Ameri-friends, incidentally), then continue onward to Brightwood Vineyard and Farm in Virginia on Friday, visit a friend in Virginia, then catch Chatham University on the drive back that following Tuesday.

Additionally, as of ten minutes ago I have a phone interview scheduled Monday morning with Kettle Pond Farm, located in Berkley, Massachusetts.

Time to pack up and ship out - let the good times roll!

Sylvester, post-ice storm

The First One

Hello all, and welcome to my new blog.

This blog will chronicle my forthcoming adventures in the wide world of WWOOF-ing, otherwise known as World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms. This is an organization that allows people to work on organic farms all over the world, in exchange for room and board.

A little bit about me: I am currently a Team Leader with AmeriCorps NCCC (National Civilian Community Corps), a fully residential, team-based community service program for 18 to 24 year olds. It is a fantastic program, but one that sadly will not allow me to serve a third year with them. Therefore, I am in the process of figuring out what to do with myself after November 23, when the federal government shall cut me adrift.

My current plan is to go back home, enjoy my two favorite holidays (Thanksgiving and Christmas) with the family I hold so dear, and then in January... well, the metaphors are endless, but somewhere "stretch my wings" and "hit the road" should do the trick. Point being, I plan on having some serious bonding time with Sylvester, my faithful Toyota Echo, as we explore the vast and varied organic opportunities that await us.

That's it for the time being. Good night, and good luck.