Freedom in a Can: Adventures with Hamlet

While living and working at a lovely little campground on the west side of Mount Desert Island this past summer, there were a number of things I learned about tourists.    And, while most of our guests were truly fantastic and fun to chat with, there were always a few that made me wonder if they left their brain and common sense at home when they came on vacation.   Here are few anecdotes from my summer as a camp host which included everything from taking reservations to unplugging toilets, from educating people about tides as I helped them launch their kayaks to cleaning out fire pits after they left.  Never a dull moment... The difference between site #19 and #20 is negligible, the margin between will not determine the success of your vacation.  Take a risk!  This should reduce at least 15 mins of your time, as well as the 6 other reservation calls that we missed whilst awaiting your decision. A mound of rock dust/mulch or unatten...

This week, I donned a piece of mattress foam rolled into a odd cone shape and covered in blue felt to lead 2 nd graders on an adventure through the water cycle.  When you have little time to prepare, even less sleep, and your first group shows up early, enthusiasm trumps content.  I was indeed fortunate that the visiting hurricane left sunshine in her wake, making running around with the kids pretending to be evaporated dew drops both possible and wholly congruent with the day’s agenda for these 7 year olds.  As an added bonus this activity also ate up much of my allotted 20 minutes.  “Let’s do it again, my watery friends!  The water cycle never stops, you know, it just keeps going!”  Lucky for me, 2 nd graders will give you a pass when it comes to teaching if you are dressed in blue felt covered foam and acting like a complete idiot.  My older students are a little more demanding.  This day of dress up as the ubiquitous aquatic quantity, t...