If you were shooed out of your dad’s “dangerous” wood shop as a little girl and grew up curious about the craft, you can claim a spot in the Occidental Arts and Ecology Center’s Woodshop for Women. Once a year, instructor Kate Lundquist leads a group of women in three days of instruction on tools they may have never used before, from chisels to table saws. Attendees spend the first day learning basics like cutting and measuring, as well as building up confidence and camaraderie. The next day, students work on building their own toolboxes, and on Sunday, the group tackles a community project to donate to the wood shop, like a bench, shelves, or a small shed.

Participants are encouraged to experience the communal-style living of the center’s “intentional community” by staying on-site. The 80-acre grounds offer a choice between dormlike yurt accommodations and campgrounds in a pear orchard, where visitors can linger in the organic gardens (some of the oldest in the state). There’s also a sauna, a hot tub, a man-made pond for swimming, miles of hiking trails to enjoy, and organic vegetarian meals.

Having a great time! “The OAEC class offered a magic confluence of great location, timing, and amazing instructors. Women-only was an unexpected bonus, because it meant freedom to ask any question I wanted,” says Misty West Gay of western Sonoma.

-Sarah Mueller Bossenbroek

THE COURSE RUNS JUNE 20–22, 2008. THE $375–425 FEE (DEPENDING ON WHETHER YOU REGISTER EARLY OR LATE) INCLUDES THE COURSE, LODGING, AND ALL MEALS. OAEC.ORG.