November 13, 2004

November 12 & 13, 2004

Trout Lodge

DAYS 148 & 149

 

Friday ; Unbelievable ! The windshield washer fluid is leaking out under the truck ! I will be taking it back to Parker-Banks on Tuesday, and this time, after the service manager tells me the work is done, I will be filling the reservoir right to the top, and then waiting for an hour at the dealer to see if it leaks. This isn’t even amusing any more ! ! !

This is Art Appreciation Weekend. My personal contribution to this weekend’s theme is tomorrow’s “memory stone”. I spent most of the afternoon assigned to the boat house, learning boat house operations, then draining row boats and pedal boats, and pulling them out of the water. Physically difficult, cold, dirty work. Late in the afternoon, I led a hike. I was supposed to conduct a camp fire building clinic right after supper, but I convinced the “powers that be” to cancel my fire building clinic and move the camp fire indoors into the Teepee building. The Trout Lodge Point campfire area was very wet from yesterday’s rain. The temperature was low. It was windy. I was convinced the paying guests would be happier indoors at the Teepee. I was right. It was a great camp fire evening. The Teepee building was warm. It was well lit, as opposed to the darkness of Trout Lodge Point. Two regular staff were absent for their assignment at the camp fire, so I filled in as best as I could. I’m not up to speed on their songs and skits, but a lot of it was just following other’s leads. It was great fun. Although ... I was the only one who made a little child cry during the skit that requires the “performers” to approach the audience while singing a silly song, and clap unexpectedly in someone’s face. I startled a little girl so badly she began to cry < sigh >.

 

Saturday ; Yesterday and today were so cold that the outside water supply hose froze. I had to switch from “city water” to the trailer’s internal water tank. Good thing the tank was full. I filled it a couple of days ago, as a precaution / plan B, when the outside water supply hose was partially frozen one morning. I had to stomp all over the hose that morning to break up the ice that was forming in it. The last few days have been quite cold and windy, with night time temperatures as low as 25 degrees F. last night.

My work started this morning with a fishing trip. The temperature was cold, and there was a wind, so outings onto Lake Sunnen are not as pleasant as they were a few weeks ago, when we first arrived. I’m starting to have reservations about being here another 2 weeks. Over lunch I met with Lindsey to plan my work assignments for the next 2 weeks. At 1:00 P.M. I instructed archery, and at 2:00 P.M. I instructed archery again. At 3:00 I started a special event. I had suggested a program activity of going on a hike to collect interesting articles of nature, then embedding them into plaster, or gluing them onto plates, or something like that, similar to what we did with Madeleine and Amelia at Grand Beach in August. The idea was “brainstormed” and modified slightly. I led a hike out into the forest for an hour to collect interesting articles of nature. When we finished the hike, I led the group to Arts And Crafts, where Amy and Abby were waiting. They had prepared a wood frame in a flower bed. As soon as my hiking group arrived, Amy and Abby poured concrete into the wood frame, and everybody embedded their favourite articles of nature into the concrete “memory stone”. This is the first of what may become a series. Today’s participants can return in the future, and admire their memory stone, which will remain in the flower bed. Part of my “memory stone” hike group was a family with 2 little girls, aged two and four. They enjoyed the outing so much that when they took a picture of the 2 little girls beside the freshly poured concrete memory stone, they wanted me in the picture with the little girls. I will now be memorialized forever in some family’s photo album.

After supper, I performed, and taught, magic and juggling in Arts And Crafts. Whenever I’m working, Joanne’s hours match mine. She works in the Waterwheel Country Store, mostly working on special projects. She is making a lot of progress in a number of areas, doing stuff that nobody else wants to do, or doesn’t know how to do. All of the projects she undertakes, she does on her own initiative, determining what needs to be done, and how it should be done, then doing it. She’s been given a free hand to improve the store, and her results are quite impressive.

DSK