Only the Beginning…

When I look around the Walker House today, I can’t believe the transformations it has gone through since we purchased the building on March 6, 2012.  These changes would not have been possible without the goodwill and hard work of many people, mainly our Project Director, Randy Larson, and five very talented high schoolers, Todd Tibbits, Emily James, Garrett Rose, Alex Trollop, and Jessica James.  Randy’s vision to bring color and life to this 175+-year-old building has “wowed” all visitors to the House.  The rubble-laden first floor is now home to a stunning world class art gallery with over a century and a half old cut stone on two of the four walls (the gallery features Randy’s large landscape photography) and an authentic Cornish Pub brightened by bold yellow walls and blue trim (the Pub, by the way, only serves root beer). We tried to replicate the Cornwall tartan colors. The drab empty second floor landing space has been transformed into a brilliant sun-filled Staircase Gallery.  The tangled mess of weeds and dead plants and flowers in the front of the building have been replaced with vibrant red and gold marigolds, pink and white begonias, five raised garden beds bursting with tomatoes, green peppers, pole beans, carrots, beets, and lettuce, a large second-story redwood-stained deck, and four colorful (red, blue, yellow, green) benches handmade by our crew from mostly reclaimed wood.  So far we have accomplished much by living in community, creating in fellowship, and consuming mindfully. We work together, eat together, clean up together, and put forth our best effort to consume mindfully (turning off lights, water, and fans when not in use, for example).  We’ve worked hard, but all the toil has been tempered by the gentle hand of God guiding us.  There’s much more to be done to get the building ready to house all its events and the World Institute for Extreme Beauty.  What we’ve done so far is only the beginning.

Kathy Vaillancourt

 

“We must be the change we wish to see in the world.”

-Mahatma Gandhi