Empty Buildings

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Paul's musings from the AYF blog:

The first time I visited Merrowvista was during one of the cold, dark New Hampshire winters. Summer camp wasn’t in session and I was visiting friends who had been long-time campers and staff members. They eagerly showed me around the Bahn, the AC, the council circle. I’ll admit that at the time I didn’t get it. Yes, the surroundings were beautiful, it was great to be in nature and away from the world but somewhere between New Hampshire and Weston Shelter I thought, “great, another empty building.” I didn’t understand their enthusiasm.

The passion and energy my friends had for this place intrigued me, and it’s part of the reason I decided to come work at camp and see what this place is all about. It didn’t take me long to understand.

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We Expect to be Discovered Any Day Now

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We Expect to be Discovered Any Day Now

I had low expectations for Southern California, but so far we’re having a blast. We’ve parked in the desert, with a lovely view of the San Jacinto and San Bernardino mountains, which remain snow capped although it is a blistering 90* out. We’re a quick trip to Palm Springs where there happens to be a free, outdoor art installation at the moment and the super bloom airbrushes the highway medians with color on the way to Joshua Tree and Death Valley. We have made a bucket list of hiking trails that feature slot canyons, waterfalls, hot springs, cholla, and high peak pines. But wait, THERE'S MORE!

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On Temporary Co-Workers

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On Temporary Co-Workers

As a travel nurse I work with all new people every 13ish weeks which presents some unique challenges. For instance, I am supposed to learn a new set of names at each job, and I am horrible with names and faces. Luckily healthcare is a profession where all of your colleagues wear name tags. I just have to be real discreet each of the 170 times I check the name badge of the nurse I’ve been working with all day.

But it’s not just names, I also need to know each person’s role. Are you the Doctor? Respiratory Therapist? One of the many supervisors who I report to, but who I will only meet once on my whole assignment? Transport? When someone asks me “Is there anything I can help with?” I have to pause and think, is there?

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Coastal Radio Report

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Coastal Radio Report

The weather report for coastal Oregon this morning? Foggy. Every morning is 48* and the visibility is less than a half mile. Driving over the drawbridge to town is eerie and romantic—maybe the rest of the bridge isn’t even there anymore—it’s impossible to know for sure.

One of the new joys of Oregon living is the regular appearance of Downtown Deb, the DJ for “Dead Air,” which has had a regular spot on Oregon Public Radio for over 20 years. Deb takes over airwaves from 7:00 to 9:00 on Saturday evenings. She cannot believe how great it was to hear that jam, just so great, and she really hopes that you’re feeling it too.

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Long Winded Excuse for Not Blogging in a Month

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Long Winded Excuse for Not Blogging in a Month

However busy the ER has been during Paul’s time on, his time off has made our Idaho life feel like a series of long weekends. I love a long weekend, who doesn’t? While Southern Idaho is not about to make the Lonely Planet’s list of must-see destinations, our long-weekend lifestyle has allowed us to explore a lot of wonderful just-beyond-local destinations.

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In Da Club: 55+ Social Activities

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In Da Club: 55+ Social Activities

Paul says I write too much. I can't help it. I can't bear to leave anything out. This is an attempt at a brief "club" update.

Hardy Hikers: This is the only club that both Paul and I have joined. The hiking group heads out twice a week and goes between 8 and 16 miles each time. They are mostly Canadian and hard of hearing, so we hike along and shout at each other. I tried to teach them“stinky pinky” a rhyming word game, and they liked it but they kept trying to rhyme things like ‘rock’ and ‘hop’ or ‘poodle’ and ‘park.’ Most of them were electrical engineers or lab chemist, professions that did not prioritized word play.

Bonus Treat: The full post includes a video of my choral debut

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