Oregon Country Fair Caretaker's Oregon Country Fair Caretaker's
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Once called Sextilis by the ancient Romans, it was renamed in honor of their glorfied and deified Emperor Augustus, Caesar's nephew and heir. During Augustus' reign, the Roman Senate lengthened August to thirty-one days by taking a day away from February. It's such a perfectly logical way to lenghten the Summer that it is a almost a wonder that nobody else has figured out how to add even just a couple more days on. August is the month in which I can once again come up for air after the two solid months of being totally submerged by the our annual feast of the senses. It was another great Fair by all accounts---and this even though I managed to over amp my back just a few days before the event. While I'm still reeling from that one, some interesting life lessons did come my way because of it. Now I can resume the much more personal journey that I have undertaken here in the land of the Oregon Country Fair---including the upkeep of this Journal. Very often I hear the comment of how different it is out here without all the people, but I always have to laugh and say that of course this is how it is out here most of the time. So please do feel free to come out and visit now that I'm out of the proverbial pressure cooker.
There is a pleasure in the pathless woods,
There is a rapture on the lonely shore,
There is society, where none intrudes,
By the deep Sea, and music in its roar
I love not Man the less, but Nature more.
--Lord Byron
Tuesday 8 August The last week has been a busy one around here with the Power of Hope Culture Jam camp out. All went extremely well I thought, better probably than anyone expected. The weather was great and of course just being at the Fair Site is a treat. About thirty kids and fifteen adults participated and it seems a sure bet that we will be expanding this program next year. Many kudos to Leslie and Michael Glowina for the often very stressful job of organization they did, to Carl Taylor for the great meals he made us all at the kitchen, as well as everyone else who facilitated in one way or another this weekend. It was a great chance to do some new things here on Site and all the teens I talked to had glowing reports about it. Now the picnic is suddenly almost here and we are shifting gears for that. Animal is back after being down at the World Footbag Championships in San Francisco for about a week and he is proving himself a great help around here---such as helping me rebuild the BBQ today among other things. It's been hot the last week or so and the dog days of August are upon us. We tend to get lazy in the late afternoon and then accomplish some more during the cool of the evening.
Tuesday 7 August The days of Summer are passing rapidly and it has gotten late fast the last few nights. Hilary bought Riff's bus right after the Fair and I have been playing mechanic on it in order to help get it ready for Burning Man. Lots of prep is now happening for the Culture Jam which will be held in and around Main Camp. If your not directly involved with this event then you should please try to avoid the Site during this coming weekend only. Last night's Board Meeting was over in record time, just less than one hour, and it was a complete and utter mutual admiration society as opposed to the rabid blood letting festival that occurred last year. I can't tell you what a vast relief it is for everybody I know of to finally be out of that old well worn rut. Today I was in town to doing for the Fair business, including the buying of a new pressure washer and a little yard work around the town office. I am also finishing the conversion of Steve P's old house trailer into a flatbed trailer on top of everything else and I was out by the Ware House until around dark when Yona and Eric showed up and rescued me from my planned peanut butter and jelly sandwich extravaganza and cooked up a great dinner here at the Yurt.
Friday 3 August A pretty full schedule out around these parts this month. Today was a wedding with the usual assortment of parents and other folks driving or wandering around lost. "This place sure is big---Uh huh yup it sure enough is, all 350 acres of it----Whoa!" VegManECs will hold their New Year Celebrations this Saturday night. The first Power of Hope / Culture Jam to ever be held on Site will be the following weekend and that should be an interesting for the all participants. This will evolve into a weeklong Youth Camp each year. More about that at a later date. Then of course our very own Teddy Bear's Picnic will be on the 18th with the Annual Evaluation Meeting held the following day. Finally there will be a second wedding on the 25th, but then that's the same day that I will be heading down to the Black Rock Desert for a week at the Burning Man. See ya all there maybe. I've got a lot of work to do first though without even mentioning the continuing widening the sweeping, the Lane County Fair, and most importantly catching up on reviewing all those Summer movies for ya'll. Ah, the Caretaker's job is never quite ever done.
Thursday 2 August Only the second day of the freshly resumed Journal---and yet nothing comes immediately to mind to speak of as to something to say. Out of practice here it would seem. This is a potential serious problem that absolutely deserves my utmost attention and studied concentration. Nothing is just not acceptable to you my dear readers, that much I know like the back of my head . . . . and therefore I think I'll have to sleep on it and perchance try to dream up something brilliant to say for tomorrow.
Wednesday 1 August I will have to say straight off that the Fair was left in better shape this year than I have ever seen it in the past---by far. This was through a combination of things I think; a mild Winter, an evolving awarenes, a ban on hay and straw because of fire danger, invigorated Decon and Recycling crews, the cumulative effect of massive cleanup efforts, and the most recent restorative rain. Needless to say that there are always going to be those pockets of resistance but any rate I am very pleased at the way that the Site looks during this part of the cycle. Animal (aka Jeffery Johnson) has stayed on with me after Decon and has been helping me get everything put away which has effectively doubled the speed at which I can get things shined up again. He is a street performer and so the work can get pretty danged amusing while he is around here. There are still a whole lot of fun things to happen yet before the Summer leaves, but the vast quiet emptiness around here signifies another page has been turned and a brand new chapter begun.
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