3/23/10 (Tuesday)
Set out in the morning for the Mt. Washington hotel in Bretton Woods, NH, site of the international conference in July of 1944 that put in place the economic structures of post WWII U.S. imperialism – the World Bank and the IMF. We arrived to find high mountains veiled in clouds. We entered the hotel and wandered its opulent lobby. Wide eyed until one of us located the free coffee at which point we settled under the (ironic?) smile of a stuffed moose to enjoy a warm drink. It was proposed that we reconvene a conference to fix the inequities/iniquities of the world economy. Vanessa summed it up saying, “don’t be greedy. End of conference.” We got a great tour of the hotel from Max, a retired electric executive who had worked his way up from being a lineman. He explained the origins of Bretton Woods – how a local coal baron poured his wealth in this grandiose hotel, and the circumstances of the conference in ’44. On our way out we drummed and prayed at the entrance of the hotel. Arriving in Gorham we were met by George and Donna Stanley and Rev. Gerald Oleson. George brought a sheaf of pussy willows and abundant food. Rev. Oleson offered a prayer, and we set off with George’s dog, Zeus in tow for Berlin. It was a rainy walk, but the energy was high and continued to be so when we arrived wet and bedraggled and happy at the Tri-County Community action program in Berlin (housed in the old tram station up the Grand Trunk Railroad) where the director Larry Kely joined us along with Rev. Oleson and Rev. Fran from St. Barnabas Episcopal Church and City Councilor/acupuncturist, Mark Evans. George had prepared enough for at least 30 folks. He was overwhelmingly generous! Tim and Kato Shonin slept at the UCC Church while the rest of us were hosted by Guy and Betty Gosselin.
[Christian]
Clouds don’t die 