June 14, 2007: I Begin to Wonder What Would Make Socializing Fun

Thursday, June 14, 2007

​Yesterday, I unlocked the rig, stuck the keys in the ignition so they wouldn’t get lost, pressed the button to unlock all the doors, shut the front door, and went to open the back door. It was locked. 

Pippa got a ride from the NPS to get her keys from camp. Meanwhile, Declan used a stick to break in. We got our water, moved the rig down the road, took the keys, locked the doors, and played a joke on Pippa.

Today, we worked 6:30-4:00 with 45 minutes for lunch. We spent about 30 minutes with maintenance while they cut down a tree. Pippa and Eli held traffic signs. The rest of us watched while the tree fell. There was no cleanup because the tree didn’t fall on the road, so we didn’t get as long a break as we had hoped.

Weed spraying was over uneven ground filled with holes and snags. The NPS people don’t communicate well with each other, so it was a lot of “go uphill” and 30 seconds later “go downhill” and two minutes later “bump right” and 90 seconds later “stop, we’re pivoting left.” Frustrating day.

Someone saw a rattlesnake. We startled three fawns. I saw two.

They are giving us a cookout tonight. Maybe one day I will learn to enjoy such social gatherings. Maybe enjoyment depends on the people there.