Internship - First week.

Date: 5/27/13

For the first time in my life I have ventured into the south for more than a week. I am a week into my internship at Carl Sandburg Home National Park located in Flat Rock, North Carolina. This park is located in the southwestern NC; only a 20 minute drive from South Carolina. The Sandburg farm is geographically a 264 acre plot of eastern Appalachian foothill. Extremely pretty with some very unique flora. I’ll get to that in a relatively short amount of time, as that I am here studying forest conservation.

However, let me run a few items past the complaint department. I love traveling. Cultural differences are one of the various aspects that make travel so interesting and enjoyable. Finding people of different walks of life with new and exciting ideas are inspiration to me. The American South, though, doesn’t vibe with me. Look, I’m a northerner thick and thin. The way people in the north are raised is a mixture of many things. And it comes out to we are fast moving and, in most cases, high strung. Yes, we may not realize how high strung we are until we travel, but we are. This is something I’ve noticed in the South. People are very laid back. Far to laid back. The Western United States can be extremely laid back as well, but the big difference is that the South harbors some of the most aggressive people in this country. It’s is a weird atmosphere. What compounds this even more is the unrelenting friendliness. In most cases I suspect it may be fake friendliness, but EVERYONE says hi. For someone from the Northern lands this much constant friendliness is tiring. The blunt way to put it is that New England and the Eastern North are full of assholes. That doesn’t mean we can’t make pleasant conversation, no. What it does imply is that we do not and will not say hello to EVERYONE you pass one the street. I still can’t fathom doing this for the rest of my life. By the end of the summer I’m going to be flipping people off just because I’m sick of talking to people. Deliver me to the snowy lands of my Northern forests.

One can be sure that I will have many more complaints before the next 9 weeks are over with, but for now I will move on to what I have been up to…and my assessment of the “great” Carl Sandburg’s Home. To make this more interesting I will describe my week before my review of this author’s home.

DAY 1)

I rolled in on Monday the 20^th of May around 1:30 PM after a 7 and half hour drive. I was tired but alert enough to get myself settled. After parking I wandered my way to the second building that is the headquarters of the National park staff. Jerri, the parks supervisor, met me and squared me away. She got me a key to the green farmhouse that I am currently writing from and rode with me to show me around. The meeting we had was rather short. She told me when to be at work in the morning and some basic logistical data. Most of the information that I need will be from Irene, the biologist who hired me, when she gets back after this week. First week here and the woman I am supposed to be learning off is out of town. No big deal. It gives me a week to learn the park. Knowing ones surroundings is extremely important. After unloading my Jeep, which drove the whole way like a champ, I walked around a bit and read some. Two days before leaving I obtained the newest Dan Brown novel, Inferno. I grew up with the man who did most of the research for the Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons. 8 or so years ago he urged me to read Dan Brown. I finally gave in and I am ever so happy about that. Dan Brown is a great read. For something is a step up from a trash fiction read I would suggest him. Anyway, I met my roomie, Sierra. We chatted and then I crashed. I work 7 A.M. to 3:30 P.M. Sleep came around 10 P.M. I was ever so tired and just passed out.

Day 2) – Tuesday 21st

This was my first day of work (obviously). Up at 6 A.M. and a short walk to the maintenance bay to meet Ernesto, my boss’s assistant. Staying in the park is rather nice. I pretty much only have to drive when I need groceries or need the library…and both of those are rather close to the park. So my orientation was easy stuff. Ernesto showed me around the park. We gardened a bit. Mostly pulling weeds. I was briefed on some of the main invasive species that are in the park (ie: Autumn Olive, Japanese Honeysuckle, and various others that are slipping my mind). One plant that I’m learning to hate is poison ivy. I know what you are thinking: Don’t you hate that already? You know…it’s not a problem back home in Ohio. However, this park has the worst case of poison ivy I’ve ever seen. Seriously, my run in with the stuff on Thursday will show that.

Anyway, back to the action. While gardening many of the volunteers joined us. Though, I’m starting to think they were doing more harm than helping. The morning went by in a flash. The afternoon was full of watering the gardens and fixing the watering system (which consists of a sprinkler wedged into a PVC pipe). I spent most of my day trying to remember names and learning the geography.

After work I hung with the girls (Sara and Sierra) for the evening. A trip to Sara’s and then the grocery rounded out the night.

Day 3) – Wednesday 22^nd

Today I got quickly certified on the Gator. Geeeeeeee, like I haven’t driven one of these before. The government loves their paperwork. I don’t think I ever want to work for the government full time. State parks for me if I end up finding work with them. Who knows what the future holds. So I watched my John Deere video about the gator and took it out. I have become the driver at the moment. So on this day we had no volunteers, as they only come around on Tuesday’s and Thursdays, Ernesto and I make ourselves useful by spraying herbicide on poison ivy, yanking an invasive lily on top of the mountain, and various other small tasks such as this. Have I mentioned that the south is far too laid back? We have been shooting from the hip most of the week. To the point that I barely remember Wednesday. I know I checked my email in the office and yanked some invasive species on a trip to Glassy Top Mountain.  That was pretty much Wednesday. After work I had my nose in a book all night. Yes, the same Dan Brown book.

Day 4) – Thursday 23^rd

The volunteers were back this day…and it was eventful. The whole morning was dedicated to one task: transplanting Milkweed. If you are thinking that this involves Monarch butterflies, you are correct. To set the scene we have a goat barn (Ms. Sandburg was a world renowned goat breeder) and behind that barn is a field that is contracted out to a farmer for production of hay. To the left of the goats grazing field is a small pasture that has an outbuilding and isn’t used for anything in particular. The task was to transplant Milkweed that would be destroyed in the hay harvest, to the unused pasture. The operation took nearly 3 hours and countless trips in the gator across the tourist area of the goat barn. Over the course of that 3 hour time span we moved maybe 120 plants. I do hope they survive. I would hate to see all of that work go down the tubes.  I suppose we shall see by the middle of week 2.

The afternoon was semi uneventful, we just some basic watering and weeding. I ran into some last minute paperwork that needed to get finished quickly and that ate the day. After work it was more time for reading. Can we tell that I make friends with quickness? Didn’t think so.

Day 5) – Friday 24^th

With a three day weekend looming I was anxious for the day’s work to end. As I went into the office the first thing I asked Ernesto was what we are doing today. My insane self pointed out the day before that some of the trees were starting to get English ivy climbing up the trunks. This concerned me. This park has a full sized old growth American Chestnut and several American Elm trees. If one can’t grasp the importance of this statement…let me spell this out. American Chestnut tree was nearly wiped out by a blight. American Elm tree is just not all that common. My lack of knowledge on this tree may be missing a blight type incident in its past as well. So the fact that I was seeing English Ivy, which grows up anything it can, growing up the trunks of these trees concerned me. Also, the park has a large abundance of Eastern/Carolina Hemlock. I’m sure if you are in the know you will wonder if the trees are suffering from the Wooly Adeljid. Well, these trees have been treated and are mostly healthy. A few have the blight, but are getting treatment. That is exciting. Healthy trees are a fantastic thing. I wish we could have saved more American Chestnut trees.

THE WEEKEND!!!

Day 6) – Saturday 25^th

Today was an exploratory day, but not before I got a good run in. And a good run it was. For an hour and fifteen minutes I galloped around the village of Flat Rock. In retrospect I probably should have not run on the sides of some of the roads. It may or may not have been dangerous. I survived and that is what matters. After that adventure I cleaned myself up and ventured into Hendersonville to find the library. I needed to check my email. On route to adventure I found an Autozone. Remembering that I was in need of some Seafoam for my trooper of a Jeep I made a pit stop. Not only did I find the solvent that I needed, but I found directions to the library. The destination was only but a few blocks away. After exiting the automotive store I found my turn and also that a town festival was in the process of happening. It turns out the 25^th and 26^th had a Garden Jubilee scheduled. My luck! I wanted to explore this town and this was going to make it much more interesting. However, the priority of email came first.

The library was a nice large house of knowledge. Not much traffic surrounding the building. I do love smaller towns for this. As a side note, it would seem that Flat Rock and subsequently Hendersonville are one of the largest retirement communities in the country. The area is full of wealthy old folks. No wonder everything is so pricey here. Thankfully, the library is free. I sat down for several hours and spent some time online. The more time I spend away from the internet the quicker I can get things, such as email and youtube checking, done in a hurry.

After leaving the library, I stashed my lap top and ventured to the Garden Jubilee. The fest was sponsored by Lowes. I’m not really into gardening much. I’m sure my Mum and Aunt would enjoy this far more than I did. That being said, I did find a few points of interest. But, mostly I spent time rummaging through antique and general stores of Hendersonville. And speaking of my Mum and Aunt, I talked to both while trotting around the town.

Eventually, my legs began to tire and hunger set into my stomach. I walked back to my faithful steed and headed home, but not without a stop at The Fresh Market. This is a wonderful, if not expensive, natural foods store. I was quite pleased with finding it and will be going there more. They have all of the items that should be in a normal grocery, you know…whole foods without chemicals. I won’t get back on my soap box. Promise.

The last stop was the park and dinner. Eating was quickly done and I spent the remainder of this evening with my face buried in a book. I fear this summer is going to speed by. I am not looking forward to my last year of graduate school. Not one bit. I would like to just work on my own projects. Make some money. Not have to worry about being tested or doing huge projects that I could care less about. All in due time. What doesn’t kill you…

Day 7) – 26^th

This was a highly uneventful day. I got up and did some calisthenics, got a shower, and shoved my nose in a book a majority of the day. The Dan Brown novel would be done by Monday.

Day 8) – 27^th

Today is Memorial Day. The park is having a music fest from 10 A.M. until 4 P.M. and I have the day off. Unfortunately, there are enough old people that it appears the cast of Night of the Living Dead heard a call for free brains in the park. The music was eclectic and good. The Celtic fiddle player, Jaime Lavel, would have been more enjoyable if I wouldn’t have been harassed by an ex-party junkie from New Jersey most of the set. I kept going back to the house and reading. What can I say…I’m a sucker for a good book. The Dan Brown novel was finished today. Next up comes Charles de Lint’s Moonheart.

And that was the first week…ish. It was enjoyable. Nine more to go and a project on Granitic rock formations. Not my cup of tea, but I only have to do a presentation on them. I’m starting to think I just need jobs that keep me traveling. A traveling blogger would be fantastic. That way in my down time I can just woodwork and scale model. Oh well, food for thought. More on this North Carolina venture next week.

Art is life.

Part of this blog is dedicated to my hobby, modeling. Living simply (in a Motorhome or otherwise) doesn't mean giving up ones hobby. Whatever full timing rig i end up with will have to have a work bench in it for my model hobby. It's the simple things in life that keep us going. Art is as important, in my opinion, as saving the environment. We must create beauty as much we help to sustain and improve our environment.

As i prepare for summer and get through exams I will be working on the Lief Ericson star ship. This is an AMT kit from the 1960's that was recently reissued in 2011 ( i believe). It will be lit as it comes with 9 volt powered engine lights. This should be rather exciting. I also have purchased, from Paul at Paragrafix.biz, the photoetch upgrade kid. Paul does amazing work and offers a good range of upgrade kits for all of your science fiction needs. 

Speaking of science fiction. Another kit that I have I have a special project in mind for. Now, as whatever fulltiming rig I finally settle on there will be a remodel. I'm just that particular about my living arrangements. I'm sure much wood will be placed in the interior, but one thing I have wanted to do is upgrade lighting. 

The Lindburg Area 51 UFO space ship will be turned into a 12V LED lamp. Mostly I'm going to run a brass tube through the middle and wire in some strip lighting at the bottom. However, that will have to be done next year when I have more time.  I think this will make a wonderful lamp. I haven't even thought about the nuts and bolts of the project. That will come next year, and it will be loads of fun!

So hopefully I will be starting the Lief Ericson next week. There will be updates and maybe a good video or two about that. I may do a nice unboxing if I find the time.

Enjoy~

"The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance." ~ Aristotle

Landlocked...again

I'm back to working on my thesis (ie: procrastination)...or really just my literature review. It's just a big research paper that is not interesting. Last month I spent time in 9 different states. If I take out Ohio in that equation I had a blast. Some of the company wasn't the best, but that will happen with any trip. Once this semester is over I'll be working in North Carolina. I'm extremely excited about this. I'll be one step closer to what I want in life. One step closer to proper freedom. If graduate school has taught me anything, it is that much of the info that college forces down your throat is useless. I'm not here to be a PHD. You couldn't pay me to do that type of degree. I refuse. I know I'll benefit from my maters degree. That is the only reason I'm putting up with being in college any longer. The world/life doesn't wait while you spend decades in school. I'm a firm advocate of education, but enough is enough. I suppose the last month of traveling has me a bit down now that I'm shackled to working on projects that I don't care about other than to get a grade. I suppose I am just more hands on than anything. Working on papers and meaningless research is uninteresting and unproductive. There are many areas of research that are extremely important. However, they aren't in my field and I don't want to be involved. What I want is to be out in the field. The front lines of environmental action. Back out on the road attempting not to have a HUGE eco-footprint.

I'm babbling. For the sake of boring everyone this will be short. I do need to actually work on my paper. I have a goal of draft one to be done by the end of the week. Not entirely sure that will happen.

I went rig hunting on the 30th with my Mum. I believe we both decided on a class C motorhome. I love my Jeep and want to keep it, and it won't really pull anything I can fully live in. Most fifth wheels will involve a HEAVY truck investment and are a bit to luxurious for my taste. So a class C with a slide out will be what i'm looking for. Once I get my hands on that the modifications will start. I'm fairly certain I can't leave anything original.

"Life is a series of natural and spontaneous changes. Don't resist them - that only creates sorrow. Let reality be reality. Let things flow naturally forward in whatever way they like." -- Lao Tzu

Heating...finding new things.

No matter what rig i end up choosing there are some fundamentals that I will be in need of. One is heat. I love wood stoves, but didn't think that would be much of an option....until I found this.

Kimberly Stoves...huh...built for small spaces. This looks amazing and right up my alley!

Facing the Tempest: Ramblin' and On and On

Facing the Tempest: Ramblin' and On and On: Talk about a busy month. In 9 days I traversed the southern half of the eastern seaboard and a couple of northern states...9 states in all. ...

Ramblin' and On and On

Talk about a busy month. In 9 days I traversed the southern half of the eastern seaboard and a couple of northern states...9 states in all. Unfortunately I didn't have the luxury of one state a day. Well thems the breaks when you have appointments. I can now say that I am officially certified as a Wilderness first aider. That is fairly exciting. I find it of great need to be prepared for things. What things? Anything really. I'm not a preper in the traditional sense. Most of those yahoos are just waiting for "the great revolution" or "the end times". I'll tell you, those scenario's will not play out like you think they will. I'm fairly certain of that. However, with climate change also comes, as most of you have seen, completely insane weather. Being prepared for some form of natural disaster is slightly more relevant than waiting for some half asserted revolution. Come on, look at this population...most of these fat lazy bastards are couch potato revolutionaries. They will take part in anything as long as they don't miss the new episode of CSI. Fucking pathetic. I digress, I like to be prepared. I found on these trips that I am in sore need of a good camp stove. I've been putting this off for FAR to long. I don't really do much multi-day back country camping. So when I do camp it tends to be in a more convenient location to just use a good cooking fire. So, in short, less gear to carry. However, with all the insane traveling I am starting to get into, and with my very specialized diet and dislike of going to restaurants, a cooking stove is on top of my list to buy.  I find it handy to be able to cook my cup of veggies or steam some rice in my own time. It's the little things that make traveling more fun. The more one travels the more one gets a good travel kit together.

On top of getting my WFA certification I nailed an internship in North Carolina at the Carl Sandburg Home National Park. This stokes my souls fires. You see, I'm one of those crazy artist types that also an idealist. I want the work I do to mean something. That's one reason I am an environmentalist. Part of my inspiration for my music and other art is the natural world. This is the same for many people in many professions. I put my effort, professionally, into helping the environment, saving it from the uneducated and immoral louts of the world. I suppose having strong ideals about the world plays into wanting to live small. It's a blessing and a curse having such a wide eyed view of the world. One foot in front of the other. I am getting where I want to be professionally, spiritually, emotionally, and any other ally that you can think of in small strides. A person should not be afraid to see whats around the next corner.

I know many people who are timid to traveling or even moving. Some are uncomfortably attached to their families. To me that is rather unhealthy. Other folks don't like to get taken out of their comfort zone. I find that comfort zone hampers personal growth. I don't necessarily enjoy the feeling, but embrace it. Stepping into the unknown helps me to grow into that mighty oak i yearn to become. New experiences is like a hit of protein powder before a solid work out.

I've rambled enough in a fairly non-focused way. I'm going to be productive away from the internet.


Be strong.
Be steady.
Be true.

*Brought to you by Rollins Band - Blues Jam*

Fuel the fires within..

This is a subject I will not talk about very often, but it's on my mind as i sit here and watch the Vegan Black Metal Chef. I've had a very weird eating history. I was a fat kid. I was in that first real wave of obese U.S. citizens that came up in the 80's and 90's. My situation was not a biological problem. My environment shaped my body. I spent much time outdoors, and you'd think that I would get plenty of exercise by that fact alone. I ran around so much it was unreal. However, due to my Mum trying to raise me Vegetarian and everyone else giving me food I became a human garbage disposal. I was lucky enough to be a budding picky eater. It wasn't as evident in my youth as it is now, but I never got a taste for Soda Pop (thankfully). I never got a taste for some of the nastier things. I did have a nasty fast food habit. My body is responsive more than some to the things i put into it. At my peak I weighed in at over 300 pounds...probably well over. I was miserable. It took a ton of bad health habits and poor food to send me over the edge my first year in college and I got sick. That sickness put me down for a couple of years. During that time I began to read, and due to my lack of ability to eat much I began to watch the food network like a mad man (I haven't watched television in nearly 7 years).

I'm a late bloomer, but at this point my mind really began to open. I've never been dumb. Though, for a long time I was a very "learn by mistake" person. As my consciousness expanded I began to learn things about myself. I changed my diet and I got on the mend. I haven't eaten beef since I was 19. That was the first big decision I made. The process of knowing oneself is a life long journey. In the area I grew up in, making the choice to not eat cow is HUGE. Maybe not to my Mum, but to everyone else it is. That was the first of the big decisions I've made. Maybe one day i'll talk about my faith choices...that one still gets to the yokels. Anyway, as my diet changed to what I wanted it to be I felt better. My Mum honestly believes that cooking is bad for a person. I don't believe that. I do think most people cook in a very unhealthy manner. Just walk into any given city in the United States and the obesity rate will completely blow your mind. I know it blows my mind. Going out to eat (assuming you can find a place that doesn't serve FDA approved toxic waste) is rather horrifying. Serving portions are blowing away HUGE in the middle of this country. I've found from my travels that coastal areas tend to give a bit less food per meal (with higher prices...go figure).

So...i've picked up a few things about health over the years and made choices. I'm gluten free, beef free, milk free (I still eat cheese and yogurt). I'm not vegetarian or vegan. I eat chicken and fish, but i'm VERY picky about where my meat comes from. I don't want antibiotics and steroids pumped into my meat. Not good for the animal and not good for me. The largest choice was going gluten free. There are extenuating circumstances behind that choice, but it's a choir. A labor of love, if you will. It makes me feel great. I work out for the same reason...it makes me feel good.

I don't understand people who eat trash. People who put drinks into their system that can DEGREASE AN ENGINE. My body matters to me. I don't want to be on 23432 different medicines when i'm 50 because I ate 12 pounds of salt a year on top of mounds of buttered bacon. My body is a temple. My body is like any other bio system. If you put toxic waste into the natural cycle it will eventually stop that system. I've witnessed to many people in my family or associated with my family (family = biological and friend based) not care that much about their health. It's just down right sad and scary. So in a sense i've become a picky eater because I only want high quality fuel for my body. I enjoy staying healthy. I can't lie and say i don't get worried that i'll get fat again. Anyone who has lost over 160 pounds will tell you that they never want to go back. I am such a different person in some respects. In others i'm just more enhanced.

What we put into our bodies is purely our choice. If you fill your body with junk, what does that say about who you are? Do you eat fast food daily because "I don't have time for anything else". There is no excuse...none. My health comes first. One of the basic natural traits is personal safety. Eating properly, whatever that is for you, is just as important as breathing clean air or sleeping enough.

I think you get the point.