6th graders are nuts

I just finished my week volunteer teaching at the Philomath 6th grade outdoor school and I gotta say, the little buggers have way too much energy. And a LOT were on ritalin, but many more needed to be on it. In all reality though, it was a ton of fun and I encourage everyone I can to volunteer for outdoor school. By the end of camp, all the staff are delerious practically. The jokes we make are just retarded sounding to anyone who hasn't been surrounded by kids and swearing is completely foreign.
I managed to learn a lot about patience in that week, but not from the kids. In my spare time I had a lot of interesting experiences with the wildlife around camp. I managed to pet a little wren after observing it for a long time and creeping closer. I followed a hummingbird to it's nest and got to look at its two baby hummingbirds which were just hours out of the egg. Each was about the size of a lima bean. Sadly I didn't have my camera handy. One of the other interesting things my kids found was a Pacific Giant Salamander that was about 10 inches long(the grow a lot bigger). I guesss they are pretty rare to see at that size.
For a few days before ODS I was at Smith climbing (cheers to no class on fridays!) and got on my hardest trad climb to date. .10a in the gorge is no small feat but I managed to get up Cruel Sister with one fall. Stoke!
After outdoor school was over I came home, repacked and went on a Mountain Club rafting trip on the Rogue river for the weekend. I can't believe it all worked out, but 34 people in seven boats and 3 kayaks made it safely down the river. The only flipped boat was Bryan's when he tried unsuccessfully to run Rainey Falls. 34 people, 10 craft, 25 gallons of beer, 3 cars, 2 nights, 0 vomits, a lot of green, and no BUIs! Woohoo!
My obligation to OMC is almost at an end, and I gotta say, I was wrong in my lamentations which began this blog in October. OMC is functioning perfectly as a community group. Through several donations we have a new library beginning, and some equipment, and soon a first aid kit. Oh, and membership for the year is at 36 currently and trips are heading out every weekend for this whole term. OMC will survive!