Making excuses, attempt 1

One would think that I would have tons and tons to talk about, seeing as how my dream of moving to Alaska has finally come true. Did I mention I have wanted to move to Alaska since high school? I've turned down a couple jobs over the years in this wondrous state...but they were all seasonal (which means no expenses-paid relocation) and the jobs weren't exactly what I was hoping for; and usually involved bad timing as well.

Although my new job isn't my "dream job", it's actually more along the lines of what I've expected and told many folks through the years: Jack of all trades, master of none. That's right, I do a whole lotta stuff. I liked to pretend (ok, there's reality to it too... it just sounded like wishful thinking for years) that my very random resume of jobs all was helping to gear me up for a job with the federal gov't in Alaska. "Because", my semi-rational mind was reasoning, "Alaska has less people per sq. mile of federal land to be managed. As such, employees would be called upon to do many random jobs, irregardless of position description."

In the 3 weeks I have been here, I'm not sure if it was a self-fulfilling prophecy or not, but that random resume of mine has come in awfully handy!

My official job title: Forestry technician. Ok, that's cool. I was hazard tree lead; that was a forestry tech. I was a wildland firefighter; that was a forestry tech. Now I'm a forestry tech, Recreation (aka "Rec Tech"). That must be cool and exciting right? Let's do the math:

 RECREATION=FRONT COUNTRY=MANY PEOPLE WITH CARS/RVS/SEMIS=EATING AND DRINKING=OUTHOUSES!!!

I tried not to oversimplify, but that equation just came forth like a bought of genius in Good Will Hunting!

So, front country is like the less glamorous but more abused side of public land. It means it is easily accessible. It means that, taking into account that most Americans do not really stray far from their cars when on vacaction, these areas get absolutely HAMMERED with visitors. And since we have the only public outhouses on the Seward Highway in our stretch of road, I get to see the worst of the worst of America's bathroom habits. I won't get detailed, because I'd rather not subject people I LIKE to the things that I must witness. I will say, however, that A: cleaning restrooms near kid's (and adult beer league) summer sports fields was thus far way more disgusting; B: Those poor people with IBS, please PLEASE see a doctor...C: If you, or your children can't poop into a giant hole on a toilet...clean it up, or don't ever EVER poop in a public bathroom, because nobody should have to deal with that. 

Sorry, getting distracted. This is the part where I add the disclaimer that "These are my opinions and do not reflect the opinions of any person or organization associated with me or mentioned herein". Anyway...

So yeah, jack of all trades, my main duties involve outhouses, trail heads, parking lots. I pick up garbage. I actually don't mind it. I enjoy the feeling of leaving a place looking better, and being environmentally "better" than when I left it. Give a hoot, don't pollute! Or as my sister said (she won a state contest with this) "Don't be mean, keep it clean!" But thankfully as crew lead, I am armed with a small crew of seasonal employees during the summer (my minions? maybe not), and they can share the duties while I take on the rest of my responsibilities, such as:

General maintenance, such as painting, building, fixing, creating things... everything from fixing thing on an existing outhouse, to helping design or create better trail heads, campgrounds, or parking areas. It might not sound sexy, but everybody who has ever traveled long distances know "bad" when they see it... though the "good" public areas may go consciously unnoticed, subconsciously they know it's well designed and user friendly! I'm most excited to be one of the only couple equipment operators for the district, and I think only two of us have CDLs...which means I get to help take the big boats out of the water for the winter. Our equipment fleet isn't huge but it's effective with a small loader, a mini-excavator (with bulldozer blade) and a 1 ton mini dump truck. I was HOPING for at least a 10 yard dump truck and a bobcat on top of all that other stuff, but that's ok. ;)

I've been getting trained (and helping get my muscle memory back, operating buckets and blades does take some finesse and sensitivity!) on a few things with the mini-ex and the loader. Just completed a drainage project off a major trail. I must say, it is quite different doing things with the FS vs the NPS... with the NPS, if there was a drainage problem with a trail, it would almost definitely result in a trail improvement (bridge; causeway; boardwalk; etc) or an altogether reroute. With the FS, though, they have less "rules" about what  can and can't be done. So, instead of fixing the trail...we dug a big drainage ditch through a talus field/avalanche zone, and built a berm around the outside to help. I'll admit...it pains me inside. To my "preservation" eye, it is not the right solution. It's not harmonious with the land; it uses blunt force to demand nature do a certain thing. But, on the other hand, at least I tried to do a good job with the ground moving I did. It's definitely the easier, cheaper, quicker fix. It was also a great chance to get back some of my skills on the equipment! I'm a little rusty on a few things, but it does seem that I have impressed folks so far with what I do know. It seems that too often, a woman comes a long to do these kinds of jobs (manual labor; equipment; firefighting... anything in a male dominated industry) and they SAY they can do it... but they don't know jack! And then they make the rest of us look bad! I don't mean to sound sexist...wait, I am a woman... but seriously, the stereotype is there, and it's for a reason. :(  It's good to buck the norm and actually be able to show them a woman CAN do the job!

Getting sidetracked again, damn ADHD! As I was saying, I have random duties. I am also the ONLY qualified helicopter crewmember on the district, so I get to help with heli ops. I have a few fire quals, so I was offered to go out with the handcrew to Montana (they ended up in Oregon) to fight fire and work on my squad boss. They are paying for me to get my EMT (think ambulance) certification starting in 2 weeks. I may get to help out with trail work, ecology, biology, fisheries, etc. In the future, I will be taking the train to sites that are ONLY accessible by this train (google Whistlestop and Alaska Railroad); flying out in helicopter; and taking the boats to help with remote cabins, building trail, constructing salmon and wildlife habitat, or helping with exotic plant surveys or eradication. Those are just a few projects suggested that may happen within the next few months! Everybody does help out everybody up here! It's like my little dream come true! Except I'm certain that there weren't ANY outhouses in my dream. But that's ok. I'm making the best money of my life, had a paid relocation, and live in an incredible place! It's great to know that my experience at: fisheries; ecology; botany; wildlife; manual labor; construction; CLD and heavy equipment operation; master's degree in conservation; wildland firefighting; helicopter crewmember; maintenance; habitat surveys; recreation opportunity spectrum; "green" living (I am going to revamp the front country program to buy more eco-friendly products...that's right, environmentalists are invading the forest service LOL)... will all come in handy at this job!

Which comes to the title of this journal: Making Excuses. I was going to list all the reasons why I hadn't updated my blog. But look, I updated my blog!! No photos included, but tough shit. Click on my link to the right for my picasa albums, I think that might work. But yeah, I ended up typing a lot of SUBSTANCE instead of a lot of EXCUSES so now what do I do?! If I don't fall asleep first, I'll try to come up with my excuses in the next journal update. ;)

AlCan AllDone!

Writing random notes from phone so I dont forget while on the road. This in not a complete journal entry but I'm busy and lazy at the same time.

- Trying to get a motel in Jasper on a summer Saturday night without reservations is literally impossible.  Thank goodness for Hinton, a town 45 min away.

- From Grand Prairie to the west, it literally looks just like the Midwest - first like Nebraska,  then even more like Michigan.  All the hardwood trees but without the corn.

- Canada in general is ridiculously expensive. Cheapest gas: Grand Prairie.  Most expensive : Muncho Lake? I'm pretty sure it was the equivalent of almost $6 a gallon. $4 for a 1 liter pop. $5 for smal red bull...

- Gas stations don't carry fountain pop, much to my dad's dismay. Trust me, he looked!

- You can see threatened wood bison somewhere between Fort Nelson and Watson Lake. They are neat. I don't recommend driving that section at night though - there were quite a few dead ones on the side of the road, and they will mess your car up bad if you hit one!

- The most beautiful part of the drive was in Kootenay, Banff and Jasper National Parks in Canada. Going over the continental divide again past Watson Lake is also beautiful but lacks the glaciers.

- We did not see grizzly, caribou, wolf, elk, etc. We did see black bear, wood bison, bald eagle, and some random deer. I want my money back!

- I realized I have a pet peeve of somebody hoarding everything from travel guides and maps (that we don't need and don't even look at) to general area propaganda given out at visitor centers, and letting them pile up in the car! It's just more crap to throw away later!

It's finally happening! A-L-A-S-K-A or BUST!

I'm sitting in a great coffee shop in Groveland, sweating in the heat during this holiday weekend. Actually, I wish I could have worked overtime, but these days it seems I need more personal time than money to plan my next big adventure...

I'm moving to ALASKA!!!

Wow, it's still hard to believe that I will be starting my long DRIVE to Alaska in exactly 4 weeks. After years of applying for jobs, getting a few interviews, and even turning down a couple jobs over the years, everything has lined up and I'm getting my entire relocation PAID FOR to boot! Being a permanent federal employee is finally paying off, and I'm also getting a promotion... in Alaska... !!! Anybody that knows me, knows this has been a goal of mine since I was in college. Soon, I will call Girdwood Alaska my home. Did I mention there's Alyeska ski resort there, and I will have winters off to ski and snowboard? Yeah, pretty sweet.

Me+Tim=5 years (!!); Beard+Tim=4 years

I can't wait!! Though I love working for Yosemite. I'm sad I don't have much time to actually explore the park, but with the hours we have been working (and other stuff) it just seems like I don't have enough hours in a day. Hence, I have missed out on 2 days of OT this weekend, as well as more OT last weekend as I took off to celebrate my 5 year anniversary with Tim in San Francisco, as well as take him to the airport for his trip to Alaska.

The new job is still considered a forestry technician, but as I am wildland firefighter right now, I will be considered a "recreation tech" at my new job. From what it sounds like, I am responsible for all front country recreation areas in the Glacier District of the Chugatch National Forest - picnic sites, campgrounds, trailheads, and interpretive signs. Ok, so there will be some garbage and fortunately only a couple outhouses to deal with, but it sounds like it will be a combination of maintenance, as well as improving sites. I will get to drive heavy equipment and dump trucks again, have a small crew of folks, and it will nice to have a job where I get to roam about the forest (instead of being stuck in one place, like I was stuck at the engine station, or even at the helibase). And another perk - I still get to do wildland fire! Of course, it depends on workload and how active the fire season is, but the district ranger is very supportive in allowing me to maintain my fire experience, as well as participate in training and career development.

I've been impressed with everybody I have talked to from the district, everybody is personable and easy to talk to. I've already been warned that there are many folks from the midwest that work at the office, and they were excited to have a Detroit Lions fan... so they can have somebody to pick on during football season! I'll be surrounded by Bears, Vikings, and Green Bay fans! That's ok, I'm hoping the Lions are as promising as they looked last season. ;)

The only slight downside is that I was hoping for a more natural resources/wildlife oriented position, but at this point I think I still don't have enough experience to land such a job in Alaska, without already being in Alaska. But, everybody knows I love working with my hands and having a job with such varied duties is great for my ADHD! There are also a few wildlife rehab places relatively close (I will be 30-40 minutes from Anchorage, on the Turnagain Sound, and 1 1/2 hrs from Seward) so I could always try to volunteer.

Now for the perks - all of my stuff still in storage in Estes Park, CO will be moved to AK, with minimal cost to me (since I live in CA). I will drive to CO from CA, drop off some of my stuff at my storage unit. They have a moving company come and pack up all of my stuff - including my motorcycle - and move it to Alaska for me. I get a misc expense budget, as well as money to cover my housing/expenses for the first 30 days in Alaska - and trust me, it is a VERY GENEROUS stipend. I also get a housing hunting trip paid for, which includes lodging, rental car, gas, and per diem, which I plan to take in a couple weeks. Not bad, eh?

Unfortunately, getting myself, Logan, and my truck will be a little less convenient than I hoped. The ferry out of Washington to Whittier does not have any room for a passenger vehicle in the month of August (and I'm supposed to start working around Aug 10th). So, I must drive the ~3500 miles (on top of the trip from CA to CO) through Canada. Fortunately, mileage, lodging, meals etc are all paid for (except the part from CA to CO). There are some logistics I am still trying to work out, like when I will get to CO to allow the movers access to my storage unit, and my dad will fly out to CO, drive with me to AK, and then fly back to MI... It's complicated, but not nearly as complicated as I figured it would be.

That's probably more details than most people care to know, and probably a little confusing. We'll just say my last month in CA is going to be hectic - going to my friend's wedding in Oregon, trying to work as much overtime as possible, and planning a move that I must make quickly. Tim gets back to CA from AK ironically 2 days before I plan on leaving CA. Yeah, it sucks.

Back to planning and researching my move in this sweltering heat. Traveling across the Canada border with a dog and a firearm mean special considerations; trying to find apartments to check out during my house hunting trip; and figuring out if I can register my truck in AK while I am house hunting (my CA plates expire 7/31, but I am leaving the state probably on 8/2 or 8/3, so I'd hate to pay CA when I'll be in AK so soon)... all on an old computer that freezes a lot, is not fun. Just sayin'.

A day in the life of...helitack

Hello!
I'm bad at updating anyway, but the fact that I don't have 3G cell service yet alone frequent internet access on a real computer makes it even more difficult. My "newer" laptop has a broken screen, so I have to attach an external screen - making it big and bulky, so I keep it at Tim's and get online here every other weekend or so. I have an old laptop, but the closest place with free wi-fi is 45 minutes away in Sonora... plus, the battery doesn't work and it MUST be plugged in to function, so getting stonewalled at Starbucks with power outlets is a real bummer. I now have access to a Forest Service computer, but it is shared by a lot of folks and I can't access a lot of websites. So, I sometimes feel like I'm living under a rock. :)

My first month of working on the Yosemite helitack crew has been great! Lots of training, and lots of... snow. Our helibase is at about 6700 feet elevation, which is cold and windy enough to make for some surprise weather - like a foot and half of snow in mid-May. In fact, we were supposed to get snow this weekend - guess I will find out tomorrow!

What exactly do we do? Well, the first month has been filled with training and recertifications of all kinds - for us, the pilots, the rangers, everybody involved in fire or aviation. The most unfortunate and disappointing part is that the NPS allows their people to short haul and probably start up rappelling again (The Forest Service stopped all rappel and short haul after a fatal accident in 2009). However, us four Forest Service apprentices are not allowed to even do short haul, per our forest FMOs direction. :(  So for a few days, us FS folks helped take photos and document the evaluation and training process of the rest of the crew (and the rangers) got to try out new belay devices, ropes and harnesses as they practiced rappelling off the tower. That was pretty painful to have to watch while everybody else had all the fun! But we still learned a lot and maybe one day, I will be on the right crew, with the right agency, at the right time...


We have two pilots that rotate days off - 12 days on, 12 days off. We also have a fuel truck driver and two mechanics, in addition to our helitack crew. The pilots needed to be recertified in the different kinds of missions that they fly in the park - short haul and rappel, specifically. First, the pilots must fly a few tests with a 150' rope and a heavy weight on the end, hovering and holding the weight for a certain amount of time within a box or circles painted on the helibase. It's apparently very tough. Once they pass those tests, they can do live tests - which means with actual people attached to the short haul rope, or an actual person rappelling out of the helicopter. FYI, "short haul" is when a fixed rope is attached from the bottom of the helicopter, and a person or two and/or a litter (the backboard thing that injured people lay on) are attached to the bottom. Both pilots passed the tests and we are good to go!

From there, our crew needs to know how to load the helicopter for different missions, most commonly: Search and Rescue, or Fire. Depending on the mission, we bring different items along... the short haul bags, the litter and wheel, the body splint, medical bag, the bucket, etc. We are on 7 day staffing, so our 12 person crew alternates days off and I think we typically have like 6 people working per day. So here's a typical day:

Arrive at work and put our head bag (contains our flight helmet), nomex and hardhat on the pegs for easy and quick access. Take the different carts (each loaded with gear for a different mission, like fire or SAR) and put them out for easy access. Load up the helicopter for low elevation fire - which is typically in CalFire area, so they like to have a large bucket attached to a long line, our line gear, two chainsaws and kits, and hand tools loaded up. We load for this as we won't get any fires in the park for a while (with the snow and rain and all). The other likely scenario is a search and rescue in the park, which we load up as needed when the call comes in.

In the meantime, the pilot and manager work out the load calculations, which is how much the helicopter can lift given the elevation and temperature. Somebody then works up the manifest, which is a list of all the passengers and gear on the helicopter. We then do the typical morning briefing, going over the local weather in the park as well as down in the lower, hotter elevations. From there, we will either practice drills loading and unloading the helicopter, setting up the bucket or short haul gear, and at some point do our PT - which alternates between cardio (running or hiking up a steep nasty hill) or the dreaded deck of cards - each suite is a different ab or arm workout... at this point, it's pretty brutal with a string of push ups or a string of ab exercises!!

Sure, there can be a bit of down time, but we have to be immediately available to fly so we can't venture too far. Always miscellaneous stuff to do around the base...

We have gotten a few false alarms, almost getting called up for a fire down in the low elevations... we hurry up and gear up and get in the helicopter... and then dispatch cancels everybody before we are even ordered. However, we have already gotten to help with two SARs. One mission was actually reconnaissance for a rock slide on Half Dome, to make sure nobody was injured. I didn't get to fly that one; they only took a couple folks and picked up the geologist and some other people to check it out. My first helicopter flight was just last week, on a SAR for a climber injured on a climb called "Snake Dike" on Half Dome. He fell 100 feet but got away pretty lucky with just a broken ankle. It was too far and too nasty of a hike for a foot rescue, so they called up the helicopter... We loaded up the short haul and SAR gear, and 5 of us flew down to Awahnee Valley to unload gear and set up a ranger to do the short haul rescue. First, we did a recon flight around Half Dome - AMAZING!! The waterfalls are raging right now, and we flew right at the top of the rim of the canyon... then we flew up real close to Half Dome, hovering and opening the doors to find the injured climber... it was an incredible view!! Anyway, for the actual rescue, only 2 people were in the helicopter while the ranger did the short haul, they attached the climber to the short haul as well, so we were waiting in the valley to catch the patient when they came in. It took less than 2 hours and had a happy ending. :)  And I got my first helicopter ride!!

Anyway hopefully that sheds some light on what work has been like so far. At this rate, I am sure I will have more stories to share soon!

Overdue update

From Return to CA Road Trip - Badlands Nat Park, Park City, Estes Park...

It almost seems ludicrous to try and cover everything that has gone on over the last 3-4 months, but it's a lazy Sunday so I'll give it a shot.

I spent part of my winter at the Advanced Wildland Firefighting Academy, and yaaaaay! I graduated! The Advanced Academy was more fun than Basic - in part because I wasn't simultaneously trying to complete my Master's degree, but also because the atmosphere was more laid back and everybody knew each other already. I really enjoyed our Fireline Leadership class, taught my something called Mission Centered Solutions. I'm not supposed to disclose too many details about it, but the instructors were excellent at role-playing and we had multiple incident scenarios that we played out in the field, and in the classroom. Other classes included Basic Air Operations, Firing Methods, Intermediate Fire Behavior, and Fuels Management. We didn't have physical fitness testing this time, and very little time for paid PT. I had a great roommate so that made dorm life better. Of course nobody from my engine came down for graduation, which was fine by me. I'm not much of one for pomp and circumstance and ceremonies anyway, didn't even attend my bachelor's or master's graduations and I think neck ties (which I was forced to wear as part of my official uniform) are absolutely one of the stupidest human clothing invention. It was fun, but I'm glad it's over!

After graduation, I went back down to Tim's, packed some stuff, and the next morning Logan and I were on the road for Steamboat Springs, Colorado. My friend Matt was having a bachelor party and, being "one of the guys", I was invited to the ski-extravaganza. It was probably a 20-ish hour drive, and I found a great place to board Logan in Steamboat while I stayed at the condo. Unfortunately, after a successful drive all the way from California to Colorado, I ended up going off the shoulder right outside of Steamboat and broke my truck! At the time, I thought the damage was much worse than it ended up being - I thought I wrecked my shock along with some other steering components. Let me just say that I'm sorely disappointed in Geico and it was going to take DAYS for an adjuster just to LOOK at the damage. I was able to drive it to the condo and swapped out my spare tire and it drove much better. I was heading to Estes Park after Steamboat anyway, so I decided it was ok to drive and took it to a dealership in Fort Collins; bought a used rim and paid for an alignment, and all ended pretty well considering!


However, I didn't know it would be that cheap while I was in Steamboat, and I opted to save the $100/day for a ski pass to pay for my repairs. :(  It was still a good trip and it's always great to see Matt. It was a pretty mellow bachelor party, and involved delicious microbrews, watching the Gold Rush and Cops marathons on tv, the hot tub, Strawberry Hot Springs, walking around town, and just relaxing. After a few days there, I got Logan and continued on to Estes Park for almost a week of playing in the snow, seeing friends, and checking on my storage unit (Yes, I still have stuff stored in Colorado!). The weather gods were kind and dumped tons of powder while I was there! It was apparently TOO much for good skiing in the park (and I'm not very good anyway) so I took Logan snowshoeing up Lily Mountain. Any trip to Estes wouldn't be complete without a few trips to eat, drink and be merry at the Rock Inn of course :) . It was good to relax before my next push east to...

Michigan! Yep, almost 2 months of hanging with the family. It was good to be back! Despite the overcast skies and typical suburban culture that annoys the crap out of me (soccer moms in huge SUVs that run stop signs in subdivisions, for one). I got a cheap membership to the gym so I could get in shape for fire season, saw some of my wonderful lovely long-lost friends, and spent a lot of time with my mom! My friend Beth even had her baby while I was in Michigan, so I was able to see little Alex a couple times. And my family is full of hockey fans, so it was fun whooping and hollering with them while watching the Red Wings on TV. It was pretty low key and I'm disappointed that there were certain things I didn't get to do, but oh well. Hopefully they enjoyed my time back, even though I harassed them about exercising, eating healthy, etc etc! ;)


In the meantime, I had been slated to be on the Yosemite helitack crew... as such, I had found a sweet cabin in Groveland. No surprise, I get a message from my old district saying that I was slated to go to a different helicopter (Bald Mt)!! What?! I had been told since October that it was Yosemite, and then suddenly in March (while I'm trying to find a place to live in Groveland, thinking I am still going to Yosemite) they jerk me around. Not cool at all. The person giving me the news was like, "Oh they said they told you months ago!" Which was NOT the case. So then, it was a matter of finding out if I could be put back on the Yosemite ship. I really did not appreciate getting jerked around without ANY input or contacting me at all. I'm not the first person they have done that to, but it doesn't make it right. It took weeks to finally hear the decision as to where I was going - and thankfully it was in my favor, still in Yosemite. However, in the meantime the realty company needed an answer about the cabin, so I had to forfeit it... which meant I was totally high and dry with a place to live. Fortunately, they have barracks in Groveland and due to budget cuts, no other divisions hired any women this summer so they had room for me. I'm still upset though, because I had intended on getting a place so I could have my dog all summer, as well as have visitors - like Tim and Neota! And as of right now, I still haven't found a place to live that is affordable, like that cabin was.

I was told early April I was still on for Yosemite, but they didn't have a start date for me. I told them I was in Michigan and had to make the 2700 mile drive to get back, and I needed at least 2 weeks notice so I could pack and get back west. I was finally given a start date of May 9th and made my plans accordingly. Of course, they found a way to screw that up too... and ended up trying to give me 3 days notice, telling me on a Friday that I had to start on Monday, 2 weeks earlier!! You can imagine just how happy that made me. In the end I started a week later. And people wonder why I don't want to stay at this forest... So far, their communication, concern for their employees, and general attitude about jerking people around has left much to be desired! But at least I ended up on the crew I wanted this summer.

The drive back was fun, but getting the news that I had to start early definitely altered the pace of my planned drive. I had hoped to take my time, enjoy it, not stress out or keep to a schedule, but in the back of my mind I knew the sooner I got to California, the sooner I could unpack, repack, and get everything in order before work. I did manage to make a side trip to Badlands National Park in South Dakota, and saw tons of wildlife - antelope, coyote, deer, bighorn sheep, etc... I then stopped and saw my friend Gregg in Wyoming; he had just landed a new job in Montana and was moving in a few weeks. The timing was perfect, who knows when I will see him again after he moves! It was a short visit but was great to catch up! I had intended on a short trip back through Estes but it was out of the way, since my impromptu visit with Gregg changed my route. Next time, Estes, next time! And then there was Utah... and I FINALLY got to see my friend Steph in Park City! I wish I had a week to catch up and hang out with her, because her and I always have so much to talk about! Park City seems like a pretty awesome town and it was great to see the life she and her boyfriend are forging out in Utah! Went to the brewery, talked and talked and talked, walked the dog and talked more LOL... great hospitality and I was sad to leave early the next morning. I really can't let that much time go by again without seeing her!

And onward I drove, finally reaching Tim's place. I had only seen him like 2-3 times since I left for the fire academy in mid January, and let me reiterate that long distance SUCKS and I hate it! But I think we are getting good at it LOL. The young chickens are now full sized hens, the plots around the house are now sprouted with carrot tops, birds have nests in the rafters, and the green grass of the hills is now crispy and yellow. Guess it's springtime in the central valley! Tim had trimmed up this HUGE, old grape vine on the property - we call it the "vineyard", though it's just one very prolific plant, with two vines that are so far 20 feet long! The fig tree has green fruit, the pomegranate tree has red leathery flowers (the "petals" are the same tough, waxy red skin that the ripe fruit has, which I think is neat), and the cacti were blooming. I will hopefully take pictures of these things "on the farm" in the future. :)

From CA 2010 - Fall and Winter

Next journal I plan on talking about my new home of Groveland, and what it's like being a Forest Service employee on a National Park Service helitack crew - which, by the way, seems like it will be amazing! I also recently had an interview for a job in Alaska; will know if I was selected in a couple weeks, but if I am... do I give up this awesome summer??


 I'll throw some random pictures in here too, to break up my long-winded text. :)

 From CA 2010 - Fall and Winter