Spring 2022

SPRING HAS ARRIVED

 

Greetings to our ACC Newsletter Readers!

We are shaking off our winter coats to greet Spring in Hood River. Daffodils are up all over town, the skunk cabbages are showing off their bright yellow ‘hoods’ along Adams Creek and the fruit tree orchards have broken bud and are starting to display the beautiful carpet of white and pastel colors that is Hood River valley in the springtime.

Adams Creek Cohousing’s Ground Breaking Celebration

 

We celebrated our highly anticipated Ground Breaking on March 29th on a cool crisp Spring afternoon, surprisingly without a drop of rain or gust of wind, since there was plenty before and after that date. Many ACC members from the Hood River and Portland areas, community friends, neighbors, local governance and several representatives from our professional development partners were present to help us commemorate the momentous culmination of six years of ‘patient and persistent’ work. Cleo and her dad, Barnaby, opened the proceedings with a beautiful reading of our Land Acknowledgement, originally written by John Boonstra for our private Land Blessing ceremony in December last year. We share the text with you, along with some pictures of the event, celebrated in smiles, song and sharing!

And only 10 days later, real ground breaking commenced! Woo Hoo!!!

Land Acknowledgement Statement of Adams Creek Cohousing

Read by Cleo and her dad, Barnaby

 

I invite you to stand firmly on this ground and hold this place as a gift

            that supports us and offers us place.

I invite you to respect this place on which we gather today …

            this land upon which we will share life and work…

            this land upon which we will build places to live and share life…    

 

On these very grounds rest the traditional and ancestral village sites of

            the Yakama,  the Warm Springs,  the Nimiipuu,  the Umutilla,  

            the Celio Wy’am,  the Nez Perce,  the Wasco,  the Klikitat people

            and many other Tribes who made their homes along the Columbia River.

 

We thank these Tribes for being the original guardians and protectors

            of these lands. 

We also acknowledge the agreements with these tribes

            that have been broken.

Our culture does many things that are harmful to many

            Native American families today.

 

We know that just remembering who lived here long ago does not undo

            the injustice that has occurred to Native Tribes.

 

But remembering is necessary for our journey together

            as we co-house and commune with one another on this land.

 

We are honored by the collective work of many Native Nations,

            leaders and families.   

We are honored to be guests upon these lands.

We carry their memory into our future.

PET PALS

This section of our newsletter features some of four-legged furry partners coming to Adams Creek with their cohousing parents! Hopefully there will be some feathered friends to add in the future, but meanwhile we hope you enjoy meeting and getting to know this adorable bunch.

Ann, Fred and Kaida

My name is Kaida and I live with Ann and Fred in New York City and they have nicknamed me “the toilet paper bandit”. I have no idea why!

John, Everly and Wilbur

John and Everly have left me alone but that is fine with me. After all, it is a dog’s life here with my own couch, and comfy bed, and peace and quiet! Boy, teenagers can be a handful!

Kathleen, Richard and Phanny

Let’s introduce you to Phanny whose proud parents are Kathleen and Richard.  Fanny is a bundle of energy and joy and loves to travel with her parents in their motor home. She has been living in Texas for the past five months or so, but now the whole family is so glad to be back home in Longview, WA. Fanny loves to join in when her folks are on ACC Zoom meetings whether it is a circle meeting, business meeting or happy hour. She freely shares her opinions and thoughts, although no one can tell if she is objecting or consenting with her barks. But it doesn’t really matter; we love her enthusiasm.

Jerri, Willie and Sophie

Some pets choose us as you will see with JerrI’s story…

I met Willie the day my husband died.  He was a little bundle of joy who snuggled up under my chin at eight weeks old, and convinced the foster mom that he was destined to be mine instead of keeping him for herself. 

 

During the week I waited to be able to bring Willie home, a former student contacted me, saying that his grandmother had dementia and had to go to a facility to be cared for.  He asked me to please take Sophie, her dog.  Since my husband Buddy had just died from dementia, I agreed, although I had not yet met her. 

 

The following Saturday, I was able to complete the adoption of Willie and bring him home.  An hour later, Sophie showed up!  She was afraid of everyone and everything, and headed under my car to spend her first week with us!  However, she could not resist Willie’s puppy charms and was soon out and playing. When I took her to the vet, I found out that she was already 14, an old lady!  But Willie and Sophie love each other, and I can’t imagine life on the road without both of them!  Sophie is as sweet as Willie is sassy, but they are great companions to me and to each other!  They are looking forward to eventually leaving their “traveling crate” behind and moving in with all their new dog friends at Adams Creek, and I hope you will come to love them both as much as I do!

Every Dog’s Story

Mary Oliver, Dog Songs

 

I have a bed, my very own.

It’s just my size.

And sometimes I like to sleep alone

with dreams inside my eyes.

 

But sometimes dreams are dark and wild and creepy

and I wake and am afraid, though I don’t know why.

But I’m no longer sleepy

and too slowly the hours go by.

 

So I climb on the bed where the light of the moon

is shining on your face

And I know it will be morning soon.

 

Everybody needs a safe place.

We welcome our new Equity and Associate members since the last newsletter publication!

 

Equity Members:

Marna & David, Portland, OR

Kate, Berkeley, CA

Gregg & Isabelle, Spokane, WA

 

Associate Members:

Annika, Ojai, CA

Tom & Bev, La Cañada, CA

Monique & Sierra, Salisbury Mills, NY

Kim & Lynn, Whitefish, MT

 

All of the units at Adams Creek Cohousing are currently reserved. If you would like to be on our waiting list, please feel free to contact us at friends@adamscreekcohousing.com.

Follow our website for more details about our members, our site, and our progress.

Stay Safe. Be Healthy. Stay in Touch.

Friends@AdamsCreekCohousing.com

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1419 Sherman Ave, Hood River, OR, 97031

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