Week 27

Curious seals...

As the mini marshmallow makes an arch above my head, I anticipate its landing and open my mouth wide for the delicious event that is about to occur. But at the last second, I realize that my initial toss was overzealous and that if I don’t somehow compensate for my error, the tiny marshmallow will land not in my expectant mouth, but on the floor behind me. So in a single fluid motion, I half jump, half slide into position just in time to catch the sugary delight, at the same time losing my sock footed balance on the slippery wood floor, completely disconnecting with the solid surface into a horizontal position, and finally falling back down to earth in a straight line, every part of my body hitting at exactly the same time. Never before have I come so close to doing what I imagine to look exactly like a Dick Van Dyke fall, and my laughter was so great that it failed to audibly leave my lips, and I was assumed dead on impact by Jacquie. Ironically, it wasn’t the fall that almost killed me, but rather the marshmallow that moved from my tongue to the back of my throat during the fall. It’s the little things that bring us joy in life, and what better thing to enjoy than marshmallows and Dick Van Dyke falls?

In other news, my team sailed to Parramour Island (a barrier island off the Eastern Shore) on Monday to pick up trash and enjoy the day. While walking along the beach, we found a rope buried in the sand just like in Lost. I told Jacquie not to pull and follow it, because in the show, that leads to getting shot and tortured, but she did it anyway. All we found was some concrete tied to the end though. We also came across what looked like an old hatch door, also something Lost has taught me to beware of, which we did a little photo shoot with. It was a really neat day, and to make it even better, we passed a barrier island filled with seals! Our boat scared them a little, causing them to jump into the water and surround us, playfully popping their heads above the water’s surface before abruptly ducking them back down. Such a unique sight.

The next day, Jacquie and I made signs for Kiptopeke State Park and then helped to “plant” them, as our supervisor Jerry put it. Later, some of our team headed to Stingray’s, a local restaurant, in search of Death By Chocolate, a famous dessert we were told it would be disrespectful to leave Cape Charles without trying. So what could we do but stuff ourselves so full of brownies, chocolate ice cream, chocolate syrup, and whip cream, that it was difficult to move for a good 5 or so hours afterwards?

On my last day in Virginia, I raked leaves and pine needles from camp sites, to prepare them for the coming vacationers with their tents and desire for living the rugged dream. A worthy cause if you ask me. That night we went out for our team dinner at El Maguey, where we were identified as volunteer types by a Habitat for Humanity employee at the next table, who asked us if we had been working with Habitat. I suppose we are a pretty rag tag bunch. As I looked around the table I noticed that the majority of us were wearing flannel, and that was us at our most dressed up. Man I love my AmeriFamily!

After two solid days of travel, I have now made a new home in Hattiesburg, MS. It seems that our trip brought not only to a changed location, but to a changed season as well. Yesterday we worked with the Girl Scouts, helping to unload and sort a truckload of cookies, comfortably wearing shorts and t-shirts. Today it’s 76 °F and feels like a pleasant, kick-off-to-summer type day. It puts me in the mood to roll down the car windows and listen to Modest Mouse, which as Scotty will tell you, means I’m in summer mindset already.

Our trip from Virginia to Mississippi took us right past Mobile, AL, and we got to stop in at one of our old worksites and visit our old site supervisors! Mobile was definitely the hardest place for me to leave when it came to saying goodbye to these people who were so much like family, so it was a huge treat to see everyone again and visit for a little while.

The new house that I’ll be living in for the next 5 weeks is pretty great, and has an amazing porch overlooking 2 ponds. Last night I sat out there, playing my guitar and staring at the stars. There are only three beds, so the majority of us are sleeping on cots we brought from campus, but don’t cry for me, because I can assure you that cot living is actually very enjoyable. It’s surprising how little one needs to be happy and comfortable. I was in bed by 9:30 last night, and slept like a baby.

Love you guys!

 k