The work week continues to flow easily. Yesterday a group of students in a park ranger program came up to the site to get some hands-on experience. I had four of them tag along with my class for the morning hike. Two of them oversaw the "web of life" activity (teaching interconnectedness using a length of string or yarn) with the kids, and two of them ran the "meet a tree" activity (kids taking turns wearing blindfolds and exploring with their other senses). All four of them were competent, but with room for improvement. It was actually helpful for me to observe and critique them, since observation sometimes can offer insight into one's own strengths and weaknesses.

Today, as I stopped the group on the ranger road overlooking the meadow under which the San Andreas fault zone lies, one of the kids yelled, "snake!" Sure enough, as it always seems to be the case when this happens, it was a Rattlesnake. After getting everybody to stand on the far side of the road, I coaxed the little fellow out onto the trail so the kids could see it. Cameras flashed. The snake, unused to paparazzi, quickly slid back into the dry autumn grass.

I'm blogging from work right now. It's a little warmer than it was yesterday, but not warm enough to be a bother. There are kids outside the room talking about how bad the bathroom smells. Now they're comparing it to how the pond smells. Okay, they're still talking about it. Now they're yelling and running off. Ah, recess. Emphasis on the cess, I guess.