We're two weeks into the 2011/2012 outdoor school year now, and these two weeks represent opposite extremes, at least from my perspective as night supervisor. The first week was a dream week (literally, since all of the kids slept well, and presumably dreamed). On weeks like this, my job is easy, since my main function is to help with any emergencies or other problems that occur at night. The second week, which ended yesterday (most local schools aren't in session today), was rife with restlessness. The temperature had a lot to do with this, I think. Kids were up and down all night, many with bloody noses and other minor complaints. One night, at 3:00 AM, suddenly there were three policemen outside the camp office door. They were responding to an alarm nearby (probably the old hostel, which has recently been alarmed and is currently awaiting a change in function) and apparently don't know how to read addresses. There were a few other student-related issues during the evening and night as well. The daytime hours weren't immune either, with a branch falling from a tree and hitting a student (after being checked out at the ER, he was given a clean bill of health). This time of year, when the forest is at its driest, branches tend to break and fall. This is the first time I can recall one actually hitting someone though.

During the day, Jeanine and I have continued our walks. We've been referencing the Santa Clara County Parks Healthy Trails pamphlet to guide our destinations. This week, we went on a short hike at Calero reservoir, which ended up being really nice. I even caught a mysterious little snake, which looked for all the world like a tiny Gopher snake but seemed a bit too slender and quick to quite fit the bill (see photo above). Still, not knowing what else it could be, I tentatively went with that ID until somebody online said he thought it looked like a juvenile Racer. It turns out he was right. I'd only ever encountered adult Racers (and even then, it has been years since I'd seen one), and had no idea that the juveniles were so markedly different. The adults are a nice olive green color, with yellow bellies. The juveniles, as can be seen above, are very similar to Gopher snakes in both markings and coloration. I also found a beautiful little Mountain Kingsnake on the driveway at work. It was peeking out of the drainage ditch and I saw it in the glare of my headlights. Being me, I jumped out of my van and caught it, since I knew it would be a nice addition to the reptile party I was facilitating later in the week. It was, although it got a little snappy as we were preparing to let it go again. This was the first of two reptile parties I'm doing for people who put in winning bids during our summer camp silent auction to raise money for the camp. At the moment, our new science lab is under construction and coming along nicely. The end result of all of this fund raising and new construction will be a site upon which very few of the original buildings from the 1950s are left standing. After letting the Kingsnake go, we went on a short hike and discovered that one of the rattlesnakes in the chaparral had recently given birth. There were two very tiny little babies, although they quickly vanished back under rocks after we discovered them. The mother was a beautiful golden color, but the babies were much more grayish.

Later today, I plan to walk over to the Retro Dome to watch Stand By Me. It seems like a fitting thing to do. Jeanine was going to walk and meet me there, but her daughter balked at the idea, so she'll be driving. Currently, I've walked 144 miles this month, and hopefully I'll be able to break 200 by October.

I can't close this post without wishing everybody a happy Equinox. It still seems very much like summer outside though. In fact, this past week has seemed much more like summer than any other week this year. I'm looking forward to clouds, cooler temperatures, and rain, rain, rain.

Currently listening to: Natural Snow Buildings "Night Coercion Into The Company Of Witches"