House elves at summer camp

I haven't said anything about Deer Hill yet, really. I hiked the eponymous hill tonight, and maybe found a new meditation spot. It's just the perfect distance for a bit of exercise and outdoor time, and has the most lovely 360 degree view.

I live with 5 other interns in "the homestead". It was built in 1890, and is not the 1890 Victorians of Rochester, but more like a miner's cabin. I thought it was great that there were 4 guys and 2 girls..we'd be able to spread out in the bunk room. Ha! It just means 2 of us share the tiny room. I have a sub-twin bed (with a vinyl mattress), a baby dresser, and a dining room-style chair. They take up all the space I have. And I get half of a night table. I can't open my dresser drawers if I stand in front of them. There's no place to hang up my bathrobe (which is ok, since it's chilly at night and I've been using it as an extra blanket). It is a cute place, and would be a wonderful place for 1 or 2 people.

The other interns are young! I was warned about this. Now I understand why most of my friends are older, and why I get along with the seniors on the Sierra Club trips so well. They regard me as a somewhat pitiable curiosity. I really like the field staff, though. Just had a great conversation with one of them about alternative education. Have some websites to check out, and need to find out more about Waldorf. As I had forgotten, doing things you may not want to do is a capacity acquired with age. My supervisor is from Oneonta. We had a little "New York moment" today when they were talking about the size of something and I said, "It's YOOGE!"

Our days here can be long or longer, but the work progresses at a very natural pace. 3 days feels like it's been 3 weeks. I have prepared and cleaned up after a lot of meals, mopped, cleaned bathrooms, taken out trash, lubed zippers and patched tents, gone through coolers of food just back from the field to determine its fate (and trucked it about on wheelbarrows), done copious quantities of dishes, washed tents, practiced backing trailers...what'd I miss? And there's tons more to learn.

Everyone here is extremely nice and genuinely helpful. Everyone here brings their dog to work. We compost. But it's still Colorado, and so the sprinklers blast away while it rains.

Mesa Verde is visible from my front window. I'm headed there tomorrow.