They grow up so fast.
Congratulations and very best wishes, DS'09!
Frances's posterous
Silence
Exactly one year ago, the students were in the middle of a voluntary weekend of silence. I unearthed this unposted picture a few days ago and thought it warranted sharing.
Miscellany
Soldier Pass hike [1]. Steve and Michael H. setting up for the Valentine's Day open mic, while a decked-out L.L. presides [2]. David and I made cookies [3]. The Lower Reservoir, frozen over [4]. Stefan and Anya share a moment [5]. Beware of Deep Springs cows! [6-7].
Signing off...'til next time!
DS Quotes
F: How come you guys never say "hi" or "bye" to each other?
Dylan: What's the point? We always see each other again in 30 minutes anyway.
Ethan [improvising on the Steinway]: Do we have to read both Hobbes and Rousseau for tomorrow?
David: Yea. I'm going to the kitchen to make some soup first. Do you want some?
Ethan: I think I prefer pianistic procrastination to gastronomic procrastination.
And, of course...
Jared: Yea, our vernacular here tends to be rather elevated.
(He said this without a hint of irony.)
Roping
The students usually practice roping the metal cow statue or the fire hydrant, but occasionally they go for a moving target. Of course, this is really meant to be done on horseback... to a large animal with horns... that is running. And I couldn't even rope a stationary object while standing still on the ground...
Nick, Tim B., and Gabe demonstrate more accurate technique [1, L-R].
Shadow
Noam's new puppy is half lab and half border collie. She has incredibly soft fur, lots of energy, and no attention span. Shadow looking innocent [1], playing with Ellie [2], and getting into trouble [3-4]. Shadow examines Elias as mom Shelby watches [5]. We were outside the boarding house on a warm evening after dinner, where the trio was backlit by the headlights of the Mitchell's truck.
Calf
This little guy [1] was born really weak and sickly, but he is now thriving under the Mitchells' care. He sometimes follows Karen up to the main campus. The students call him Beefsky, after one of his foster dads, Nick Baefsky. He is still a little wobbly on his legs, but he's become fast friends with Ellie [2, 3], Tim M., Jacob, and Tyler [4].
DS: the final frontier
Apologies to Noam, but I doubt he'll be surfing the web anytime soon anyway... :)
Noam: So, did you restart your internet thing yet?
Frances: "Internet thing"?
N: I forgot what they're called.
F: Blog?
N: Yeah, that's it.
Happy Holidays!
A few more pictures of the snow, ending at the same desk in the desert where I began in August [#5].
Term's over, so I'm signing off for now, but I think I'll be due for a Deep Springs visit in a couple months. I'll post some updates then!
xoxo,
Frances
Buon Natale!
Start with Mama Nasca's notes [1] and 55 pounds of dough [2]. (Yes, fifty-five. We weighed it.) Mix and grind Cuchidahti filling: figs, dates, raisins, oranges, and walnuts [3]. Roll out dough [4], fill [5], and slice [6]. Ready for baking! [7] Neapolitan Bars [8]. The BH comes to life late at night with a mix of socializers, scavengers, and the sleep-deprived [9-10]. In the morning, we find evidence of David's supernatural nocturnal cookie-producing powers [11-12]. Buon Natale!
