Well, today was the end of my 6th working week here at the swamp. I can't believe the time has gone by so quickly. This is definitely the kind of living I was thinking of when I signed up for work camping. Good place. Good pace of life. Good folks to work for and with. I'm having a great time.
This week the mornings were cool so we didn't start until 10 most days to let the temps warm up some. The big projects right now, while bookings are slow, is maintenance on the cabins. Herman and Carl have been working on the decks for the luxury cabins out in the back wooded area while Linda and I took on the day cabins out front. First we had to take all the screening down around the decks. Note I said screening, not screens. We had to pull all the splines out carefully for reuse and then remove the screen pieces and store them while we stained some areas of the decks that for some reason weren't stained. Then after the staining was done and dried we had to respline all those screens. I have a whole new skill set to add to my resume but by the end of the second day of splining I know I'll be listing that skill low and in small print. Ugh. It's not that much fun. Still there's a certain amount of pride in seeing the job done and how much it adds to the finished appearnce of the cabins. And I think the guys were surprised to see that us gals could do it all without their help.
So what do worn out workcampers do at the end of a hard week? Well, if you're across the street from a great swamp like Okefenokee you put your kayak in the water and go for a paddle. Finally. Can you believe I've been here 6 weeks and just now paddling? Only the cooler weather and work and holidays have kept me off the water. But those days are behind me now so look out swamp!
This was Linda's first time in a kayak so we went out after lunch and only went about a mile up the canal and into the swamp. I think she was nervous at first but by the tine we got back she seemed pretty proud of herself. And she should be. She did great. She learned how to get in, launch, paddle forward and backward, turn around, get out of the way of the tour boats when they were passing, and most importantly after a successfull venture on the water - she got out again without falling in the water the whole time. In fact, I don't think she got her feet wet. Great job Linda! Hope you're not too sore tomorrow.
We didn't see any gators today. I think they all know a storm is coming in tonight and they headed to the muddy islands in the prairies where they can stay warm during the rain. We did see a pair of red shouldered hawks going after something and a very pretty water plant sprouting some new growth. And of course there was a woodpecker but I didn't get my binoculars up quick enough to see if he was an RCW. Next time I guess.
After working this morning and paddling this afternoon and then putting all the boats and gear away, I am pooped. Time to take a shower and hit the sack early tonight. Will try to find some new trouble to get into tomorrow I guess.
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