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

Day 1495: Catch up day

Enrollments: check
First classes: check
Paperwork: check
Equipment seminar: ready
A few hours of doing nothing: priceless!

Day 1494: Fur a flying!

Paddy was in a terrible fight with an orange stray cat this afternoon.  Globs of black and white fur are all over our patio.  Steve broke it up, but Paddy would not come in before we left for rehearsal.  When we got home, he was limping and exhausted and he fell asleep in my lap.  I don't see any bloody patches, but he's clearly hurting. We'll have to see how he is in the morning.

I guess we're getting soft in our old age and that's a good thing.  We heard a heartbreaking story from the Brocton adviser about a child's family situation and why he missed the deadline.  We can't ever forget these kids face challenges at home that we can't imagine.  Same thing in SC.  Troubles all around, so we bend and accommodate and make sure these kids have the equipment they need and the best time ever.

Now we're at 40 for Fredonia, (a long story) 15 for Cassadaga (another story), five for Brocton (that one's firm now) and Silver Creek has somewhere between three and five.  Now it's time to fill the car with all the gear for the equipment seminar.

Charlie and Tyler leading the human knot game.

They loved it!

Day 1493: The Cassadaga team

Exhausting, but highly successful day.  Cassadaga was incredibly impressive again.  Sixteen kids and three adults!  The principal came to the first class along with Kelly and the two new gentlemen.  One of them is the director of curriculum and instruction and he told me they are orienting their entire curriculum toward outdoor education including archery, skiing and now backpacking.  He is pursuing a health and wellness grant and they already have seven hundred dollars of donations toward equipment.   The energy level in that school is inspiring.

So, only 39 students from Fredonia enrolled.  That's down eleven from last year.  Very disappointing.  I know the school population has decreased overall, but that doesn't explain the declining percentage of kids participating.   Brocton stands at four.  That was the minimum for continuing the program there.  Sadly, the two boys did not deliver their materials today as promised.  Silver Creek schools were closed today due to a power outage so we have to wait till tomorrow for their registrations.  Josh says he has seven kids.   So, 66 campers total if that holds true.  We used to have 66 just from Fredonia.  I had predicted 70.  Plus, we have twenty-five terrific student leaders and an outstanding group of adults.  It will be an awesome backpacking season.  Just wish more kids would take advantage of the opportunity.

Day 1492: First Brocton class

The kids always love the human knot game and it's a great way to start off a new season of Quest.  I couldn't sleep last night in anticipation.  It's just like the first day of school all over again.  So far, only twenty-one Fredonia students have fully registered, plus six from Cassadaga.

A few of the student leaders were going to speak with eighth graders during lunch today to remind them to register, but the entire class was away on a field trip.  We had no idea they'd be gone all day and no one told us.  That's one of the disadvantages of running a program in four schools where you're retired!  Also, there was an inservice day on Monday.  It all spells disaster for enrollment this year.  Our dream of seventy hikers is vanishing, unless we have a flood of responses tomorrow.

It was so beautiful out that we managed to walk another 3.3 miles today.  Another record setting high temperature is on its way tomorrow.  The wind bringing in the warm front is rattling the house and tossing stuff around the yard.  What a contrast from last year when we were looking at negative 15.

Our new Brocton crew!

Day 1491: Sports Forum

At 6:00 tonight the entire community was meeting to consider the future of the football program.  We know the president of the board favors dropping the sport for safety and liability reasons.  I agree, but also believe there are serious inequities for other programs.  Because football absorbs so many resources for very few students served, other programs are shortchanged.  The musical and backpacking have to be self-supporting.  Football does not.  In backpacking, the kids' fees pay for all equipment, stoves, fuel, busses, medical supplies.  Football players do not have to pay for those things.   I did not want to add to the divisiveness in the community, nor call attention to our program in a petty or negative way.  But, it's something that must be addressed in the future.

Tomorrow, I'll be visiting Brocton for the first time and collecting their enrollments.  Marie is predicting eight.  She was a bit apologetic, but I told her, "That's eight times more than last year!" We have eighteen paid enrollments from Fredonia so far and tomorrow Steve will collect more.

With sunny skies and temps over forty, we've been able to walk over three

miles each of the last three days.  Awesome, ten miles in three days.  Back to our

autumn walking schedule, at least for a few days.