Day 1519: Brad and Sarah!

Happy engagement day to our nephew Brad and sweet Sarah!  

Day 1518: Big Dipper 2016

The high was 65 degrees and sunny!  There were more people outside today than we've seen since September.  Walking dogs, biking, kids playing basketball and swinging on swing sets, jogging, even fishing!  Last year, the high was 18 degrees!

We took advantage of every moment, walked all over town and even had our first ice cream from the Big Dipper.   The place was mobbed!  Parking lot full and a long line waiting for service.  Then, off to the Point Gratiot.  Dozens of people were strolling on the beach and a few daredevils hiked up the hillocks of ice.  That was dangerous because the ice was undulating from the force of the waves.  Back at home, I was moved to do gardening.  When I cut back several of the grasses without gloves, I sliced my fingers open on the sharp blades.

At 8:15, the fire radio toned out a confirmed barn fire in Sheridan.  They called for mutual aid from multiple departments plus the fire coordinators.  As Steve packed up, we worried about the high winds.  A barn won't stand a chance in these winds.  He was only gone a few minutes when the dispatcher toned out again.  Stand down.  It's a bonfire, not a barn fire.  Thank goodness!   But
how foolish to have a bonfire with such high winds.

I think there's a hint of yellow in the willow.

Just beyond the hillocks is open water.

Day 1517: On the straight and narrow

Kathy kept kids out of the sewing room to give us quiet.  It's just too hard to concentrate with a half dozen kids chatting. Doreen kept me focused on the layouts and cutting with precise directions.  I cut out new coats for two guys who needed larger sizes and we made cut new bodices and linings for the three large coats.  We had a few close calls and made two small mistakes on color, but that's not too bad.  On Monday, we still have to cut linings for at least eight coats.  Those are difficult too because the bodices are the mirror image.

We also made great progress on Aida's cape. Ella, Jill, Kelsey, Ian, and Andrea traced the shapes on the muslin and cut 58 equilateral triangles until they ran out of fabric.  We still need to make another twenty because the cape is 12x24 feet. Next, the triangles go to the art class students who will use the batik method to imprint Egyptian designs.  It's a lot of work for an item that will only be used in one number, but it's an extraordinary opportunity for interdisciplinary learning.  Kathy also got most of the cast into their Nubian costumes and fitted another dress for Aida.

Ben, Kevin, Steve and Caryn planning how to hang the wall.

Girls with drills!

Abby and Caryn

Steve got a lot of help from Ben, Jake and Kevin B, along with stage crew members to hang the wall. All the panels had been previously constructed, but today they joined them today, added the strapping and attached them to the bar. It was a huge accomplishment.  They had to get all the panels up because on Monday, we have to clear the aud for the vocal concert on Tuesday and the stage for Wednesday.  Where on earth will we put everything?

Rehearsing with a mockup of the cape

Ella, Kelsey, Andrea, Ian and Jill cutting muslin triangles for the cape

Balancing the counterweights so the Abby and Caryn can raise and lower the wall.

I just couldn't face more word cutting today, so I spent my time studying youtube videos on how to compose a Facebook fan page for Quest.  I watched ten different videos and got a bit of valuable information from each one. The one thing that gave me pause was that the title of my book does not include the word Quest, but that's what most people will connect with.  It made me question my choice of titles again.  However, I can't confine the audience to only people who know about Quest now.  Let's hope that other schools and communities may embrace backpacking in the future.

Day 1516: Close Encounters of the Third Kind

I didn't plan to work all day on the book, but I did, except for a little break to watch an hour of an old favorite, Close Encounters.  The film looks cheesy now because the special effects were so limited, but I still love the story.   It's a classic!

On the book front, I spent many hours cutting just over 600 words.  Perhaps I am not ruthless enough cause I deliberate and reword.  On Feb, 14, I had 124, 854 and now it's down to 110, 654.  There are eleven chapters left to edit again, so I should reach my goal of 100,000 words.  How ironic.  In January, I was writing to be extremely thorough, now I'm cutting redundancies and words that do not add value.

Tomorrow morning, the sweatshop reopens and we'll tackle Aida's cape and the ministers' coats.  Hopefully, we didn't screw up the coat bodices too much.  The next month will be extremely busy, but then we'll have a week with our son in sunny California!

Princess's throne

Pharaoh's throne

Thank goodness for Jeff Davis and his crew of craftsmen!

Day 1515: Another house fire

Fire consumed another house in Pomfret today, likely due to a wood stove. It's terrible when people lose their homes.  Time for winter to be over so folks aren't depending on their fireplaces and wood stoves.   I've gotten quite obsessive about the threat of fire, constantly checking and rechecking the wood stove, oven and iron.  I'm afraid a bit of ash will escape when I put a new log inside.

No sewing today after all.  Kathy has been ill so the sweatshop is closed.  Instead, I spent six hours on editing and cut only about 500 words.  My eyeballs are tired!  

Our student leaders did a terrific job again today. They conducted the lessons on expedition behavior and lead another round of the human knot game.

Day 1514: Calling hours

The Cassadaga principal cancelled all after school activities today so students and staff could pay their respects to the family of their lost friend.  The poor young man who was killed this weekend in a tractor accident was greatly loved.  The principal made the right call.  Backpackers missed a class, but young men and women learned a more important lesson about compassion and caring.

Instead, I was able to go with Steve to Silver Creek and meet our troops.  Three guys and three girls, all a bit shy.  It's going to be difficult to develop any sort of relationship with them since we also have to be in Cassadaga on Wednesdays.  Plus, the activity period is so short!  Next week, their adviser will teach the map class while we both go to Cassadaga so Steve can meet those kids.  The following week, Kathy will teach the ladies' class in SC while I go back to Cassadaga.

Our famous lake returns

The Silver Creek Crew

Day 1513: Brocton class

Even though the enrollment in Brocton has never been more than five students, I have always loved going there on Tuesdays.  The reception is warm and welcoming and the kids are wonderful.  We all hoped this year would be different now that there is a faculty adviser, but I'm happy teaching a small group.  The expedition behavior class is fun because I give the kids real backpacking scenarios that they may have to grapple with.  They are surprised to learn that all of the situations have happened in the past.  It offers us an opportunity to tell funny stories and student leaders add their experiences to the discussion.

It appears we made a mistake in cutting out the bodices of the coats and it will probably mean taking apart a few coats Jody already sewed together.  We'll cut new pieces and reconstruct.  What a pain!

Day 1512: First crocus

Spring's first crocus!

Spring light on the creek

Another winter fire took our friend Henry's barn this afternoon.  He lost a lifetime of farm equipment and tractors, but no one was hurt and it did not spread to the house.  It's been hard to see so many people lose homes and property to fire this winter.  The great irony of this victim is that on March 5, the town of Dunkirk will be honoring Henry for his 50 years of service to the fire department. 

Day 1511: More obstacles

The road to publishing a book is fraught with many obstacles and today I learned about a couple more.  I thought the social media platform could come after the query, but now I've learned I should be established before I send out the letter so I can cite numbers.  My head is spinning and I'm wondering just how much public exposure I can manage.  More to contemplate.

Another spring day and time for a long, long walk.

I was saddened to learn that a young man from the Cassadaga senior class was killed in a tragic accident when his tractor overturned.  What a terrible loss for his family, friends, teachers and community.

Looking east along the Lake Erie shore from the state park.

Melting snows from the park gushing out into the lake.

Day 1510: A day of rest

Such a lovely, relaxing day!  It was so warm and sunny that we walked twice today.  First, 3.5 miles around town and another 1.5 miles at Lake Erie State Park.   I opened the back doors to let fresh air sweep out the staleness of winter from our home, put up the spring/summer curtains and threw away the Christmas centerpieces.  We finished off the evening at the Opera House to see the film, Carol.  It was exquisite, painful, breathtaking, and incredibly sad.  I'm not equipped to express its power, but it left me breathless and dizzy.

Very little ice on Lake Erie this year.

Nearly all the snow has melted at Lake Erie State Park

My daffodils are getting a head start.  The lilies and iris are also peaking through the surface.

My sturdy, vivid primroses.

Day 1509: My loyal sewing machine

I should have named my dear old sewing machine long ago.  She has served me well for just short of 45 years, but today she gave up.  Fifteen coats were stacked up and waiting to be sewn.  They'll wait.  I brought my friend home to pamper her with fresh oil and a deep cleaning.  With gentle care, hopefully she will stop jamming up and return to good working order.

We fitted the Nubian men with trousers and the handmaidens with dresses.  I cut new back panels for three coats to correct a mistake I made yesterday and then we cleaned up a week's worth of garments and fabric from the classroom.  It's progress, but not as much as we'd like.

The fabricators worked two full days on the beam repair so the stage could not be used for rehearsal and we can't get the wall hung tomorrow.  Usually Ben runs the whole show on the last day of Feb break, but that was not possible.  The repair delays have caused us to fall behind.  Upcoming concerts also will further interfere with the schedule.  The next month will be very intense. But for now, we have the weekend off.

Today I merged the three history chapters into one and started cutting.  Beginning with a word count of 11,100, I cut down to 9000 by deleting much of the personal details.  It hurts to cut some our stories, but I think it's actually helping the overall quality of the book.

Andrea and Ella assisting with cutting out patterns

Allison and Jill

Doreen organizing all the various pieces for the ministers' coats

Our lovely handmaidens

Ben working away

Day 1508: Busy, crazy day

Day 1507: Ministers' coats

The workmen did not show up again today, so the stage was free for dance rehearsal

and stage combat practice.  

Meanwhile, the costume team worked on the ministers'  coats.  Jody sewed and Doreen organized the pieces, while four girls and I pinned and cut out pattern pieces. It took six of us over three hours to cut out all the pieces for seven coats.  Jody spent about an hour sewing each outer coat.  Tomorrow, we'll finish cutting out three more large coats and then tackle the linings.  

The manuscript is down to 115,000 words.  No doubt it will take another two weeks, but I  think the target is within reach.

Day 1506: Hardworking man

He was out half the night at another fire.  This one was a barn with a metal roof and siding that contained a wood shop and fuel tanks that exploded.  Fortunately, no one was hurt and the fire did not harm the home.  He came home frozen stiff, shivering, his hands like ice.  Molly must have heard him so she cried at the top of the stairs till we dragged our bodies out of bed to feed her again.

Then, much of the day he worked at school on sets while I was cutting out more coats.  The repair crews did not show up, perhaps due to the storm so much of the day was lost.  We are looking forward to great night's sleep!

Shoveling out the driveway after the snowblower got clogged up with wet snow this morning.  

Then again this afternoon, he shoveled the mounds deposited by the snowplows.

Day 1505: Stage Combat

The Aida cast got their first lesson in stage combat today.  A student instructor from the college guided them step by step through all the moves and provided very concrete safety instructions.  

This is a first for our show and it should be a very exciting scene.  

Aida (Graciela) defeats all the men.  

I spent four hours making a prototype of the minister's coat. We have to make sixteen coats, so tomorrow we'll apply all the lessons I learned from today's experiments.  It looks terrific, but it was a real challenge and takes tons of time.  We'll need a full team press to get them all done in the next few weeks.

Day 1504: Buffalo Botannical Gardens

The good news is that my manuscript is 125,000 words, not 136,000 as I had estimated.  Today, I cut 7000 words from the classes chapter by moving all the lesson plans to a new book which will be called, A Guide to Backpacking With Teens Manual.  When Mark T. reviewed the text last spring, he told me that I had two books and I guess he was right.  The manual will hold all those materials I planned to put in the appendix.  It could be printed or it is possible I could put the manual portion on my author website, although I do not want a website that has to be regularly maintained and updated. I don't want to be tied down to that task.

Tomorrow, I'll start work on slashing the enrolling new recruits chapter. It's only 5500 words, but I think I can cut 1500.  Equipment and food will be next.  So, new goals on the horizon.  Can I cut 15,000 words in a week?

We visited the Buffalo Botannical Gardens today for the first time.  It was 7 degrees when we left the house and dropped to 3 when we arrived, but it was so beautifully bright and blue!

Finally, I had a chance to photograph gorgeous orchids!

Day 1503: Scalia

With the death of Supreme Court Justice Scalia today, all hell will break loose!  The Republicans will do whatever they can to stop any Obama nominee from taking office.  Oh, what a tumultuous year this will be, and not in a good way.  Obama still has eleven months in office, so there is no reason not to nominee a candidate.  Plus, any decisions the Supreme Court makes with a 4-4 vote are invalid and the lower court's decision would stand.  The whole year could be lost if they wait till after the inauguration next year.

The headlines say Scalia led the conservative renaissance on the Supreme Court.  I would not be so kind.  He was a scourge.  He opposed same sex marriage and denounced it in vile terms.  The worst of his decisions was in Bush v. Gore which changed the course of US history.  Obama will have to appoint a moderate to have any chance of gaining Senate approval.

We spent all day at musical rehearsal.  It took our team an hour to layout, cut and sew the body of one of the minister's coats.  When we tried it on our model, the knit fabric clung to her body and crackled with static electricity.  Now we have to sew a cotton lining for each coat to give it body and intensify the color.  So, double the work.

For three days I've been mulling over what to do with my book.  It's approximately 136, 000 words.  Far too many.  Publishers often won't even look at books if the word count is excessive.  Even if I publish it myself, the number of pages will push the cost up to the point that no one will buy it.  It won't be of much value if no one can read it.

Back to the drawing board. At 500 words per page, I must drop at least 40 pages, maybe 60.   If I cut a 1000 words from each chapter, that cuts the book by 23,000 words.  But, that may not be necessary if I take a huge chunk out of the classes chapter by eliminating 25 or 30 pages of lesson plans.  I'll do that first and then move on to the enrolling and recruiting chapter which is heavy on meeting agendas.

One of the most important things I read last week was that an author must have distance from the manuscript to be objective and make the hard cuts.  That may be the hardest lesson yet.  I've been absorbed by the subject, the people, the stories for eight years.  Distance from the people and activities I love?  Painful, but necessary.  If I share too much, none of their stories will be revealed.  So, I must streamline.

Another significant thing I read last week were reviews of Richard Louv's book, Last Child in the Woods.  He coined the phrase "nature deficit disorder"  and described his views about the lack of nature experiences for today's children.  Even though he is a nationally renowned author, the reviews were terrible.  The criticism was that his book was "pseudo science."  He used anecdotes rather than scientific evidence to support his theories.  He was "preachy."  On the other hand, some called it "profound" and one of the most significant contributions to child development.

I do not aspire to a national audience. If a thousand of our friends, neighbors and fellow backpackers read it, I will be thrilled.  I won't be diagnosing or prescribing or identifying a syndrome.  I'm describing how one community came together to create something pretty magical.  I am offering a model program that others may copy, if they wish.   I suspect my book will also be seen as a bit preachy, but I will persist in my belief that outdoor education changes lives.  If my book can guide a few more folks to create a new program and go backpacking, any criticism and all this work, will be worth it.

Annelise 

Stage crew rocks!

Day 1502: 900 Jobs!

Governor Cuomo was in Dunkirk yesterday to announce the construction of a 300,000 foot facility for a new pharmaceutical company called Athenex which will produce cancer treatment drugs.  When it's fully underway, they anticipate it will employ 900 people!  The company will invest $1.5 billion and the state, $225 million.  It will be located on Route 5 in the town of Dunkirk while the headquarters will be in Buffalo and it will employ another 500.    What fantastic news for the region!  The city won't get the benefit of the tax base, but the jobs and related businesses should help the whole county tremendously.  Perhaps other new high tech businesses will also find the area attractive.  Maybe now our well-educated young people will have reason to stay.

Ferocious cold is arriving overnight.  Firefighters are back at a rekindle at the house in Brocton.  It's dangerous weather for that task or any job outside.

Day 1501: Thru hiker Rob

Steve is wrapped in a blanket next to the blazing wood stove recovering from hours at a huge fire in Brocton.  It was brutal out there in fifteen degrees with a wind chill that dropped the temp below zero.  Investigators think the fire started around three pm when the homeowner cleaned out the fireplace, put the ash in a plastic bucket next to the fireplace and then left the house.  So very unfortunate because the house was totally destroyed.

Rob spoke to our backpackers today and I was totally enthralled. The kids were polite and receptive, although I think some of them got bored cause he barely took a breath.  I suspect Rob hasn't had much of an audience to listen to his stories.  He started at 2:20, the kids left at 3:00, and he continued talking to me and Kathy till 4:30.

We were very grateful for his promotion of our methods, instruction and equipment list.  He repeated many of our mantras: cotton kills, pack light, carry duct tape.  He loves hiking poles, wears trail runners instead of boots, wore a kilt, never shaved.  The kids wanted to know about wild animals, but he warned that the greatest threats were ticks and giardia.  He did have a few close calls with bears and snakes, but the most dangerous moment came in a rushing, rain swollen creek.

I asked Rob if he carried any antibiotics in case of illness, but he didn't.  His first aid kit consisted of only ibuprofen and duct tape.  No one bothers with moleskin cause their feet are wet all the time.

He could have talked all day and I could go on and on about his adventures.  Rob first became interested in the AT when he was in fifth grade and his teacher's son completed the trail. Then Quest fed the flame.   I just hope that he was able to plant a seed in someone's mind that will one day blossom into an amazing journey.

Steve's photo of the burning home.  Many people in the community are banding together to raise funds for the families who lost everything.  

Day 1500: Furnace Troubles

Every time I reach a milestone number on the blog, I consider wrapping it up.  What keeps me going is that the blog parallels the book.  It's one more motivational tool I've used to keep me going.

I worked seven hours on the titles and query research so I didn't even go outside.  One of the tidbits I learned today is that editors may not even consider a book that is over 100,000 words.  Mine is 265 pages, or approximately 130,000 words.  I don't know how I'd cut sixty pages worth of content if asked to do so.    Each new perspective I read is helpful and directs me toward a more effective query.    My plan is to take it to two more Penelope meetings for their input and finally send it out by March 15, just before we go visit Colin and April. I've spent over seven years on the book, so five weeks on the letter is not out of line.   I'll only get one shot, so it has to be right.

When Steve got up this morning, the furnace was making a new clicking sound, like it was switching on and off.  He called Casale's and they came within an hour.  It turned out to be a switch that was malfunctioning.  It's fortunate he was paying attention, because it's likely we'd have lost our heat later in the day.  The furnace is original, twenty-seven and a half years old.  In 2017, we're going to replace it with one that's far more efficient.

Day 1499: Football vote

No new photos today, very little news.  We've walked over twelve miles so far this week, but now a cold front is sweeping in.  It's ok, I welcome a storm because I have lots left to do on the book. I made progress on the query, the chapter titles and the appendix.  Not bad.

The School Board voted tonight 6-1 to merge our football team with Brocton and Westfield.  It was the only way to keep it going because of low enrollment and participation.  Most of the community is rejoicing, but in the long term, some families will regret the decision.  If I had been on the board, I would also vote no, not because of money spent on a small group of students, but because of the injuries young men's brains sustain over years of impact.  Sports are important.  There's no denying the benefits of participating in a team activity.  They build strength, endurance, friendships, teamwork.  But there are healthier options.  I applaud Michael for voting his conscience.  It was a courageous stance.  Folks are going to be gunning for him for the foreseeable future.  

Day 1498: Spring signs

It was a productive day on the query front. I reread a few chapters to prompt a new direction. I'm closer on content, but still working on making it snappy and engaging.   Then, I watched a youtube video and learned how to convert a pages document into a word doc so I could send them to Lee.   You can find learn how to do anything on that site.

Surprisingly, fifteen classmates attended the class dinner tonight and we had a great time.  At the far end of the table, folks started talking politics and I didn't like what I was hearing.  I'm no good at big confrontations, but I won't back down either.  I'm torn on the Democratic candidates, but I wouldn't vote for any current Republican if my life depended on it.  These next nine months are going to be challenging.

Another four mile hike today yielded startling signs of spring.

Day 1497: Super Sunday

Sleep late, Penelope friends, a long walk, visits with two sons and homemade pizza.  Now that's a super Sunday!  We don't watch football at all, but I do like the half time show.  

At Penelope, I shared the first sentence from my query letter and of course, the ladies had several helpful comments.  My plan is to do serious work on the letter this week while I have time.  Since I have only one backpacking class on Thursday, my week is free for writing chapter titles and revising the conclusion again.

We hiked a four and a half mile loop from home, down Risley to Campus, around Ring Road, through the construction site, over to Central, to Barker and Forest and home.   We have to check out the progress on the arts center at least once a week.  The exterior is nearly done!  We can see progress on the interior and they've started the renovation of the classrooms in Rockefeller.  The modern design is very attractive and it's a beautiful complement to the other buildings.

Day 1496: Equipment seminar success

Miraculously, all of the backpackers' families were represented at the equipment seminar!  I think it's the first time ever!   It was quite remarkable to have backpackers gathered together from four schools.    It went very well and then we moved on to musical stage crew work.  

Full day, busy day.

Brigitte helping out at the tent station

Stage crew

Bryson and Caryn

Caryn and Abby with Steve