Day 180

I had three walks yesterday and enjoyed being out and feeling well. Still folded up early and slept well so I guess I’m out of the woods but not fully recovered. After I water the orchids, I will go to church. If I start coughing, I’ll simply leave. Need groceries early as I promised Megan a chicken for her lunches. She goes back to college tomorrow. I’m loving the crane lights. The glow is warm and makes me smile. Finish POH story.

When I was teaching at Pine Grove, I was the only single teacher in the fourth and fifth grades so it was my pleasure to accompany the top students on an overnight camping trip to Howland Hill Outdoor School near the end of the year. Ten students from each of our four classes were chosen for responsible behavior and good grades. The remainder of my students were distributed among the other classes. We took three parents and a helping crew for cooking the meals.

The bus picked us up early on a Thursday morning and we were at the school, unpacked, and ready for the day by 9 AM. The park rangers had a series of classes, games, and field trips planned to keep the group of 40 busy all day with breaks for meals and rest. By evening, the group would meet in the lodge for stories and singing until a ranger took them out in the night to listen to the dark forest and starry sky. The programs were fun and interesting and the kids were avid. Up early in the morning with chores and breakfast before another day of ranger-led classes. When it was time to pack up, nobody wanted to go. Back at school, no one wanted to go inside.

One year it rained and poured and then rained some more. We went anyway and I can tell you that there was never a group with better attitudes and energy on doing all the fun things anyway. We would go out for a study group, go back in the lodge, throw the wet coats over the rafters and they would steam in the heat of the wood stove. It was a little like a sauna but at the next chance, out they went again. I enjoyed every minute of the trips to the outdoor school.