Whew!!

Every year I swear that I'm not going to do summer camps at the museum.  And then, every year, I fold.  Just for the last two weeks.  Until then, the museum is usually able to hire elementary and middle school teachers.  But they all have to go back for teacher training before the school year starts--and that's before camp is over.  And then I'm faced with the "Ann, is there any way . . . .?"   I could, in theory, say no.  But I'm aware that Jennifer (my boss) would then be working the camps--and then doing her other work afterwards. 

Of course, considering camp to be a bit of an ordeal, I never think to bring a camera, so this will be a mostly photo-free blog.  Mostly I'm a spare driver at the camps--we take the kids to places like Alligator Point or the Marine lab, and then to Wakulla Spring to swim.  One day we took them to Gainesville to the teaching zoo and then to a bat conservancy--both fascinating places but a total of about 350 miles of driving.  The Goddess of Summer Camps was with me--there were three vans for the 14 campers.  10 of them should have been drowned at birth, and 4 of them were pretty good kids.  I got all four of the good ones . . .

There were some highlights--going canoeing and having manatees be inches away from the boats.  Going to the pet store to see wee baby snakes coming out of their eggs.  On very disturbing incident--we were swimming in the springs in Marianna, and a boy (not one of ours) tried to swim under the dock and nearly drowned.  Our kids were right there when the body was pulled out--already blue.  By the grace of God, one of the people who spotted him was a former medical corpsman, and knew what to do--but it wasn't pretty. 

But Goddess of Summer Camps or no, spending all day with kids, and much of it outside (heat index usually over 100) had me dragging my arse home at the end of the day.

When I wasn't at camp, I was at Chris's (Florida Wild Mammal Association) trying to help out with a deer.  Poor guy got hit by a car and hurt his back (and was left at the side of the road for three days).  Chris never gives up on an animal, and he's doing better.  She wanted a way to be able to hold him up, so Bob built a stantion and I made a sling.  First sling he jumped right out.  So I spent another full day there fitting him with a jacket (I took my sewing room with me in the car).  Almost got it right.  My third day there I finally made one that he can't get out of, and that can be buckled onto him while he's laying down.  And did I think to take the camera that third day???  Must go down there again.

And so that this post is not entirely bereft of pictures, here's Pookha being the Wild Jungle Cat of the loom (her new favorite perch).   And while I understand that it's been freakin' hot outside, I really wish Timmy the Squirrel wouldn't sleep like this (fuzzy picture--had to take it through the window).