Address

Hey all! I set up a new General Delivery for myself in Lee Vining today. So, my mailing address is as follows:

Jaclynn Workman
General Delivery
Lee Vining, CA 93541

Remember: I love sending letters! Feel free to let me know what your summer address is going to be too!

~Jaclynn

Back in Bodie

For three days now I've been enjoying the Eastern Sierras once more. After two years of being away, my excitement at returning to Bodie could hardly be contained and for the first 24 hours I was absolutely elated. Now I am settling in, but the charm has by no means worn off: this place is beautiful, and there is definitely something special about being here.

I worked two days already, training and shadowing and getting back into the swing of things. Although locating facts in my brain feels like shaking off rust, I've been pleasantly surprised to find out that the numbers are still there and the right answers are usually the ones that still come out. I was also pleasantly surprised to discover that they were hiring me on as a Senior Park Aide instead of a Park Aide, which means a couple bucks more per hour and a bit more responsibility. I'm glad they decided that my first season of service (though I was an intern) counted for something. :)

Now, after only two days of work, I've already got my three days off starting today. A good thing, considering that I'm only half-unpacked so far and I'm still acclimating. Of course, if you know anything about me, you'll know that my philosophy on acclimatizing is to arrive, get used to it for a day or two, and then do a really epic hike. Ok, moderately epic, but something that is challenging enough to force my body to relearn how to breathe. This time around was no exception. Although luckily I was coming from 3500' to 8000' this time instead of 600', I still felt a bit short of breath here and there. Mark and Lynn called the park to let everyone know there was a Sierra Club hike going on in the Bodie Hills, and I decided I was going to attend. Roger and Cecile let me drive their 4WD SUV up Geiger Grade to meet up with Mark, Lynn, and the other Clubbers for a 6-mile hike around the Panamount Mine area. It was awesome, I'm beat, but I actually did really well. I guess that extra few thousand feet of headstart really did help my ability to acclimate.

Anyway, now I'm back home, showered, dressed, and getting ready to do some unpacking before I go out to dinner at the Settlement with Dave, Norm, Roger, and Cecile. I've been blessed in that I haven't had to cook a meal yet: everyone keeps inviting me over, so that fridge food is going to last me a good while, thank goodness! My goal right now is to not leave town until the wedding, and depending on how my days off shake out I will maybe do some food runs in there somehow or other. But otherwise, I just want to relax around town, get some hiking and biking in, settle into my new house, and otherwise enjoy myself.

I'm back in Bodie and, for the moment, I couldn't be happier.

City of Angels

So, I'm sitting here next to Cecile on the back couch of the Yellow Cottage in the Los Angeles suburbs. We spent the day (after dropping off my car to get fixed and watching the finale to Book 3 of Avatar the Last Airbender) visiting the Travel Town outdoor train museum in Griffith Park and the Gene Autrey Museum in L.A. Both of which were loads of fun. Now, being that we had Roger with us, it was easy to turn every photo opp into a photo shoot, so the pictures here reflect that. :) It's been a fun day so far, and I'm really enjoying spending time with my hosts. Tomorrow we are doing the more mundane work of getting groceries and packing, then we will be off to Bodie on Thursday! I can't believe that I'm actually going back after two years - it's going to be so trippy! But, especially after all the shenanigans in the Autrey, I think I'm definitely in the mood to be back on the Frontier once more!

Good, by God, we're going to Bodie!!

Ends and Beginnings

Today was my last day of work - I walked around the Well and sat in all my favorite places one last time. My laundry is in the dryer, I'm knee-deep in packing, and I'm about to head out to our going-away party. The clock is seriously ticking now: I've got a lot of work to do in the next twelve hours or so. My goal is to get everything I can packed up tonight so that tomorrow morning I can wake up, eat breakfast, load up the car, and check out of here by 10am.

Tomorrow marks the beginning of my latest road trip: this time only a half-day's worth of driving, but plenty of stopping along the way. It marks the beginning of my officially adult life - because I'm actually working a real, adult, fully-paid position at a park. It marks the beginning of a very active time in my life. My goal this season is to do a hike and a bike ride each weekend. I think it'll be a fun season.

A thought...

I have only 3 days left before I leave Arizona, but that isn't what's on my mind tonight.

Tonight thoughts of my home church weigh heavy on my heart.

Tonight I regret not speaking up at that service in December when they asked how we felt about the evening service. I did not speak up because I felt too young, and not present enough. But Timothy was not too young, and Paul was not too absent to speak into the situations of the early churches.

Tonight I am writing a letter - and praying that God softens the hearts of my dear congregation to listen.

1 Week: Nighttime Reflections

If I don't know you, I will forget your face and your name.
If I do know you, I will forget your name.
If I think I knew you well, I will forget your voice, but I will never forget how you seemed to me.

I am in awe of the power of prayer, and perhaps that is why I subscribe to their representations. I believe in dream catchers, not because I think that the Great Spirits and the magic within them are going to keep bad dreams at bay, but because to me they represent an ever-constant, fervent prayer to God to protect my mind. It's why I have a set of Tibetan prayer flags: because I likewise pray for peace in this world. And every time that I look at one of these representations, the prayer is at the tip of my tongue. I suppose you could say that I believe in symbols.

A week from now I will be staring up at the stars in Joshua Tree National Park. For the first time I am preparing to move after a season away from home - and will not be stopping home in between.

A year ago I was returning home, eating real meals for the first time in a week or so, and trying to get used to a world of white people speaking English again. And Black people speaking English. Perhaps the latter was more difficult. In fact, I still might have problems with that every now and then.

There's a list on my nightstand, of all the things I need to do before I go. It's actually not all of them, but it is a fair amount. The things I don't want to forget, and the things I need to get done. Tonight I did a few of them, but I think the real work will come tomorrow. I have to do my laundry, and then I can start packing. For tonight, I am going to turn in and get caught up on some sleep before the dawn.

I can feel that my time is done in this place: I don't think I was ever really meant to stay anyhow. And I am excited to be moving on to a new/old place and to see old friends again. But part of me can't help but feel a little homesick.

Fantasmargonical!

fan・tas・mar・go・ni・cal adj. an upgrade from fantastic, awesome, and wonderful.

Y'learn something new every day. This was taught me by an Australian guy who came into Tuzigoot while I was working yesterday. I asked how they were, and the reply was, "Fantasmargonical!". I thought a moment, accepted their money, then asked, "Did you say phantasmagorical?" The couple laughed and the man explained that, no, he said "fantasmargonical" and defined the word for me. At which point I took out my pen and paper and asked him to spell it and define it again. Pretty sure this is my new favorite word!

Yesterday was my last official day of working at Tuzigoot - although I will be there again tonight for a special event, but I don't really think that that counts. I picked up a few things and received a box from my parents of things that I'll be needing/wanting for my next assignment. Chief among each category is my new clothes drying rack and my Bodie work shirt, respectively. I just heard from the scheduler over there saying that we'll be doing four 10-hour days a week again this season. Yay! I love three-day weekends: you can get so much more done on them. Anyway, I feel like I have everything I need now to be prepared for my next job, and that means I am officially packing. I know, I know, I've been saying this for a few weeks now. But now it is really going to happen, because hey: this is my last week here! My last night in town is going to be spent at a going-away cookout (BBQ ribs!!!), so I need to be legitimately productive for these next 6 days and get everything ready to go so that when Sunday the 20th comes I can just load up, go to church, and role on outta here.

Yesterday I took on the role of pre-packing declutterer by bringing a few things to the Goodwill: my old pair of running shoes, and both my SCA baseball caps. (I figure I don't wear them often enough for it to be worth it to expand my collection any.) I'm really proud of myself, because this is the first time in a long time that I have been able to go in and donate my stuff myself. So often in my purging I make my parents do the deed - because I know that if I see all that stuff again I'll probably flake out. But this time, for once, I brought the items down there myself and physically handed them over to the lady behind the counter. I figure if I can't actually be the one to get rid of the stuff, then I'm not really practicing what I preach. I need to be a little more independent about all this and stop shuffing it off on my parents all the time.

I guess you could say that I'm growing up. Well isn't that just fantasmargonical.

Too caught up?

We all know that I have a tendency to get caught up in movies, tv shows, books, etc. I'm just a sucker for stories, and my imagination makes everything so real. Well, lately I've been watching Avatar: The Last Airbender... a lot. In fact, I've got a mere seven episodes remaining in the third and final season. And then I'll probably start watching Avatar: The Legend of Korra. Of course, all that will come to an end when I go to Bodie and can't watch movies on the internet anymore, but that's beside the point right now.

What is the point? Well, recently I decided that it would be good to start doing a morning "light" exercise routine. Such as following a short Tai Chi form in the morning. Well, I tried one video, and it moved around too much for me to get a good idea of what to do and how (plus the form was really, really long). So I tried another video, and that was too much like dancing, and I'm pretty sure that the caucasian host made up most of it. But I wanted to do something and I was not about to give up. So I decided to turn to my new favorite tv show and its fans on Deviant Art.

That's right: I'm learning the moves on the Bending Scrolls. This user has created four bending scrolls based on moves seen in the show (which are based on real martial arts styles). I'm starting with the waterbending scroll, which I am already through the first two lines on, and then I will follow the cycle to learn earth, fire, and air. No, I'm not bending the elements, but it does make for some good visualization while you're going through the movements! ;)

So, maybe I am too caught up in this show, or maybe it just happened to work out that it provided the resources I needed for the type of morning routine exercises I wanted to do. Either way, you have to admit that it's kinda fun! :) I suppose I always was a LARPer at heart.

Score!

Today was very productive in the awesomeness department. That is to say: I made a very successful Goodwill raid this morning. How so? I found a cashmere cardigan in a beautiful dark green with shell buttons (did you know I've got a thing for shell buttons? it's because I love mother-of-pearl and it looks so similar... iridescence is a fave of mine). But that's just one cardigan - could that really make the day that awesome? But wait! There's more! I found THIS, purple, practically mint condition, at Goodwill, for $6. That's right. $6. Awesomeness.

Less than two weeks now: and two weeks from today I will be in Joshua Tree National Park, on my way to Tujunga to stay with Cecile and Roger before we all three drive up to Bodie in time for the holiday weekend. I'm hoping that they have junior ranger patches there - I think I'll have to call ahead and ask. They already told me I shouldn't have to worry about reserving a campsite because daytime temps will be reaching 100* by then! Eek! So my current plan is, camp, get up early, do a morning hike, then do the junior ranger program (if there's a patch) or just buy a patch and get on the road before I die of heatstroke. I'm really excited, partly because I'll have my Volunteer pass for the parks and that'll be my first opportunity to use it; partly because I'll be going to a new park that I've never seen before!

But seriously, I'm gonna start packing this weekend. Mostly preparatory packing, like tidying and decluttering and starting to put things into boxes and figure out how it's all going to fit again. The reason I'm buying cold-weather clothing when it's getting into the toasty 90s here is because I know the thrift store selection is better here than it will be at Bodie, where, according to the National Weather Service, the current highs are in the upper-60s, low-70s, and the lows are below freezing. I've got some cold weather stuff, granted, because I came out here in winter, but not much. So with these two, very warm articles (and very well-priced), I think I'll be significantly better off. You see, I'm thinking ahead right now. I've got a list of all these things I need to get done before I go, and a few things I ought to buy at the store (like new undershirts ::shudder::). My world is about to change again, and I can hardly wait!

Eastern Sierra, Bodie Hills

Mountains upon mountains in layers

That stretch out from horizon

To horizon beyond

Soon your contours I will trace

In car, on foot, on bicycle tires

There from home to horizon

And horizon beyond.

Castle Climb

Okay, so I know these have been long-awaited, so I'm getting to them now. :)

Get ready to climb the Castle!!

We went up last week, as I said before, and here's just a taste of what we saw:

First, they had dark little rooms that were actually (for the most part) rather roomy inside, just with small doorways.

Second, they had an AWESOME view.

Third, they used ladders. And randomly, because this picture reminds me of it, wooden lintels, which are still in place. Impressive.

Fourth, yes, I was up there, these aren't just someone else's pictures.

Fifth, they had a really AWESOME view!

For these, and other pictures of my brief foray up into Montezuma Castle, click here!


For general blogging, read on... :)






We got our schedules for the next two weeks - my last two weeks here! I've got two more weeks and two days, and I'm really starting to get excited. One of my coworkers gave me a cloth grocery bag from the health food store filled with health food store snacks to take on my "road trip" to my next destination. I think this officially means I can start packing. So this weekend, I probably actually will, unless I can come up with some sort of excuse again, but that's getting harder to do, so I think it's actually going to happen.

The weather here has really been heating up after last week's cool streak. We're in the mid-80s now, and I'm really feeling it during the heat of the day. Luckily, they don't expect us to be out-and-about so much when its hot outside, and we no longer have afternoon programs on the schedule, so that's nice. On a random note, I just got done watching "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" at the recommendation of one coworker (followed by another, and another, and another - apparently everybody likes this movie). It was interesting, beautifully done, but I haven't decided how I feel about it overall yet. Maybe I would watch it again, but I can't say for sure. But one movie I will always watch again is also on my shelf from the library this week: Seven Years in Tibet! I have the book with me, but haven't gotten around to reading it yet. I think I will at Bodie, though, because the entertainment pickings will be a bit slimmer so I'll have more time to read my own books.

Anyway, that's the view from here for now. I've got 12 days left of work, 16 days left here in the Verde Valley, then it's off to California for a few months! My how the time has flown...