The Right Place at the Right Time

 On Saturday, we were headed home from the week at Boy's Camp when Daddy-o got a phone call from work. He tends to get a lot of calls from work, even though he has tried to help his employee understand the difference between an emergency and general business that can wait until Monday, but this time, it was an actual emergency. The chain on the gate at his outdoor lot had broken and a customer was stuck inside with the gate closed.

Daddy-o was able to give him a few instructions and between the employee and the customer, they were able to get the gate open, but the gate was now stuck open which meant we got to make a detour and 3 hours later, we were at the facility for Daddy-o to access the situation and decide what type of fix was needed. He ended up having to replace the whole chain, which took 4.5 hours in 101 degree heat and meant that we didn't get home until almost 10 p.m. 

This was following a long week of physical work and late nights and early mornings for both of us. We were exhausted and even the 4.5-hour drive home before we could take showers and collapse had felt daunting when we started the day. If only we had known how long it would really be. . .

Obviously, it would have been easiest if this hadn't happened at all. He has never had a chain break, and right now, as we're prepping for the busiest summer of our lives with a move, a house getting finished, and too many back-to-back camping trips, it feels like really bad timing. But as we were coming to grips with the serious detour our day was taking, we couldn't help recognizing how lucky we really were. This gate issue could have happened during the past week when Daddy-o would have had to try to figure out someone who could get out there to fix the gate quickly. It could have happened later that night, when we'd already made it home and a sleep-deprived Daddy-o would have tried to make the drive out there by himself, which could have been dangerous with how tired he was. Or it could have happened while we were traveling later this summer which would have been another massive challenge. When Daddy-o was working on the chain, he realized how many links had cracks in them, so it was inevitable that this was going to happen.

And, while Daddy-o was working on the gate, I went to the office. I couldn't do anything to help him, and I was barely staying awake, so I opted for waiting where there was air conditioning. It was about 4:45 and our employee leaves around 5, so I was really hoping for a nap when we could close up. Only, right after I got in there, one of the customers came in because his radiator had just burst. He was parked in front of the office and calling AAA to have it towed and had stepped inside to get out of the heat. We talked for a few minutes and then he noted that we were going to close soon. And as much as I wanted to take a nap, I knew there was no way I could ask him to wait out in the heat. So, I offered to keep the office open until his car was picked up, which ended up taking over an hour, but I got to hear Brian's stories about cruises and drag racing and workmen's comp issues and he got to stay out of the heat, which honestly might have killed him. And I once again felt lucky that if the gate had to break, it did it right then when I could be in the right place at the right time.

Now, we could really use some smooth sailing for a little while. Life is chaotic enough at the moment.

Boy's Camp for All of Us

Peanut and Daddy-o have been going to the camp for the Young Men at church for the past few years, but this year, I got to join them as the nature specialist for the hikes! The three of us spent the week camping near Lassen Volcanic NP, and while Daddy-o barely left the campground, Peanut and I went on adventures each day in the area around us.

There are beautiful hikes in the area and I was really glad that I got to go to McCloud Falls with the youngest group.

We hiked from the lower falls to the other 2 and had a fabulous day that ended with most of the kids jumping into the lowest pool.

The next day, I got to hike with Peanut's group and we climbed Lassen Peak. 

It was a little crazy with the snow (first time I've used crampons), but a fun adventure for the boys.

And even though the hike was pretty challenging, I was proud of all the boys. 

A couple of the leaders did a great job encouraging the ones who were struggling and got them all to the top.

This kid is such a great hiker these days. He did end up with a headache at the top, probably because of the altitude, but he did it.

One of the main things I was in charge of were the night hikes. We went to the lava tubes that were just outside our campground, learned a little about UV fluorescence, and enjoyed finding all the things in the area, like rocks, insect trails, scorpions, and moss. The kids had a lot of fun and two of the groups found so many scorpions!

My other job was doing some nature journaling with the youngest two groups. I wish we'd had time with the oldest group, too, but our hike took the whole day. But I loved how into it some of the kids got, and leaders, too. And I had a couple of the leaders tell me that they appreciated the reminder to not always just focus on getting to the destination, but to look around and slow down.

Along with hiking, Peanut did a 26-mile mountain bike ride one day, a ropes course, and had a few hours at waterfront where they cliff jumped at Bernie Falls, went knee boarding, and did tug-of-war in kayaks. 

I think they all had a pretty great week trying new things.

Peanut brought a friend along this year, and C said that it was the best week of his life. He even got up at the testimony meeting and bore his testimony about getting to learn about God and make new friends. It was pretty cool to be a part of that.

And then there's Daddy-o, who spends the whole week cooking for these boys.

And the boys are very appreciative of it. I don't think they can ever really understand how much work goes into the food part of camp, but they do love it and are very loud in their gratitude. 

He even planned for the couple of birthdays that happened up at camp this year, which included our guest. The boys loved getting cake the first night. They pretty much loved every meal, with the tri tip and mashed potato night finishing off a great week. I don't know if Daddy-o wants to do it again--4 years in the kitchen, and the last 2 at a camp without an actual kitchen, might be his limit, but he's given it his all while he's done it.