the land: exploring my own surroundings.

i've spent the past couple weekends hanging around camp a lot. partly because i'm trying to save up money, but mostly because i really enjoy this place. last weekend i had a great time wandering around big bear with a couple good friends. we visited the thrift stores in search of outfits for the staff party. when i moved here, i was surprised to find that big bear has a large selection of thrift stores. they are all those locally owned shops who just charge you $5 for a big pile of items when you set them on the counter. love it.

after finding many goodies, we bought cigars and attempted to smoke them while walking along a boardwalk. it was so windy we couldn't get them to light, but i laughed so much in the process that it was all worth it.

i was a field instructor this week and my students were awesome. they all really loved hiking and exploring the forest. on thursday afternoon, we had a low point, so i busted out my fake farting noise and most the students wrote on their evaluations that the 20 minutes of laughter and farting would be some of the moments they remember most in 6 months. i might not have been the best at teaching the concepts this week, but i know my students left with a sense of inquiry and wonder about the land around them.

this weekend has been a blast so far. the staff party was a riot. i'll leave it at that. slightly ragged from the party, the next day a car full of us drove down the mountain for a day of enjoyment at pharaoh's lost paradise fun center. we bought passes for 2 hours of unlimited mini golf, go carts and arcade games. i got an ab workout from all of the laughing i did. i'm pretty sure i even drooled a little bit. i ended the night early with a good book and some mango sorbet.

i'm not about to hike to a new place in the forest i haven't been to yet. can't wait!