KROKA’s visit

We are the 2022 Kroka Expeditions Winter Semester Program. Since April 12th, we have been paddling south from Quebec, down Lake Champlain to Whitehall, and past Albany, Hudson, and Kingston towards New York City.

Our stay in Dobbs Ferry has been restorative, as a chance to clean our bodies, organize our gear, and reflect on our time paddling together, but also rich and memorable, as we have had wonderful interactions with the community here and participated in meaningful work.

We arrived here on Friday, May 13th, and were delighted to find that we would be staying in the beautiful Kendall House. After living in the wilderness and sleeping in tents for months, four walls can have an odd, artificial feeling, but here we were quickly able to grow comfortable, appreciating the spaciousness and simplicity of the house and taking full advantage of the combination of fresh air and shelter afforded us by the back porch.

We spent much of Saturday with Greg Rosen, working in the garden behind the house to make the fence groundhog-proof and removing some of the invasive barberry. It was wonderful to talk to Greg about his time in Japan and the sustainable agriculture work he is doing here in Dobbs Ferry. We continued to put in work on improving the land for the rest of our stay, removing barberry and cleaning the yard. We also helped in the food pantry, unloading donations and organizing food. On Tuesday, two of us spent the day with the Creative Hearts preschool group, and had a beautiful time sharing stories, organizing art supplies and painting part of the classroom space.

Down by the Dobbs Ferry waterfront, we spoke to a variety of passersby who took interest in our boats, including Phil and Chev of the Yonkers Paddling and Rowing Club, with whom we made plans to meet up with again later this week. We met with Mary Jane Shimsky, the county legislator representing this district, and learned about the role of county government in New York and the work the legislators are doing in Westchester County.

We were incredibly grateful when the thrift store at the Zion Episcopal Church on the other side of the block opened up for us and gifted us clothing to supplement our expedition-worn attire. We heard an amazing concert on Saturday night given by Nora Brown and Jake Blount which was especially impactful for us after months without recorded music.

The next morning, we joined in on the music making, practicing with the church choir and joining in a performance of Mister Wendal during service. That evening, we went to the Lab’s high school open mic night. We had so much fun meeting local young people and we enjoyed their talented performances.

We are so grateful for the hospitality and generosity of South Church and the Dobbs Ferry community, and we wish you the best in your transition to a new minister and your invaluable work for children and for the village.

– by Satya Benson