Finally we see the signs for Penland School of Crafts. We break through the woods and the bowl of the valley opens before us.

Stacey Lane appears as if by magic to welcome us into Craft House. (View Image) .Almost as soon as our bags are set down, we are off to the pines for dinner.

After a breif meeting we go back to unpack and re-gather in Northlight to meet Gavin and Brian. They talk to us about themselves and their work with Morgan School, a small boarding school in the Quaker tradition where middle school aged boys and girls undertake a cirriculum centered on cooperative living and community service. We also meet others from Penland: Katrina, who will be one of our guides for the week, and Anna Lisa, one of the resident aritists recently returned from a Peace Corps experiance in Africa. We play a getting to know you game in which we pair ourselves with someone we dont know and talk about our lives. After five minutes we go around the circle introducing out parters to the group. Next, we are asked by Brian to, without speaking, arrange ourselves around the room by order of birthdays. Suddenly hand signs are appearing everywhere. Flashes of fingers burt out a number for months. Hands close momentarilot into fists, then fingers spring into days. Miraculously we;ve arranged almost thiry people in near perfect order.

We spilt into groups to play Human Knot. It's a real challenge. The goal is to untangle a group of people holding hands in random patterns without breaking the chain of contact. It takes patience and listening. Before long, we've all solved the problem. (View Image) We conclude the evening by learning to tye-dye scarves in an african tradition taught to us by Anna Lisa. Each of our four student teams as it's own color: red, blue, green, or purple.