June 21, 2007--Happy Solstice Everyone!

Well, here I am with a mound of dishes.

For those of you who don't know, Robinette and I and 4 other friends from hawaii, are all working for a caterer in Mendocino We're in the heart of the redwoods in an old CCC camp that's now a national historic land mark. I work from about 8A - 8PM with a 3 hour break after breakfast and lunch which leaves lots of time for hiking in the redwoods and hanging out in the sun at the swimming hole. The cooks unfortunately don't have it so easy, they work 8 hour shifts which doesn't leave nearly as much time to play. It's been a little hard for Robinette and I to hang out which was part of the point of the trip for me, but I'm adapting nicely, enjoying time on my own and hanging out with the other two dishwashers: Mary and Roland.

Robinette and I got our own rustic cabin in the redwoods complete with a fireplace....it's very cold and damp here in the redwoods, and the fireplace is mostly for looks in this drafty cabin. It brings back the feeling from my childhood in the redwoods in La Honda.. Every morning when we open our eyes, we are greeted by majestic redwoods right outside our window:

This is Eldon and Mary, who are long time Kalani volunteers as well as Daron and Robinette's neighbors in hawaii. Mary is a bit silly, as you might be able to tell in this picture, and fills the kitchen every day with her playfulness.

We hang out between shifts behind the kitchen. Here is Wendy and Phyllis who I also know from Kalani along with Robinette and Mary

This is the mad chef herself, Annie, possessed by her newest cooking implement.

And this is Roland and Hazen who have worked for Annie the past 2 years.

When we have a break at the same time, Robinette and I like to head down to the meadow to catch some sun.

On other breaks, I like to go hiking through the redwoods or down to the swimming hole. Here Mary and I are on our way to an old growth tree over 1000 years old.

The dance groups themselves provide us with entertainment as well. We haven't been dancing so much but all the characters are entertaining. The first week was Scandinavian week and here is someone playing a instrument that was fascinating to my mechanical mind. It's called a key harp or swedish fiddle. Hold your mouse over the picture for more detail on the intricate key mechanism.

I don't often have enough time to go explore away from where we're working, but one day I went to a place called Glass beach which was quite cool. It was an old dumping grounds right on the coast and apparently there was a lot of glass in the garbage in those days. Well in the years after the dump was closed, the waves washed away most of the garbage and polished the glass shards leaving a beach entirely comprised of glass and pottery shards. It was fun to dig through to find cool colors and patterns from old china.

The first two weeks, Roland was saving up all the wax boxes that we received our produce in. When we had our first camp fire, we discovered why!.....

On our last week, the workers at the woodlands decided to share their hot tub with us. It's made from straw bale! I thought that was very cool--well, Hot actually--the high R value of straw bale makes for a very energy efficient hot tub.

I'll continue my blog tradition and leave with you with some local flowers. I think this is foxglove which is sprouting everywhere along with wild daisy's and a few rhododendrons.