Director's Note 12/1/14
My office windows, two facing south and the other two curving around to the west, frame my views of Lynden. As I sit at my desk, they become the proscenium for the spectacular winter sunsets that start in the late afternoon at this time of year, sometimes beginning with the dazzle of the sun dropping below the trees directly in my field of vision. This past summer, I felt like a social scientist as I observed visitors being drawn irresistibly onto Paul Druecke's winding Garden Path and then discovering, just as they crossed from my south windows to the west, that the path didn't really bear an obvious relationship to Heinz Mack's sculptures, whose plaques were illegible from that distance. This moment of decision-making--Should I step off and find out what that is? Should I continue forward?--punctuated my days. Now, with the Project FeederWatch bird stations in clear view, my attention is caught by flashes of color--red-bellied woodpeckers and cardinals--as birds sweep in for food. Equally delightful are the daily visitations of the rafter of omnivorous wild turkeys, high-stepping into position beneath the feeders to glean what remains on the ground, a squirrel sometimes companionably snacking among them.
So yes, we are open this weekend and looking out on the snow (not quite enough to ski, yet) and figuring out the chances for ice-skating on the pond (we will keep you posted on the Facebook page throughout the cold season, or give us a call). Dogs are welcome tomorrow for our annual post-Thanksgiving dog day, but otherwise it's a quiet weekend, a lull between the workshops of late November--people have been making such beautiful things!--and the final round of holiday giftmaking workshops beginning next weekend. You still have opportunities to crochet toys, paint silk scarves, weave garlic baskets and construct windowsill terrariums (see below for details). We will provide hot cider and cookies for sustenance. Don't forget that many of the pieces of furniture in Urban Wood Encounter, our current exhibition, are for sale and if you have someone on your holiday shopping list who can tolerate delayed gratification, they would make wonderful gifts.
Naomi Cobb has the Project FeederWatch trainings and observation sessions worked out (we have two scheduled for December), so consider dropping in to count birds one day between now and early April. Art drop-in is running through December 17, so there are still opportunities to stop by for some after-school artmaking with Jeremy Stepien; and Naomi will be taking small children and their parents outside for some winter fun during the last two Tuesdays and Wednesdays in the Garden of the year.
We are closed from December 24 through January 4, but if you are a member and think you might want to stop in during the hiatus, contact us in advance and we'll let you know what's possible--most of us are working through at least part of that period.
The winter (January-February) schedule is nearly complete, and we will be finishing the brochure in the next week or so. In the interim, the easiest way to see what we have planned is to click on the online calendars for January, February or March (almost everything is up).
