Take a Look at What Isn’t There!

Gull Island was once owned by William Hapgood of Indianapolis, that is after the bear and deer and Indigenous peoples allowed him to purchase it. For dozens of summers, it was inhabited by Ted Hall, lifelong friend of Ernest Oberholtzer, and (thanks to Rody Hall) upon Ted’s death the Foundation acquired the beautiful island, complete with a houseboat, a shack of a cabin, and a 1907 Burlington Northern caboose!  Ted’s powerful and creative energy was apparent on the island in many ways, and as that energy now sinks, dissipates, or is moved, we discover a “yin” energy that is just as powerful.

This past February and again in May, the cabin-turned-shack once fondly called the “LP” was carefully taken down and hauled away. What you find in its place is ancient energy in these beautiful rocks. Actually the spine of the island itself, these rounded rocks can now feel the warmth of the sun and feel the rain on their faces. On a summer day, I know they will be warm, and I can imagine them becoming a sacred meeting place or a spot for a nap in the sun.  Sometimes we learn as we lighten the load. 

Sometimes it’s what isn’t there that counts.

— Beth E. Waterhouse, Director