haven't thought of resolutions, yet

I am facing a dilemma that I was not anticipating. Seems that I might now be looking for spring work--could go back to the old job, but it isn't a great fit, and they know it, and I know it...So now I am looking around madly for something to make a little bit of money, unlike this entire winter. And I've actually found some really great options.

SCA is hiring leaders for their alternative spring break, which is one month of work, and means that I could bop around with Sky and Laura, or hike the AT for a little bit, and maybe pick up some other short trip-like jobs somehow.

Also there are Ridgerunner and Caretaker positions open for the southern part of the AT, which actually sound very fun and exciting, talking to people about hiking and LNT and gear and fun stuff like that. It is different from everything else I have done, and I am rather jazzed about it.

But I don't want to get my hopes up too high, and I need to decide soon what I am doing and tell Salish. Bounce. I also need to get my WFR recert, and want to talk WTA into paying for half of it, or something. I will scrub floors, peel potatoes, whatever.

Also must prepare to apply for summer WTA work. Not even thinking about fall. Trying to leave Tole Mour behind--though that may not be the right choice, either. A huge part of me wants to GO BACK!

t-day

Menu So Far That I Can Tell:

Juice Shots: Grapefruit and Mint, Ginger and Apple

Crackers with Cream Cheese and Olive Tapenade

Clementine Oranges

Black Cherry, Pomegranate, Wild Blueberry Jellybeans

Fig and Goat Cheese Spinach Salad

Seed-crusted Harvest Rolls

Butternut Squash Bisque

Maple-glazed Brussel Sprouts

Rosy Duchess Potatoes

(guest is bringing green beans?)

Carrot, Pecan, Cranberry Grain Salad

Turkey

Stuffing

Cranberry Sauce

Caramelized Onions?

Duck of some sort?

Pastry Wrapped Honey Poached Pears

Vanilla and Butter Pecan Ice Cream

Pumpkin Pie

16 People--most are exchange student from Wash U.

I made another hat--this time for a baby boy, and it is pretty cute. I have a hard time making the place where one row blends into the next look seemless.

Pictures from Texas

Ponder

The last two weeks have flown by, and I have really enjoyed my time here in Texas. So much has happened but nothing ever felt rushed or busy. It just kind of flowed along from breakfast into work, sometimes into a guitar session instead, with games in the afternoon, potlucks or craft nights in town, pauses for duckling cuddling, and lots of learning about Rocket Stoves, cob, Earthbag houses, plumbing, sweet potatoes, and crochet. Leaving tomorrow for St Louis. I'm rather glad I'm taking the train, it will give me more space to shift my thoughts forward.

adventure month

I am back in the airport once again, inspired by free wifi. Sunrise as we drove to Seatac, glow-orange with a line of pink and blue all around. It's raining now. I am mostly glad to be leaving Seattle. I am mostly excited to be headed towards a farm in Texas to help build some sort of house. Things seem pretty routine--security lines were long, a granola bar is way to expensive, my luggage is too heavy and overfull. At the same time it feels like everything is unstable, and about to change in some life-altering way.

What fall looked like

back from Quartz Creek, back from Icicle Ridge

Well, I can't really believe it, but it looks like it's the end of the summer for me. My fall job starts on the 1st of September, and I've moved in to staff housing and started looking for some winter busy work.

The high country around Lake Augusta and Big Jim Mountain. Larch, Rocks, Dust, and Garnets! Nothing big enough for me to take home though. Crew leader Julia and I had a great time together, cooking, venting, hiking, and finding rocks to hide behind. Not to mention signing songs.


It was cold and frosty at our mountain meadow camp. Wind rattled the silver tree skeletons and blew dust and dirt into my tent. Snowed one night and reached lows of 28. Very beautiful up there, no hiker traffic, probably because it took some serious commitment to master the strenuous hike up.
Brushing, rock removal, root removal, and picking up sticks and throwing them on the downhill side of the trail. Two and a half miles of this.

This is one of my few pictures from Quartz Creek. We were working in a nice shady forest, building some horse-worthy check steps and fighting the black fly fight. We had an ice cream social on the last day, and I downed an entire pint of half-liquid brownie batter ice cream. Yum. Then I had to hike back 4 miles to retrieve a lost shovel. Not so fun.

Going to try to summarize my summer notes for a wrap-up meeting tomorrow with my boss...it's been a great summer.

back from Schreiber's Meadows, back from Meander Meadow

I have been work a lot with the youth lately, first a front country trip and then a back country. I've got to say that it is amazing the different that a year or two can make in a kid's maturity level. Neither were 'bad' weeks, both were successful trips, but things were just so much more fun and relaxed with the older kids, I think mostly because they had more work ethic and were a very inclusive group and very into having fun, even in the face of mountain meadow mosquitoes and daily thunderstorms.

Time for a trail nap. The youth were arguing about the Robin Hood morality question.

Beautiful PCT near Glacier Peak. If I ever learn enough about mountaineering, that's the mountain I want to climb.

Mt. Baker and Mazama Camp. Quite a hike to get up here, but stunning views. Right now I am starting to pack for the next two weeks, sorting out the fall circus, looking for amazing winter jobs (Nov-March, I'm awesome and hard working, and I'll send you a resume), and gathering my things for moving in day for Salish.

back from Holden Lake, back from Robbinswold

It's been a busy two weeks, and I'm about to start another two week stint, but I wanted to check in here briefly. I'm relaxing at home, with cheese melts and lavender ice cream, watching NCIS and putting off doing laundry.

Holden Lake: beautiful lake, baby marmots, massive turnpike, good crew, great crew leader.

Camp Robbinswold: teaching kayaking, beautiful Hood Canal, great group of middle school girls, singing, crepes, friends.

Looks like I'm going to be sailing onboard the Carlyn this fall, with Salish Seas. If you have some fabulous winter employment, lasting from Nov to March, let me know. I will travel, I'm handy in the kitchen, can tidy, sing, sail, or crosscut.

back from Hart Lake

Happy fourth of July, everyone. I had a surprisingly nice day yesterday, with camp friends, walking, rain, the Festival of Wooden Boats, a job opportunity, getting called 'pretty lady', laundry, and ice cream with hot fudge sauce.

Had a really good WTA week with the youth up at Hart Lake. Rebuilt two puncheon, learned a bunch about trailwork, honed my Fox Walk, got to explore a whole new area of Washington. We bowled at Holden Village, swatted mosquitoes, rode the slow boat, told riddles, discussed gender stereotypes, and laughed at the Nose Monster. It takes a lot more energy than the adult Volunteer Vacations, but I think the payoff is bigger. Now I have a short, busy week off, and then I'm heading back east.

back from the Carbon River

Well, Arlen warned me that Volunteer Vacations would really take it out of me, and he was right. I really wanted some quiet time after I got back. But now there stretches before me a lonely expanse of time with no colorful meals or old growth forests or stories in the party tent, and I am sad. I've got my climbing gear out in hopes that I'll get to tag along with someone, and I am working on logistics for a solo kayak around Vashon and Blake. I'm getting ready to send out a bunch of fun mail, I am applying to jobs and waiting to hear back from NOLS. And all the time, I am wishing I was not here in this house, and that I had more friends in the area to rescue me. Sometimes, self-rescue is hard work.

beyond the summer

Outdoor Environmental Education:

Boojum Institute

Ashokan Center

High Trails

Green River Preserve

Sailing:

World Ocean School

Sea Semester

Salish Sea Expeditions

and of course, NOLS:

National Outdoor Leadership School

Some recent photos

I've been meaning to do better with the photo-taking. Some small upheavals lately, so didn't do as well as I hoped...no pictures of bleached teak decks for instance. Trying to work up some enthusiasm for this awesome summer job that's coming up. Things I don't like: feeling trapped, and running away. Hoping for a little sun to lift my spirits here in Seattle.

Plaques from the Sculpture Park

Heron, adventures in Adobe Illustrator

Got to ac-cen-tu-ate the positive

So I'm still working on the robbinswold logo. Unlike many art projects, my first draft really was a first draft, and I've been working on redrawing it to be more balanced and pleasing and awesome. I have some high hopes for tomorrow, when I will get to use the studio of a real graphic designer, who has already given me one tip (full moon, not a crescent moon) that really ties everything together.

I've been listening to the How Stuff Works podcast, eating creme brulee'd cheesecake, and resigning myself to the fact that my jeans are uncomfortably tight and I should stop trying.

A couple of the places that have fall job opportunities:

http://www.worldoceanschool.org/

http://www.thehightrailsway.com/PositionOverview.html

http://salish.org/GetInvolved/progemploymentopportunities

http://www.nwresd.k12.or.us/instrserv/noss/employment.html

I guess that working at an environmental education center for a while would really show me once and for all how well I like teaching kids...

What's coming up

Hello. I'm sitting in Seatac Airport right now. They've added free wifi since last summer, and it has inspired me to post to the blog. I know it's been a long time. Headed to the midwest to visit family. I have cheese and crackers and dried mango to eat, and a trashy magazine to read, and two heavy carry on bags.

Made some citrus cornmeal cake last night, based on a recipe from Simply Recipes--it's one of my favorite food blogs, I feel like her recipes are really well written. Most of the cake is going to some family friends, but I made a couple mini-fish-shaped cakes to taste and they were good--sweet and light with lots of green zest.

Working on finding more seasonal work for when summer is over. There are a few different directions I could go in, and I am starting also to look into more schooling. I would really like to be in a place where I could have my own little home, and decorate it, and arrange the kitchen to my tastes, but Most Likely, I will be in a situations that involves a tent, yurt, cabin, or bunk.

I still need to mail out some of my Chile gifts--to Montana and Boston. And I have a couple of weeks this summer that are just calling out for adventures to be planned.

more from Suzy's corner

Thinking of: boat names.
Capability
Directrix
Hemerine
Tornatil
Nepenthene
Tantivy
Aquaintance

Making: jewelry for gifts.

Coveting: Alba Organics facial moisturizer.

Saving up for: Osprey Kestrel 68 backpack OR Gregory Z65 Backpack.

Considering: Permaculture, Ethnobotany, Experiential Education.

Planning: a party menu.
http://www.mybakingaddiction.com/key-lime-pie-bars/
http://eyecandy.nanakaze.net/?p=535

Spending: too much time on eBay.

Ricon de Suzy

Tuesday morning, here. Spending some time waiting for the weekly meeting to end. I am not invited to this meeting. Supposed to be boxing up and cleaning out the food closet today. Leaving soon. Hope everything will work out. Hope everything will fit in my bags. I'd like to do something fun this weekend. Things are going to get busy and complicated soon, so I should be glad of this period of calm, but I don't like waiting. I like doing.

Rations Room and a Weekend Shot

North American Summer

So I'm going to be an assistant crew leader this summer, working for the Washington Trails Association. I'll be all over the state this summer, from Mt. Rainier, to the Wenatchee Nat'l Forest, to the Hood Canal area. Going to lead some adult and some youth crew, which will be a nice mix, I think. 

I'll have four weeks off this summer, so that should allow me some time for personal hiking trips, visiting friends on their sailboat, and hopefully volunteering for camp for a week. And I have almost everything that I need, besides a couple of pairs of gloves, and (hopefully) a new backpacking backpack. My current one just isn't suitable for heavy duty trail work, though it's comfortable enough carrying lighter loads. So if you would like to sign up to go on one of my volunteer vacations, I can tell you which ones I'm leading. Most are full, but the standby list does sometimes work. 

I've also got to motivate myself with this whole stick-shift manual transmission issue. 

Evolution

It's almost time for a new t-shirt to be designed. At least that's the tradition...

Wedding Party 3

Wedding Party 2

Wedding Party 1

Street Scenes in Patagonia

For Sale in Coyhaique

Patagonia Pictures 3

Patagonia Pictures 2