Day 35

it happened. 1,400 people flooded the property for the open house today. they needed extra coverage at some activities and i ended up working the skatepark while the other video guys took care of shooting the highlights.  this was a chill change after last weekends pressures and i helped countless kids put pads and helmets on and then sat on top the half pipe to watch them continually destroy themselves as they practiced and experimented. even little kids kept it together, fell down, and got up without any tears. kids are tough here, apparently.

the mass of peoples complicated meals incredibly and, since i had a staff shirt on, people would ask me if we'd run out of food as we all stood in long lines and waited for the pasta trays to be refilled. one lady intently cut me off at the coffee pot to snag the last few drops and then turned to ask me to tip the machine for her so she could get everything left. these things weren't big deals to me, really, but it struck me as a complete change to the otherwise easygoing camp atmosphere. typical society, cough cough.

the sun's fading colors melted behind distant mountains and still ocean waters as i walked the beach a few minutes ago. there were a few bonfires in the distance and tim and i walked the rocky shoreline to find a bunch of friendly crofton high schoolers partying on the beach. maybe friendly is the wrong word. the next fire lit the faces of two older men with a bongo and djembe. we'd heard their beats from the distant camp pier and approached to discover they were talking about the state of the world. the world was indeed getting darker at this time of night and i wondered how they were going to get their drums back up the thick forest and hills to wherever they'd come from. the third fire was dimly smoldering by the time we were near and the shadows of two people shuffled away like crabs across the rocks.

i'm going to sleep at the top of the climbing tower. i'm going with one of my roomates, tyler, and i think he's waiting upstairs for me, so i'm going to bed early tonight.