Hidden (in Minesota)

Well, so much for Boulder, CO. Now I'm in Red Lake Falls, MN.

There is an artist's hospice sort of place here- the antFarm.

I'm the initial resident. I have 27 days to go and lots to try and accomplish. We have internet access here at the farm house and I'll be trying to log regular posts as part of my residency.

Below is the first of these:


Alright, this is the Sean O'Neill antFarm artform.


Day 1: Saturday, April 15

Glenn picked me up in Fargo, ND. That is as close as Greyhound could carry me from Boulder, CO.

We went for a beer and sandwich. Then we went to get me new tires and inner tubes for my wheelchair (and a boomerang). Then we got some beer and rye whiskey. Then we went to the grocery store for a few days supplies. Finally we headed back to Red Lake Falls, MN, to the antFarm.

We talked and ate and drank some that night and also had a "conference call" with Lars- another founding member.

Day 2: Sunday, April 16

We were up late so I woke up late (unlike Glenn).

More organising and unpacking and a bit of eating and then the wheelchair ramp into the farm house. The coffee was very good. Glenn had the wheelchair ramp construction well in control so I just did some further unpacking and organising and getting ready for the next month.

Mid afternoon we went to Glenn's folks' house for some of his mother's wonderful Easter dinner left overs. What a pleasant time that was, complete with about 12 members of the extended Schafer clan.

Back to the antFarm and a bit of four wheel touring through the grass and hills- down to the river and also over to the gravel pit (the "grovel pit").

The tail end of day two had Glenn and I working out the idea of lifting a pig farrowing shed 15 or 20 feet into the air and building a hexagonal spiral wheelchair ramp up to it. Late night sausage and green beans, further organising- beds and computers- and finally sleep.

Day 3: Monday, April 17

I got up at a slightly more farmer-like hour, well not really- the sun had been up for quite a while. The first thing I noticed was the big tree outside the window by my bed.

We did some laundry and Glenn made sure we got a clothes line hanging at wheelchair height.

Glenn did some more computer set up and I sort of puttered around, waiting to start my first solo day. Maybe it was a bit past noon when we shook hands and he started the six hours back south by southeast to St. Paul and Minneapolis.

So then it was me. A little personal maintainance, math exercise, boomerang practice, and paint scraping was followed by a look through each of the farm's building structures- graneries, garages, quanset hut, delapidated smithy, and more. I didn't find the hand axe I saw yesterday so I grabbed a double bladed full axe and headed to the river.

I'd been thinking to set up a wheelchair path from the house to the river. Now I'm thinking to build a raft and get across the river and build a camp on the island as well. It is spring and I am wanting to work out and get in shape.

Ultimately I did my first trek to and fro the river. I chopped at a couple fallen trees thinking about raft fabrication. I gathered a bit of dry grass and some branches after twilight. A small fire on the river bank gave me time to collect thoughts regarding the raft project and the path project and the purpose-of-my-being-here project. The headlamp my brother Tim gave me made the trip back up to the house more secure.