In the construction whirl of May, we missed sending you our monthly progress report. Here it is June and the main building at MW is moving quickly to completion. We’ve joined the work crew painting floors and exterior window trim. On the outside, the steel siding is up. It’s designed to rust to a warm, reddish brown over time—with an adolescent stage of bright orange, so we’ve been warned. In a few weeks, valves will open, circuits and lights will be switched on, water will pour forth from faucets, kitchen appliances will hum along for food prep and meals around the table. Art will come alive in the studio and the land will welcome meditating minds. It all seems very dreamlike still.

In May, beautiful maple kitchen cabinets arrived at Mountain Water from the Crowley Prison shop. In their program partnership with Habitat for Humanity, qualifying inmates learn to build high quality cabinets in exchange for reduced sentences; the men who finish the entire apprenticeship in prison are in high demand upon their release. It is quite clear the cabinets were made with tremendous pride and focus. We’re glad to support the program and be its beneficiary.

Meanwhile, big earthworks are underway. Heavy machines are installing water storage cisterns, trenching the water line, and shaping the ground around the building. We hurried to dig up native wild flowers in harm's way but recruited our backhoe operator to do a rescue mission for a huge evening primrose. Impressive!

Our May matching fund campaign was a great success! Thank you all again for all the ways you support and encourage us! We hope to see you at Mountain Water before too long.