The Myth & The Majesty

Last month, I posted about our troubles with tourists and their directions to a certain monument . The problem seemed to be solved, although a few people have turned up since then ... I think iPhones were (are?) still struggling. In any case, that made me curious. This evening, I decided to fire up Google Earth again and see how it did -- and I found myself much more impressed by other things. If you play with it, you can find some awesome perspectives of Mount Rushmore. Like this one. And this one ... right up their noses. When I went looking for Harney Peak, I was disappointed. No view of the stone building on top, unfortunately. Just a weird CGI mountain. Why am I nitpicking? It's still pretty dang cool...

It is almost surprisingly difficult to get a picture of a roasting marshmallow. Yes -- that's what that is. It's almost more difficult when there's someone else trying to get the same picture. (That's Fifi over there, looking goofy. Not to say I didn't ... but I was on the other side of these photos. Thankfully.) Probably a good thing Shorty was patient and willing to keep burning marshmallows. And eventually build a fire in a different spot. I tell you. Sometimes they put us through the most grueling chores out here. It's a rough life.

The sausage was frozen, the milk was warm, and the coffee was decaf. If that sounds like a terrible greeting, you're right. It was all fairly easily remedied -- sausage in the convection oven for a boost, milk into the walk-in to cool it down completely, coffee swapped out (because apparently someone didn't realize they were grabbing decaf the last time the coffee maker ran out) but it made for an interesting morning. Then our guests -- 150 women and adolescent girls -- boarded their buses and took off. We got a breath of fresh air before a bread shortage launched us into motion again. After all, there are another hundred guests rumored for this evening and they, too, have to eat. No rest for the wicked.

1. It's been an interesting week -- we have 150 Catholic women and girls at the camp right now, which is right at capacity for us. Tonight's their banquet ... It's a lot of fun and a lot of work, so my break is abbreviated this afternoon. 2. The summer is winding down as well. Only one more mayhemic week left, followed by a pretty quiet week before the summer staffers head off in different directions. I'm still not sure where I'm going after that. 3. I still love the last Harry Potter movie. 4. I believe it is safe to assume that, if you're repeatedly having issues with the majority of the people around you (regardless of where you are), odds are good they're not the problem. 5. I also believe that this was too much hail in such a short time. 6. South Dakota's weather is a little hinky sometimes. 7. So is Seoul's . 8. I haven't been kayaking enough in the last couple of weeks. Good thing I have time next week. 9. I get to house-s...

It's been a long time coming ... but the final Harry Potter movie has been released. Yes, I know I'm a couple weeks late on that one, but as I've finally made it to the theater to see it, now's my chance to talk about my Hogwarts view. Let me summarize: I love this series, both the books and the movies. If you don't want to read any further, you now know the general idea of it. Also, there will be spoilers. While just about everybody knows and understands most of them, I might let details slip that could be ... well, spoilers. * It took awhile before I was willing to join the Harry Potter Club. It was a kid thing, and I -- at the ripe old age of 13 (just two years older than the characters, actually) -- didn't feel like joining in with the kid thing. In fact, I resisted until after the first movie came out on video something like five years later. It was the summer of 2002 when we watched it at the day care ... and I was almost instantly hooked. It was sho...

In 2004, I worked with ten fantastic summer folks out at Storm. At the time, we were all young and mostly unattached. This past weekend, I attended the wedding of one of those coworkers. This time it was Emilie, the youngest of the 2004 crowd. It was a beautiful wedding -- fairly simple (as in "not extravagant") and not overly large, although longer than most Protestant weddings I've had the privilege of attending. They included a foot-washing ceremony in lieu of a unity candle, which was something I'd never seen before. Emilie was gorgeous, as always, and the wedding party was hilarious. What I found particularly cool was that they only had siblings standing up for them -- her three sisters and his three brothers. It got me to thinking, though. The group's single population has been slowly thinning. I think [although not with much certainty] April was first, followed closely by Kellie. Dyan came next. Somewhere in there, Sarah left to become a nun. Then ...

The bone-melting heat has ceased for a couple days. Good news for me, since I got to grill 100 burgers today for lunch -- and 105-degree weather is not conducive to grilling. (85 degrees is surprisingly bearable.) Aside from that, today I also got to experience the panic of a misplaced wallet. Turns out I managed to leave it behind when I went in search of air conditioning and wi-fi on Monday. Lucky for me, the folks working here hid it away ... and recognized me as soon as I walked in. Embarrassing? Maybe. A tremendous relief? Absolutely. In other news, there's a fire burning on the Wyoming-SoDak border that's causing haze and orange sunsets in this area and threatening the Hills. It's up over 5000 acres now with a windy day forecasted ... which is less than encouraging at the moment. And finally, I'm prepping for a wedding back east this weekend. Number 2 (of 4) for the year, number ... 30-something overall. Once again for someone younger than me. I keep hopin...

(Written last night as I sat in our incredibly warm living room.) The coolest and weirdest parts about working at the camp all come from our guests. People of all walks pass through here, whether it's a church group, secular camp, or family reunion. And all of those can lead to some truly surreal moments. My first was during a Farmer's Union leadership camp. I had the split shift that day and took a nap during my break; when I woke up and returned to work, I walked back to the sounds of "Californication" blasting down the valley, kids lounging on the grass. The following weekend, there was a Mennonite family reunion. In addition to their worship services (which involved some of the most amazing singing), there were several folks with unexpectedly heavy Cajun accents. The next time, I had the late shift. This time, I was serenaded by the sounds of fifty kids playing plastic (PVC, actually) flutes as I walked to the kitchen. Not long after, there was a Catho...

I feel fine, With the sun in my eyes, The wind in my hair. We're falling outta this sky. I'm doing better than I thought I would. But nothing's ever as good as when you're on top (The Wallflowers, "When You're On Top") It's hot outside. As in, "It's a relief when the temperature drops below 95" hot. As in, "Boy, I'm glad I live in the dry part of the state so that it doesn't feel like it's actually over 110" hot. They're two-shower days -- once in the morning to feel human again, then again after work to lose the layer of sweat that's accumulated. This week is becoming a quest for air conditioning. Yesterday afternoon, I headed for the neighborhood establishment for the simple joy of being in a under-90-degree-room for a little while for the first time in three days. A car ride brings relief for a few minutes; a coffee shop is a pure blessing. Heck, sometimes I just step into our walk-in freezer ...

The summer staffers at Storm get two days off each week. They're always random (unless specifically requested) -- so the two days change each week -- and if you don't get the heck out of camp, you run the risk of getting drafted for this task or this chore. With that in mind, it's usually easy to tell who has the day off because they are not to be found. I am no exception. My first day off last week, Shorty and I hit the lake for the afternoon. My second day off was right after (two in a row!) and went like this. (7:15 AM) I'm awake and surprised. Last night was a late one, but apparently the boating adventure wore me out because I slept like a rock. All the same, I'm happy to not oversleep -- seems like a good day to get an early start. (8:30 AM) Dressed in summer-type layers, I aim for Rapid City. Maybe I'm overthinking things, but gym clothes didn't seem appropriate for my breakfast stop -- Black Hills Bagels , one of my new favorite places in to...

This is Shorty. He's crazy. This is Shorty's boat, which he built with his own two hands. Last year, he and another psycho (Shorty #2, his half-adopted brother) dreamed this thing up. And then Shorty and another friend of his discovered some design flaws while out in some pretty high winds. Shorty just finished rebuilding this week and had to give it a test run. It started off pretty well, although Shorty realized he should have had a second person on board. (Probably not his sister, though, as she would have only caused more issues.) It wasn't all smooth sailing and a few bumps were acquired. But it all worked out, mostly. Eventually, the only real problem was that the wind decided not to blow after all. Which meant Shorty and his sister had to paddle it back in, much to the amusement of other lake-goers. The End (Hmm. Blogger could really use a script font...)

Any day on the water is a good one. -Unknown Yesterday we got Shorty's boat out on the water. It wasn't entirely successful, but it wasn't a complete disaster, either. More on that later. Today, I get to start my day with a fresh bagel and some wi-fi, continue it with some more paddling, and then head on to Keystone for ice cream and Custer for dinner. I'm doing a full tour of the Hills today and it is good.

"Made ... of ... dog ... poo." "Honey, do you know why that little boy did those things, and said those things? It's because he likes you." And there it is. That's the beginning of our problem ... Do you know what this means? It means we're encouraged -- no, programmed to believe that if a guy acts like a total jerk, that means he likes you! (Flash through scenes of women consoling each other about various jerks.) Why do we say this stuff to each other? Is it possible it's because we're too scared and it's too hard to say the one obvious truth that's staring everyone in the face? -He's Just Not That Into You (opening scene) I love movies, books, and to be perfectly honest, most forms of pop culture. It intrigues me. However, I try not to go to pop culture for advice about much of anything. This movie is one of the poppiest, and based on a poppy book on top of that. But in every poppy relationship self-help book (or movi...

I keep breaking Rule #1 for the summer -- I'm not getting enough sleep. There's no excuse for it. Heck, as long as I've got a split shift I should really be taking a nap instead of drinking caffeinated beverages and hanging out at my local establishment, stealing their wi-fi. Just full of bad habits today. Anyway, I'm working on something that may actually be worth reading. Hopefully I'll finish it before any sleep-deprivation delirium sets in, although it may not post till tonight sometime. Stay tuned.

(*this summer) I have learned ... that I really do like soy milk. That I can be nice to people who drive me crazy. (Especially if they're only going to be around for a week.) How quickly I can move when something spills. How quickly I can move when a herd of children is approaching. That it only takes two sentences to turn a conversation from "normal" to "really, really awkward." That I still look approachable. Just how much damage hailstones can do. That tourists never change. That the Hills are truly therapeutic. That you can be a daytime regular at a bar (and never order anything more potent than Pepsi). That Shorty's pretty cool for a brother. How to avoid a burn. How to not avoid a burn. That I'm still computer-dependent. How much I can enjoy a job ... even when it's stressing me out. That I can load my kayak onto my car without help. That staying in one place for too long really does drive me crazy. That I ne...

... is simple. This week I have two days off in a row for no reason -- except that my boss is pretty cool. In two weeks I'm heading east for a wedding, so this week I'd rather stay close to camp. The dilemma? I don't know what to do with myself. I'd like to leave camp for ... most of it. I'd kind of like to go camping, but it's a lot of effort for one night (the food in particular). I'd also like to bring my boat along, which limits where I'd camp a bit more. On the other hand, Shorty has one of those days off as well and I'm guessing he'd like to get his sailboat out (and it seems silly to take two cars). Plus all of that costs money unless you do it juuuuuust right. I did say it was a dumb dilemma, didn't I?

So ... I'm getting ready to go to another wedding in a couple weeks here. There's always a little camp mayhem going on. And I'm increasingly finding myself in a "sounding board" position that's occasionally a little strange. Was I sufficiently vague in that description of my week? There's plenty going on. Aside from working, between the nighttime outings (mostly to find wi-fi, although occasionally to find trouble) and finding places to kayak, I'm managing to study some, read some, and work on my resume. It's starting to feel like a productive summer.  PS: It's hard to take a picture from a rocking kayak.  That's a good thing, right? I mean, summers can be productive without being a drag ... right? I sure hope so. I have a lot of work to get done before August ends.

As much as I've read about the Casey Anthony trial in the last two days, I'm still ... baffled. Overall. Which made me wonder -- what do the rest of you think? For review, here were the charges: - Murder: not guilty. - Child abuse: not guilty. - Manslaughter: not guilty. - Lying to police: guilty. Any search on Google, Bing, or any news channel will give you more than enough stories to read. When you're done, I want to know what you think. Normally I don't try to start fights but this time ... I really want to hear it. Leave a comment with a full-blown opinion or use this cheater-cheater method here: Do you agree (in whole or in part) with the Casey Anthony verdict? Yes No    pollcode.com free polls

My, how things have changed. In my former job, I risked paper cuts and carpal tunnel. Now, I have ... four recent (small) burns on my arms. I used to drive six miles to work every day and it took fifteen minutes. Now, I walk about 150 yards to work and it takes thirty seconds. In my previous location, I was a regular at a brewery because I liked their beer. Now I'm a regular at a neighborhood bar but it's for their Pepsi and wi-fi. I lived 800 miles from my grandparents and saw them about twice a year. Now, I'm about 60 miles away and I've seen them twice in the last month. I used to sleep until the last possible minute because I was only sort of enthused about work every morning. Now, I sleep until the last possible minute because otherwise I'll be tired by mid-morning ... and getting up before 5:45 seems silly. In my previous job, I risked having customers walk all over me. Now I risk having small children spill all over me. If I went for a walk befo...

Are you going to tell me what comes next Or am I just supposed to know? (OK Go) "Well ... We may need you to come get us." To say that wasn't exactly what I wanted to hear would be putting it mildly, but I wasn't exactly surprised. Mom and Dad had a rough start to their vacation -- their car had died before they were even ten hours into the drive to the Grand Canyon -- and they'd been driving a rental car for the rest of the week. In the meantime, the car was being repaired in Sterling, Colorado. Unfortunately, not quickly enough. As it happened, I had the day off and rather coincidentally a full tank of gas. So it was that an hour after a "Call me!" text message, I was on the road. Sterling is only about four and a half hours straight south of the camp, across the Nebraska panhandle. Let me tell you -- if you ever have to drive north to south across Nebraska, take the panhandle. Not only is it about eighty miles shorter, it's surprisingl...