My first two days back at TAC, the retreat center in Cody, Wyoming, have been wonderful. I arrived Thursday night after having no problem with any of my flights. I was able to relax in the yoga room at SFO while waiting for my first flight. I love the yoga rooms there because there’s never anybody in them and they’re so quiet. On the flight I had the window seat with an empty seat next to me. I watched the movie Challengers, it was one I had been wanting to see and I was very impressed with Zendaya’s performance, she is amazing! I thought they did a good job making all of them look like very convincing 18 year olds and 31 year olds. Once we got past Nevada my view was of snow-covered mountains in Utah and Colorado and the sunset. I landed in Denver with only a 45 minute layover and I wasn’t sure how far I’d have to go to catch my next flight, but luckily it was at the next gate, so that gave me time to walk around a bit and stretch my legs before taking the tiny pencil jet from Denver to Cody.
Rebekah met me at the Cody airport, it’s literally across the highway from TAC so it was a very short drive back. I have one of the lodges to myself – it has a bedroom and bathroom downstairs with the living area and kitchen, perfect for someone staying on their own. I got settled in and went to sleep very easily. I didn’t end up waking up until seven o’clock local time, which was 6 a.m my time. It was a cloudy day, but I got out for a short walk around, including the labyrinth, which was a daily thing I did when I was here last time and I’m planning to do the same this time. There was a little snow on parts of the labyrinth and it was COLD! I was very glad to have my layers. I had a JNE interview in the morning then Rebekah took me out to lunch to this fantastic place called Sitti’s that we had gone to the last time I was in Cody. I had a delicious roast beef sandwich with the most incredible bread. Yummm We got to catch up with each other and talk about the work they were interested in having me do for them. Later, I took the car that is at my disposal, did my grocery shopping and saw someone ice fishing on my way back. That’s the first time I’ve actually seen that in real life, not in a movie or TV show. There were very light snow flurries as I was driving around, which to me was very cool to see. When I got back, I took another walk, this time heading up to the top of the hill on the property. It was close to sunset, though it was pretty cloudy, so hard to see much of the sunset.
The next morning I was up early and it was clear. I could see some stars from the window, so I went out the back of the lodge where there is less artificial light and was blown away by all the stars I could see. It was a glorious, glorious show, but it was also very, very cold (2 degrees!), so I couldn’t stay out there very long. I was bundled up, but not enough for that. I walked the labyrinth first thing then did a loop around the property, checking out the new outdoor meeting space which is just fabulous, and noticing there were new trail signs and benches. I saw a little bit of the sunrise, especially the light hitting the mountains nearby, so beautiful. I want to see if I can rent a car to do some day trips further afield since the car on site is only for use in the local area.
I headed to town, did a little bit more shopping and then went to Rawhide Coffee, where Rebekah told me there is a group of people who come on Saturday mornings to ‘pick’ – playing their guitars, violin, cello, harmonicas. They played all kinds of music, including some original creations. It was fabulous! There weren’t any seats available near the front where they were playing, but I sat at a table a little ways away and could very clearly hear everything. Later, a seat opened up closer by, so I sat and enjoyed the wonderful music and community feeling. A few of the staff and patrons danced – that was really neat to see.
Rebekah told me about an outdoor store that had really good prices. I needed to get a turtleneck and maybe another warm layer for underneath. I found some fabulous deals, including some new hiking shoes, which I also needed. Now the big thing will be getting all of my purchases home! I had lunch outside in a sunny spot near the library. I had my layers on and it wasn’t windy, so that was good, but after about 20 minutes, I was ready to be somewhere warmer. As I was driving back to the center, I noticed a sign for Beck Lake, a place I had not explored before, so I decided to check it out. I discovered it had a lovely paved walking path all the way around it as well as trail. Apparently it’s a popular place for ice fishing as there were several people out on the ice. As I was walking around the lake, I saw one guy drilling holes and I could hear the sploosh of water every time he broke through the ice. I’d like to see if I can go ice fishing with someone or at least check it out. I’m not sure if I have the patience (or warming up clothes) to sit out there all day, but I’d like to at least watch for a little bit.
I finally headed home after that and did some work reviewing TAC’s website and sent some pictures to my family, who could not get over how cold it is here. It is such a peaceful, beautifully stark place. I’m also really enjoying being in some real winter weather. I’m sure it helps knowing it’s only going to be for a month! Having this space to myself, being able to get out and explore and have time for contemplation is heavenly. Next week I’ll help out with a few programs and do some work with Rebekah and Rob on things they want to improve for the nonprofit. I went to bed wondering what my next adventure here will be.
