Week 6: Half way through... wowzerrrss

Wow already half way through the summer. Some skills I've developed so far: 1) How to properly handle a chainsaw 2) How to hold my own amongst a plethura of male genitalia and bodily function humor 3) Knowing when i can change my underwear and still have a clean pair come laundry day 4) The exact angle my pants must be in vicinity to my ankles to NOT pee on them in the woods 5) How to kill 5 mosquitoes with a single fist 6) How to fall asleep without a TV showing playing on my laptop 7) How to deal with other people selecting the music for the car rides 8) How to avoid not being "it" in fart tag (just act like you don't care if anyone farts on you...then they don't :) ) 9) How to block out the odors that arise from showering but once a week and finally 10) How to deal with a viscious case of trailgoggles when you enter back into town (they're kind of like beergoggles). It helps you from checking out any guy with a pulse

But in all seriousness, I've learned a lot out here so far. I am definitely comfortable with using a chainsaw when before I left, my dad showed my for like 10 minutes on a log in our yard and i was very hesitant...freaked out even. I am able to go without constant sensory stimulation, when before I couldn't even walk to campus without my ipod. I am reading so many interesting books and learning lots just from the people i'm with 24/7. I split wood for our fire for the first time yesterday using only a hatchet. I do miss elements of my primary lifestyle, but I'm not desperately yearning them.

This past week we began cutting down hazard trees (dead trees that could potentially get blown over by wind into roads). These trees that we cut are going to be the material that we use in our buck and rail fence that we will begin building this week. Buck and rail has the x's with the post lying horzontally between them...?... I'll try to post pictures. I was pretty nervous to begin actually cutting down big trees this week because even though we learned the method and everything in our trainings, I was not that confident. Stu, my leader, stuck with Lida and I all week though and we are definitely improving. I went from cutting a tree probably 6 inches in diameter to a much larger one that was like 12 - 14 inches by the end of the week. It's actually really fun once you get over the fact that there's a 40 foot tree looming over your head.

This weekend we are staying local because it was a shorter weekend since we had Monday off for the 4th and had to work Friday. I'm in Steamboat Springs right now. It's a mobscene. There is a hotair balloon rodeo...?? IDK. Lots of vendors and like fleamarket type deal. But I'm going to go to see Evan from Outward Bound play in a Rugby tournament that's up by the ski area. Then it's back to camp tonight. Hopefully swimming in Lake John tomorrow. I definitely miss the beach, but mountain lakes aren't too bad either.

Skeeter and Jake finally shaved their facial hair today. They decided to do "Fu Man Chu" style..?? Fumanchu I think i'm gonna let mine grow out though. When in Rome right??

Hope everyone is enjoying their summer just as much as I am!! I always love hearing from people, so drop me a line or send me a singing telegram.

xo

The buck and rail fence is the second from the left