Sunday, March 28, 2010
Is that Willow Lodge?
That's what we found ourselves saying as we entered the massive adventure camp. Raven 4's been enjoying our work here, but we've also loved living here at Willow Lodge, the three-bedroom brick house that houses the 12 of us. Not knowing what to expect, we were excited to find out we'd have a place like this, with a large living room, our own kitchen, and two bathrooms. It's located at the bottom of a hilly trail within the camp. We're fairly secluded, with not much else around, so its definitely been a bonding experience for the team. The nearest store is about 15 to 20 minutes away, so the past couple of weeks have meant a lot of together time, as we only have one vehicle, of course, and the walk would be quite a trek. But we're loving it, and it's nice to have our own Raven 4 lodge for the month that we're staying here. Below is a picture of most of us taking a moment after work for a group picture.
Friday, March 26, 2010
Camp Highroad Updates and Photos
We're just about halfway through this first project. With a split project round: Virginia, DC, and then Vermont, I'm sure there will be a lot to report on. Our limited access to the internet has kept me lagging behind on these updates, but I will do my best to catch up. In the meantime, enjoy this photo of us, taking a moment to enjoy the scene around us
Raven 4
Ah yes, the pictures are finally in! Here we all are, at our Team Reveal, when we first became a team, a family, a force of nature, THE Hard-boiled dozen. Enjoy the beauty that is Raven 4.
Friday, March 19, 2010
Raven 4 Soars off - Camp Highroad in Middleburg, VA
It started with a week of Transition, which entailed a whole lot of running and driving around on my part, tying up loose ends, finishing last minute paperwork, scheduling meetings for my team, and heading to staff meetings all throughout. I swear that this job wouldn't be possible without some sort of writing utensil on you at all times. There is so much to know and be aware of, and there simply isn't enough storage in the human brain, or least mine. My planner has saved my life, and in turn, my team's.
Back to the week, though... My fantastic Assistant Team Leader coordinated the Briefing of our first round with the rest of the team while I took care of all of the business I mentioned above. When I met up with the team for the presentation rehearsal, I was ecstatic to see that it had gone well, and everyone spoke fairly confidently as they presented individual slides. The assistant team leader (ATL) did an incredible job, as did the entire team, and I am so appreciative of that. The team presented the information to the staff, better than in rehearsal; I was so proud.
All that was left to do was travel. We woke up Saturday morning to pack up the van, and we were off. The drive is about 2 hours and 30 minutes, which may, in the end, have been 3 hours and some change. We got a little lost, looking for Middleburg, VA, and for now I'm just gonna go ahead and blame that on the GPS. ;-)
Our sponsor Josh was our main contact and introduction to Camp Highroad, a Christian Adventure Camp for kids. He gave us our Orientation, a tour of the Camp, which is over 600 acres, where we learned about what our job would be for the next four weeks. Our main goal would be to prepare the camp for the incoming school groups, boy scouts, etc. that would be staying at the camp in a few weeks, which meant a whole lot of facility maintenance: trail clearning, invasive plant species removal, the cleaning of cabins, and more. We've also been transporting a lot of brush and branches from the road and camp site, which have been organized into piles along the way.
We're hoping that after we leave, we'll be able to see the Camp in action, when classes are being taught and more kids are here. A big goal of the program is to get kids outdoors, away from their TV and videogames, so they can grow more comfortable with the environment; give them a chance to experience things they might not ever have an opportunity to, especially kids living in the inner-city, including DC, which is about an hour away from here. It would be great to see these kids using the cabins and hiking the trails we've worked so hard on.
More to come in later entries, as always!
Back to the week, though... My fantastic Assistant Team Leader coordinated the Briefing of our first round with the rest of the team while I took care of all of the business I mentioned above. When I met up with the team for the presentation rehearsal, I was ecstatic to see that it had gone well, and everyone spoke fairly confidently as they presented individual slides. The assistant team leader (ATL) did an incredible job, as did the entire team, and I am so appreciative of that. The team presented the information to the staff, better than in rehearsal; I was so proud.
All that was left to do was travel. We woke up Saturday morning to pack up the van, and we were off. The drive is about 2 hours and 30 minutes, which may, in the end, have been 3 hours and some change. We got a little lost, looking for Middleburg, VA, and for now I'm just gonna go ahead and blame that on the GPS. ;-)
Our sponsor Josh was our main contact and introduction to Camp Highroad, a Christian Adventure Camp for kids. He gave us our Orientation, a tour of the Camp, which is over 600 acres, where we learned about what our job would be for the next four weeks. Our main goal would be to prepare the camp for the incoming school groups, boy scouts, etc. that would be staying at the camp in a few weeks, which meant a whole lot of facility maintenance: trail clearning, invasive plant species removal, the cleaning of cabins, and more. We've also been transporting a lot of brush and branches from the road and camp site, which have been organized into piles along the way.
We're hoping that after we leave, we'll be able to see the Camp in action, when classes are being taught and more kids are here. A big goal of the program is to get kids outdoors, away from their TV and videogames, so they can grow more comfortable with the environment; give them a chance to experience things they might not ever have an opportunity to, especially kids living in the inner-city, including DC, which is about an hour away from here. It would be great to see these kids using the cabins and hiking the trails we've worked so hard on.
More to come in later entries, as always!
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Kayam Farm: Our project at Pearstone Conference and Retreat Center
Raven 4 enjoyed a preview of sorts as we experienced a few days at Kayam Farm, located in Reicesterstown, VA. Located at the Pearlstone Conference and Retreat Center, it serves as a place for community members to gather, grow crops, and also get involved with many educational opportunities as people learn about the different aspects of organic farming.
Our first spike would start later, so this served as our mini-spike, or "baby spike" as some people have come to call it. In any case, we definitely had a great week, finally having a chance to get working as a team. We worked alongside another team at the farm, Wolf 3. It was great to get to know and work with some other Corps members, having another team on site. Fellow Team Leader and friend, Sadie and I worked as co-supervisors and essentially combined our teams, Raven 4 and Wolf 3, to form the unofficial yet ultimate composite team, Ralf 7!
Responsibilities varied throughout the week, as we divided up the teams into smaller groups; Tasks included working in the greenhouse, setting up berry trellises, removing invasive plant species, feeding the goats, shoveling and general maintenance of the soil. It was a lot of work, and quite a change, especially for the Corps members who had been solely in training for almost a month. At the end of the day, dinner was always a big event, as the cooking was being done for 23 people. But we got it done, and certainly enjoyed staying in the four cabins that provided us.
Our final day was great. There was a bonfire and the team was given seeds to plant on their own. The sad part was taking a Ralf 7 picture and dispanding to head back to the Point for our final week of training/transition. The teams meshed and worked really well together, and we're hoping perhaps we can do it again at some point this year. Until then, we had said our goodbyes (for the moment, as we'd see one another two hours later at our base).
For now, Raven 4 is off to gear up for the experience ahead. But Ralf 7 will always be a part of us, no matter where we are.
Our first spike would start later, so this served as our mini-spike, or "baby spike" as some people have come to call it. In any case, we definitely had a great week, finally having a chance to get working as a team. We worked alongside another team at the farm, Wolf 3. It was great to get to know and work with some other Corps members, having another team on site. Fellow Team Leader and friend, Sadie and I worked as co-supervisors and essentially combined our teams, Raven 4 and Wolf 3, to form the unofficial yet ultimate composite team, Ralf 7!
Responsibilities varied throughout the week, as we divided up the teams into smaller groups; Tasks included working in the greenhouse, setting up berry trellises, removing invasive plant species, feeding the goats, shoveling and general maintenance of the soil. It was a lot of work, and quite a change, especially for the Corps members who had been solely in training for almost a month. At the end of the day, dinner was always a big event, as the cooking was being done for 23 people. But we got it done, and certainly enjoyed staying in the four cabins that provided us.
Our final day was great. There was a bonfire and the team was given seeds to plant on their own. The sad part was taking a Ralf 7 picture and dispanding to head back to the Point for our final week of training/transition. The teams meshed and worked really well together, and we're hoping perhaps we can do it again at some point this year. Until then, we had said our goodbyes (for the moment, as we'd see one another two hours later at our base).
For now, Raven 4 is off to gear up for the experience ahead. But Ralf 7 will always be a part of us, no matter where we are.
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