Happy Tuesday!
Back at work today. I went in to the kitchen expecting to see my name next to a prep task such as scooping jam or pouring cream. It wasn't. I guess that means I was passively fired from my volunteer position. Bummer...or is it? I took on a new position as a runner for the girls working in the bar. I do important work such as carrying clean coffee urns and tea cups from the kitchen to the bar. They also trusted me with putting lids on the porcelain tea kettles and then putting them on the rack. I am not sure how secure this position is, however. We'll have to see.
This morning was foggy and drizzly and the clouds stuck with us all afternoon. We did have a waitlist, but we never really had a big rush of people. In other words, it was a low-stress day in the booth. Likewise, it was a low-temperature day. We are certainly giving our heater a workout.
After dinner, I rode my bike down to Seal Harbor to get cell reception and mail a letter. Before I left, I put my laundry in the washer. I didn't quite finish all my phone calls before my watch told me it was time to transfer my laundry to the dryer. So I peddled the 2 miles back to the dorm to do that. I then returned to town to talk with Grandma. Afterwards, I headed back up to the JPH. It might not have been the most efficient use of energy, but I successfully completed my laundry and called the grandparents.
Tuesday, September 30, 2014
29 September 2014
Happy Monday!
We woke up to quite a bit of wind and pine needles raining down on the tent. The cold front was making its presence known. Throughout the day, the temperature continued to drop as the rain and fog increased.
After this point, we entered the fog/clouds and didn't emerge into clear air again until we were back at the trailhead.
Having spent the last four years in western Montana, I was suspicious that a sub-mile mountain in Maine would be much of a challenge. I found, however, that Katahdin is quite the peak in its own way. I'd say it is on par with western mountains that also have a 4,000 foot prominence.
No view today at Chimney Pond. To see what this view should look like, check out this link: http://www.summitpost.org/katahdin-from-chimney-pond/220546. The temperature when we were there at 1:30 was 44 degrees. That's a 40-degree drop from the day before when we were setting up camp.
Our final hiking distance as 9.5 miles which took us 7 1/2 hours to complete. We rewarded ourselves with some Dollar Menu items from McDonald's once we reached the gateway community of Millinocket. Our bodies really appreciated having fast food for dinner the night after having hot dogs and beans.
We didn't see any moose despite the 4 hours of windshield time we had today. I guess they were just hunkered down because of the weather. I can't blame them.
But despite the weather, the fog inhibiting us from seeing the foliage from the mountain's perspective, and the lack of moose, Luke and I both agreed that we wouldn't have traded that trip for anything. Men's retreat: success!
28 September 2014
Happy Sunday!
Light attendance this morning at the worship services. At Blackwoods we had a great discussion with Miles and his dogs. The dogs didn't say much.
At Seawall a young couple joined us. They are ACMNP alumni. A few days ago they saw the poster at the Jordan Pond House and decided it would be a good idea to join us. I'd say it was. We had a nice worship service and both of them got to walk down memory lane and relive their experience.
This afternoon Luke and I headed north to do a men's retreat. Our destination was Mount Katahdin in Baxter State Park. It was a awfully nice fall day. The high was in the mid-80s.
Mount Katahdin in the distance. It's the highest point in Maine at 5,267 feet.
We kept dinner pretty simple. Chips, salsa, hot dogs, and baked beans. Mmmm.
Mount Katahdin saying goodnight.
Sunset over Pockwockamus Pond.
27 September 2014
Happy Saturday!
Today was one of those days where you wonder if August has
made a comeback. Jake and I spent the morning hiking on the western side of the
mountain. We got sunburn, listened to cicadas, and lusted for the cool waters
of Somes Sound to was away our sweat. In other words, it was a gorgeous day in
Downeast Maine.
After hiking, we came back to the dorm to pick up Tasia. She wanted to see a few of the seminars associated with the Star Festival this weekend. The first was a physics professor who discussed the differences and interactions of the earth and sun’s atmospheres. He was incredibly engaging as a lecturer, but Jake and I were both struggling to keep our eyes open. Too much exercise and sun in the morning.
The second seminar was Wally Funk. She is a member of the Mercury 13 crew. Tasia insisted that we sit in the front row, so we had several very close encounters with Wally. She is a fascinating lady. Some of her stories didn't make much sense and a lot of her advice wasn't something I'd give out.
After hanging out in Bar Harbor for a bit, we headed back to the dorm. Jake, Elle, and I decided that we wanted to go to another Star Festival event, the Star Party on Cadillac Mountain. To do that we had to park and board a shuttle at the visitor center to take us up to the summit. Unfortunately, the parking lot was completely full when we arrived. It looked a lot like the Jordan Pond House parking lot in August, except for all of the highly trained traffic cops rather than me in an orange vest directing traffic.
We decided to skip the party at Cadillac and instead view the stars over Sand Beach instead. I wish my camera would have been able to capture the sky, but alas, it didn't. You will just have to come to Acadia someday and see it yourself.
Saturday, September 27, 2014
26 September 2014
Happy Friday!
No formal God and Fudge today. I was at the meeting place this morning at 8:30, but, as usual, no one came. I wasn't surprised by that and was heavily leaning toward not even spending the time to head over there before I had to work at 9:00. I'm glad I went, though. I ran into the retail manager, Mike, who is mature and passionate about his faith in Christ. He asked me how the ACMNP ministry was going. Of course I am frequently thinking about how the summer has been, but having to articulate my thoughts and analysis to someone else subtlety challenges what my mental conclusions are. I'm not sure if that makes any sense, but put more simply: it's worth taking the time to check in with people.
The JPH was really busy today. If we had the same number of people but a full wait staff, we probably wouldn't have had a waitlist at all. Today, though, we had a ton of sun-lovers and not a ton of tables available. As a result, the wait increased to almost an hour for in and out. As usual, folks signing up for the waitlist weren't necessarily happy, but I could definitely tell an overall difference in attitude. The "newly wed and nearly dead" crowd (as the shuttle drivers call them) commonly made the comment of, "All well, we're on vacation....What time is it anyway?"
Tonight a contingent of us from the dorm went to the Seawall picnic area to the "star party." We are in the middle of the 6th Annual Acadia Night Sky Festival. We arrived to find a ton of red lights to aid our night vision and a plethora of telescopes trained on various stars in the clear sky. Looking through telescopes almost ruined the experience for my non-astronomy-educated eyes. Telescopes focus on a single point (which often look like every other single point) whereas my eyes can take in the full glory of a starry host. Beautiful.
No formal God and Fudge today. I was at the meeting place this morning at 8:30, but, as usual, no one came. I wasn't surprised by that and was heavily leaning toward not even spending the time to head over there before I had to work at 9:00. I'm glad I went, though. I ran into the retail manager, Mike, who is mature and passionate about his faith in Christ. He asked me how the ACMNP ministry was going. Of course I am frequently thinking about how the summer has been, but having to articulate my thoughts and analysis to someone else subtlety challenges what my mental conclusions are. I'm not sure if that makes any sense, but put more simply: it's worth taking the time to check in with people.
The JPH was really busy today. If we had the same number of people but a full wait staff, we probably wouldn't have had a waitlist at all. Today, though, we had a ton of sun-lovers and not a ton of tables available. As a result, the wait increased to almost an hour for in and out. As usual, folks signing up for the waitlist weren't necessarily happy, but I could definitely tell an overall difference in attitude. The "newly wed and nearly dead" crowd (as the shuttle drivers call them) commonly made the comment of, "All well, we're on vacation....What time is it anyway?"
Tonight a contingent of us from the dorm went to the Seawall picnic area to the "star party." We are in the middle of the 6th Annual Acadia Night Sky Festival. We arrived to find a ton of red lights to aid our night vision and a plethora of telescopes trained on various stars in the clear sky. Looking through telescopes almost ruined the experience for my non-astronomy-educated eyes. Telescopes focus on a single point (which often look like every other single point) whereas my eyes can take in the full glory of a starry host. Beautiful.
25 September 2014
Happy Thursday!
Today kicked off the stretch of really, really nice weather forecasted to extend into the weekend. I didn't even have to wear a jacket in the info booth for most of the day. The weather was so gorgeous. If everyday was sunny and 70 here in Maine, I think we'd be overrun with visitors. The nice weather really brings 'em out.
My contribution to restaurant prep work this morning before reporting to the info booth was helping Ana and Nenad pour milk, cream, and salad dressings into individual containers. Once again, I think I successfully completed a job that has no room for success or failure. It's a job that can only be done rather than done poorly or well. Every once in a while those are fun jobs to have.
After dinner I walked down to Seal Harbor beach to gain cell reception. While I waited for appointed phone conversation time with a friend from Wisconsin, I walked the beach a few times and witnessed true low tide and the corresponding rise in tide. We conversed and caught up with each other, but I think Katie was most excited when I held the phone down by the incoming waves and the ocean talked to her.
Today kicked off the stretch of really, really nice weather forecasted to extend into the weekend. I didn't even have to wear a jacket in the info booth for most of the day. The weather was so gorgeous. If everyday was sunny and 70 here in Maine, I think we'd be overrun with visitors. The nice weather really brings 'em out.
My contribution to restaurant prep work this morning before reporting to the info booth was helping Ana and Nenad pour milk, cream, and salad dressings into individual containers. Once again, I think I successfully completed a job that has no room for success or failure. It's a job that can only be done rather than done poorly or well. Every once in a while those are fun jobs to have.
After dinner I walked down to Seal Harbor beach to gain cell reception. While I waited for appointed phone conversation time with a friend from Wisconsin, I walked the beach a few times and witnessed true low tide and the corresponding rise in tide. We conversed and caught up with each other, but I think Katie was most excited when I held the phone down by the incoming waves and the ocean talked to her.
Thursday, September 25, 2014
24 September 2014
Happy Wednesday!
Once again Edie's wisdom proved itself, well, wise. Just like she said, Wednesday was our busiest day of the week. I'm not sure why that is. Maybe it's because everyone who is going to visit Acadia this week is here by now. For those who arrived on Sunday or Monday, the suspense and anticipation of eating a popover is just too much for them to handle once Wednesday rolls around. Today is cave-in day.
This morning I put away my info booth uniform for the first 75 minutes of the day and grabbed a scooper. With all of the Eastern Europeans leaving in a few days, they are going to need more help with prep stuff in the morning--like scooping strawberry jam into individual containers for popover consumers. I guess I did alright. I'm not sure how you can do a really good job or a really bad job when the job simply consists of scooping. Still, Will asked me to come back tomorrow.
After work I went for my evening walk on Day Mountain. It's only about 500 feet tall so it often gets overlooked by hikers. I wasn't too impressed with it, but it did yield some great sunset pictures. Enjoy!
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