I spent a long, hot day at work today, during which we ran through sprinklers, played games in the shade of the redwoods, and scooped unwelcome plant matter out of the pond. Of course, then we had to sort through the piles of plant matter to make sure we weren't stranding any aquatic creatures. Many tadpoles, damselfly larvae, aquatic snails, and crayfish were returned to the pond after being discovered in amongst the piles of elodia and duckweed. Afterwards, I took a wheelbarrow full of the spoils of our labors up to the compost pile.

Thursday evening is the barbeque and campfire program, so I stayed to eat free food and help out with songs and skits. The campers were joined by their parents and other relatives for the festivities, making the little amphitheater quite crowded. There are a lot more staff involved for these summer campfires than there are during the school year, so things are very relaxed. Actually, the whole program is very relaxed. We choose what activities we like to do, and like minded campers follow along. Oh, and there's ice cream every day. And a swimming pool. A lot of the time, people just sit around and relax. And I get paid to do this. It's quite different from the Youth Science Institute summer camps I've taught, which are structured like a week long lesson plan with crafts and hikes thrown in for good measure. Both have their merits of course, so it's good that I've gotten bounce around this summer. It keeps things from getting stale.

The cute little creature above is a Jerusalem Cricket. They're nocturnal, but pretty easy to find if you spend as much time looking under logs as I do. This one is living under an old mattress in the garden. I found a Garter snake nearby too, but it slipped away under some debris. I must be getting slow in my old age.