By the time the 4th of July party was over, or at least winding down, I felt like I had been so overstimulated that I was just about in tears for no particular reason.

I had started the afternoon by spending an hour or so out swimming in Lake Margaret, and playing on a huge floating trampoline. I had forgotten about "trampoline burn", not having been on one in ten years or so, but it was totally worth it to spend so much time laughing and playing like a kid with sometimes up to 10 other supposed grown-ups flopping around and falling in the water at every turn. And I didn’t even get sunburned. Those of you who know my history with water will understand why a bunch of roughhousing on a floating tramploline might have started my afternoon as a bit of an energy drain, as fun as it was.

After that came the potluck, to which some genius had supplied all the makings for shishkebobs, including the marinated meat and everything. Mmmm-mm! And there was much meeting of new people and chatting and such. Again, it was good, but also a huge energy drain for me. There are a surprising number of girls there to whom I totally don’t relate. In fact, most of them. I expect female naturalists and trackers to be, well, less "girly". I don’t expect them to say things like, "Wow, Melissa, those sandals totally make that outfit! Where did you get those?!" I don’t generally mind having my assumptions proven wrong, this being something that happens fairly regularly. But I’m dissapointed in this case, having hoped for some feminine connections here. If the women at this party are a fair sample of the WAS women in general, I may be out of luck. The one exception is Samantha, who is in the picture from last week, standing behind me. She’s both more "out there" and more "down to earth" than many of the women I’ve met so far. It’s a combination I like, and I’ve had a couple interesting conversations with her so far.

And then there were fireworks. Many bright, flashing, loud, seizure-inducing fireworks. What is up with these things, and why do people like them? But Evan, Jason, and some others played guitar and sang blues-y Americana music during all the fireworks, which was really cool. But after all the swimming, chatting, and sensory overload, I was ready for some peace and quiet. I headed to Dave’s house, and he showed up shortly after. He has another friend staying here, so we were figuring out sleeping arrangements. I suggested that I would be totally happy to sleep in my truck in the driveway. Dave was a little iffy about that, since he lives in a 4-plex with neighbors. And I found myself about to cry as I explained that I had been really overstimulated tonight, and was looking forward to being in my own little space. Dave was cool with that, so I had a really good peaceful night’s sleep.

I finally got a carpool worked out, and met Rayne at 6:15 this morning. After a quick stop at Safeway for coffee, we made it to the park with 10 minutes to spare. Rayne’s a cool guy, and fairly quiet, so I am thankful for the chance to get to know him a little better on the drive. On the way back, we stopped at this little burger-n-shake place, featuring this sign on the fence:

Tags: fireworks, sensory overload, carpool, couch surfing

Tags: pictures, surfers, surfing, beach

Tags: pictures, carving, surfer, breasts

Here’s a picture of the pond where Roy took me canoeing last night.
The yurt I was staying in is in the center of the picture, behind some trees. You can’t quite see it. It reminds me a lot of Pierce Lake, outside of the town of Seeley Lake of my childhood.

Roy took me out on a paddle around in the canoe, and then for a walk around the whole pond. We talked and talked, and really enjoyed each other’s company. I hope that is a connection that continues to grow. By the time I walked him back to his house, it was past Anna’s bedtime, or at least all of her lights were out, so I slept in the truck rather than wake her up. I think I slept better in the truck than in the yurt. I really like staying at Mosswood, where there are more people around, but I also like the idea of hanging with Dave a bit, so I’m torn between spending the next couple nights at his house or staying in my truck at Mosswood. I’ll see how I feel after the potluck.

Tags: mosswood hollow, yurt, canoe, pond

Last night, I stayed with Anna in her yurt at Mosswood Hollow. I’ve been hearing about Mosswood Hollow for years, but had never actually driven down the driveway that adjoins Linne Doran in order to check it out. It’s a really beautiful place. I’m sitting on Anna’s porch now, to write this, and listening to redwing blackbirds, cedar waxwings, a woodpecker, robins, Swainson’s thrushes. I’m looking out over tons of salmonberries, a blueberry bush, a huckleberry bush, a couple of alders, and a cattail pond. Here in a bit, Roy is going to swing ’round and take me for a quick paddle in one of the canoes. I can sure see the appeal of living here.

I’ll be staying with Anna again tonight, partaking in the 4th potluck tomorrow, and probably staying at Dave’s house for the rest of the week. I’ll head home on Friday afternoon, and have the whole next week off. This job is awesome, and it’s so much harder than anything I’ve ever done for money. I’m really looking forward to having the week off, even though I will only have been working for two full weeks by then.

Last week I had the oldest group of kids (the 11 and 12 year olds); this week I have the youngest (6 and 7). I’m really enjoying the younger ones, with the small exception of the one who peed his pants because he didn’t want to give away his hiding spot in order to go use the bathroom. Fortunately, his mom had packed a change of clothes for him, so it was a minor event. Otherwise, they are so much sweeter and easier to deal with. They are young enough that they aren’t trying so hard to assert their independence, so consensus works a lot better for them. I will, no doubt, have stories further on in the week. For now, here is a picture of the instructors from last week. Frank said that I could post a picture of him as long as I linked to his website, but then he didn’t give me the website. I will link to it as soon as I get it.

Tags: work, naturalist, summer camp, kids, Mosswood Hollow, yurt