The day started with the usual morning meeting and then back to the house with two of the Rangers. Yesterday, the water heater at my residence sprung a big leak. (Perhaps the mopping and cold shower this morning had something to do with my mood). It seems as though the tank itself ruptured some how. I was able to go out and purchase a new one yesterday evening and two people were able to come over this morning to install it. It is so nice to have a person dedicated to repairs like this. His expertise made the job go by quickly with few hangups.
I now have a nice, new water heater and it is even a bit of an upgrade from the last one. A connection still needs to be made between the steam vent and the outlet pipe, but that will wait for another trip to the hardware store. While they were there, they also installed the new flood light for the back yard that I purchased but had not yet installed. I am actually looking forward to taking the dog out this evening to see how well it lights up the yard. This fix also needs a little caulk and paint, all in due time though.
While the guys finished up with the repairs at my residence, I decided to make myself useful where I could. I helped to clean a couple more cabins in the youth camp. We were chasing spider webs and removing dust, sweeping floors and cleaning windows, and cleaning off the ceiling fans. We took care of two cabins before lunch which left only two more to complete the job.
On my way home for lunch, I stopped to see a Soft-shell Turtle. She was on a hike away from the water to find a place to lay her eggs. You can still see duck weed on her back, which is an aquatic plant. I gave her plenty of room because though they look big and slow, the Soft-shell can move her head quickly and deliver a strong and painful bite. They are unusual looking turtles. The pointy nose acts like a snorkel in the water so that the turtle can breathe without surfacing all the way. Their shell is strong, but flexible enough to allow easy maneuverability through underwater obstacles like rocks or trees limbs. Soft-shell turtles are mostly carnivorous, eating fish, crustaceans, and amphibians.
I witnessed another carnivore in action today, but I wasn't able to get a photo because I was driving and it was flying. I saw a hawk flying overhead carrying something in its talons. Its catch was dangling and at first, I thought it might be a snake. As I watched though, my angle changed and I realized that the hawk was carrying a small squirrel. It was just landing on a perch to enjoy its meal as it went out of my view.
The afternoon had a hodgepodge of issues that came up. A tree limb was dangling above a walkway, just waiting to fall. A man was looking for car keys that he lost last night. Some hikers were lost on a trail and calling the ranger station via cell phone. The ranger station was overloaded with registering campers, taking phone calls, and welcoming park visitors just as soon as the morning person left. The park radios were acting up as well, producing a horrible and repetitive noise, making it a little more difficult to tackle all of the issues at hand. We took care of everything and managed to get the youth camp cleaning and maintenance wrapped up as well. I was glad to be home at the end of it all.
Thought of the Day #13
Happy Birthday Mom!! Thanks for always making me go play outside.
1 comment:
Thanks, Amy - and you're welcome. You've always been interested in nature (except those rabbits). I saw the blueberries and thought of the little blue bucket. Owie checked on the blueberries THREE TIMES in the 20 hours he was here; same with the apples. He's anxious to eat berries and make apple pies. BTW, the deer weren't waiting for pies - they were at the apple tree already today. I appreciated your phone call!
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