Ode to Outpost

Once upon a time, in Neverwood, I had a bad day.

What?!

I know, right? Real life encroaches! Bah! You - off my planet!

So, being the business director I must deal with our accountant in town who, to put it nicely, deals well with money and statistics but is seriously lacking in people skills. She was mean to me! (Name that movie - anyone? Anyone? You know who you are...). She made me feel stupid and dismissed. Over the phone! Who does that?

Accountants. That's who.

So, at Sassy's urging, I decided to join some of the staff and Scouts on their Outpost hike, which occurs every Tuesday evening. That's where they hike to the top of a nearby hill and sleep out. I wasn't able to stay for the sleep out, due to the Accountant hassle I yet needed to deal with that night and next morning, but knew the hike would do me good so stuck a flashlight in my pocket for the hike down and met up with the band of hikers.

This here's Ducky, my co-Support Staff buddy. He's the Ranger's assistant (Buck is both Ranger and Camp Director, so he's both our boss), and can often be heard over the two-way radio's saying "Duck to Buck".

The evening was glorious and being outside participating in it while hiking and laughing with the boys was just what I needed to wash the grey clouds of the day from my mind and help me find my center again.

Squid was the sweeper, the guy who brought up the rear and made sure we didn't leave any little Scouts behind, and he had to stay at the very back, so every time I'd stop to take a picture he'd have to stop and wait as well. Needless to say I took gleeful pleasure in his exasperation. Suuuure got a lot of lovely pics on that hike, thanks to Squid!

I really, really love this meadow on the hill:

I'm going to run/hike up it some early morning this week, and I'll try to get some better pics of it while I'm at it.

It's a strange thing living at camp.
Especially after bachelorette-ing it for so long.
There's always...people.
But in a good way, because there's plenty of space for alone time, as well.

Ducky at the top

We eat together. We see each other first thing in the morning, and last thing before bed. More people have seen me with bedhead and no makeup in the past two weeks probably than in my entire life up to this point. When I'm having a bad day there's Sassy, right next door, to see and say "Come and tell me about it."

Sassy and Off-Task

It's community living.
We see and live the good, the bad and the ugly.
We laugh a lot.
We sing dumb songs.
Yes. This is Boyscout camp. There is lots of singing.
Sassy and I like to say "Pick a key, any key!" because the singing is bad, ya'll.
And the dancing is ridiculous.
But everyone is doing it, and enthusiastically to boot.
So you're the odd man out who doesn't sing badly and dance ridiculously
with all your heart.

And maybe I'm older than most of the rest of them, but slowly I've remembered that this is how it was and it's fun to be brought back to that crazy, unhindered time of life again.

This is Bare.
It started out as "Bear" but the other spelling was funnier in its irony.

I call this picture "Mr. Rogers and His Neighborhood":

Trying to be serious...

...is harder than you might think:

 And so the day was saved, by the discernment and kindness and laughter of friends, by long evening shadows splayed across the golden hill meadow, by the exquisiteness of the clouds on blue and the setting sun. By the magic of Neverwood.