Pilgrim's Corner
Happy New Year everybody!
I would like to thank everybody who helped us after the rain calamity in the fall 2008, where most of the road to the Stupa washed away. Donations big and small came from all over America, Netherland and even Jakarta. Our Very Venerable Bardor Tulku Rinpoche and Very Venerable Khenpo karthar Rinpoche responded immediately with funds enough to actually rebuild the whole road. Our good friend Basia Coulter who was the liaison at KTD at that time, helped spreading the word out, that we needed help. I got ingenier help from Pensylvania too, regarding what to look out for with culverts and rain-run-off's etc, so a big thanks to them as well.
We have 3 retreat cabins up below the stupa, and access is a must, as the retreatants depend on water and food delivered.
In the biggest cabin, resides a 'life long" retreatant, who formerly was in 12 year retreat at KTD in Woodstock, and now is going on the third year here. If anybody would like to help sponsoring her retreat, any kind of donations are welcome. All amounts of money are tax-exempt.
Cabin 1 and 2, got upgraded last year, before a couple entered a 1 year retreat. We installed drinking water in cabin 1, as well as bigger solar panels to feed the new and better batteries. There's now electric light and drinking water using a handpump. An extra room with a composting toilet and "solar-shower" and a storage loft were added to the building. There's an entrance room now, from the new deck that has an overhang, so one can sit outside and practice protected from the strong sunshine we have here most of the time. A 110V/AC is on it's way, so there's both 12V/DC and 110V/AC.
Cabin 2, got new batteries and have 110V/AC and 12V/DC outlet now as well. Many of the retreatants who request the cabins, use computers as there way of storing their teachings, and several want to write diaries too. You can charge your camera, cellphone, walkie talkie etc now.
One big thing is that we finally got both cabins mouse proofed effectively. It was a big problem certain years, but we got dug up around the cabins, and placed steel screen around the foundations, and in cabin 2 we cemented the floor in the utility room where the water tank and refrigerator are situated.
So 2008 was an expensive year, with a lot of work, that turned out to be very good, and things that should be done got done.
Cabin 1 will be open for rental from 1'st of April this year 2009, as the 2 retreatants move in together for the last month in cabin 2.
After many years with Mac computer and never a crash, I was beginning to think they were an exemption from impermanence, but unfortunately it wasn't true. So believing that a back-up of files wasn't necessary.
I lost all info's regarding the people that I had promised to write when the cabins were available.
So cabin 1 is available from April 1'st, and cabin 2 from May 1'st
I apologize for not being able to do that now, so if you read this notice, please call or write me.
Bless you all.
Bo Wiberg