Day 1403: Election Day

Fredonia has its first female mayor!  Dr. Athanasia Landis has been elected by a margin of over 400 votes!  What exciting news!  She has a very positive and forward looking approach.  I hope she can help get the community back on track.  She'll be helped by two Democrats who won seats as trustees. The other big story is that residents of Forestville voted for dissolution.  They've had a steady stream of financial woes and incompetent leadership so the results are not surprising.

We spent the day at school talking with the eighth graders about Quest in Bryan and Doug's classes.  The kids were very receptive to the presentation and indicated lots of interest.  Just a few student leaders showed up to speak to students for three periods, but no one came for two of the classes.  That was disappointing because their enthusiasm is so contagious and has a strong impact on the kids.

When we got home, Doug sent a delightful email.  Apparently, the kids were discussing Quest when one boy asked his friend if he wanted to be his tent mate.  The second boy answered, "No, I've already picked out my tent partners.  I've got a six man tent."  At that point, Doug intervened and suggested that a two person tent would be much lighter.  "No," he replied.  "I've got it all figured out. We're going to take turns carrying it."

Another boy said he had a contact in Dunkirk who would make a pizza delivery to them along the trail!

Ahhh, kids.   Love them!

Every year Doug does a beautiful introduction to our presentation.  Today was his best ever and it made me think about the role of courage in Quest.  I think it's one of the traits I have neglected throughout the book and I'll have to revisit that concept.

He talked about how each successive challenge give us courage to tackle the next.  He referenced four events in his life that gave him the confidence to accept the next big challenge.  First, as a fifth grader he spent two weeks at Camp in the Woods in Bear Lake and that helped him adjust to being away from home.  Next, when he was a junior, he spent on month in Germany on the Bamberg Exchange.  It was his first time in an airplane, first passport, and he had full immersion in a new culture.   That gave him the courage to tackle a month in Uzbekistan on a Fulbright scholarship.  And that led to him going to China to adopt his daughter.

It made me think a lot about Natalie's courage.   She was the only 8th grade student from Brocton to hike last year and she tented with two girls she had never met.  Think about the guts that took.

Our beautiful back yard!