Final ACE weekend off...

So Daylight Savings Time is finally paying me back the one hour I invested back in March. I feel like I used to when I got back from my swimming lesson, put the key back in my locker, and suddenly had 20p in my hand, and thinking of all the things I could do with it.

Well, it looks like I'm spending my bonus time by writing in this blog. I'm pretty sure I'd be better off using it by sleeping in preparation for another week's hard work, but this seems more appealing right now.

Let me first say this: this project really does SUCK. All day, every day, we haul logs up a big bank to the roadside. And stack them. It's a lot like the Yosemite project only this time we're in a sizeable neighbourhood location (rather than in a meadow in a National Park), the logs are heavier, and the bank is steeper. Our supervisor, Kyle, is hard to please and during our work days seems to say nothing to encourage us and is quick to criticise even when everyone is sweating and aching from working so hard. We work from 7am on the dot til 5pm on the dot. Oh yeah, and instead of being too hot for little old English me, it's been freezing. Literally, every night (down to -11c), and some of the days. Three weeks before the ski season begins, and we're camping!

But secondly I'll say this: I love Lake Tahoe. My weekend off has been amazing. I've cycled miles, sorted a load of admin stuff for my post-ACE trip, walked around a lot, sat out by the campfire (in multiple layers of clothing of course), seen some incredible views, and enjoyed the new dynamic of a very different team. Within the crew we have three 18-year-old boys, whom I could very well imagine being some of "my kids" All Saints (except for their American/Dutch accents), as well as representatives from Spain, Italy, Korea and Germany too. Supervisor Kyle is surprisingly fun to hang out with outside of work time. I'm far from at the "core" of this group - there's not one person that I knew before I came out here, and many of them have already been on project together - but I'm very much happy with it being that way, just sitting back, watching, happy to hang out with one or two people or on my own.

Here are some pictures from the last couple of days:


Moonrise over the mountains


Fallen Leaf Lake at twilight


The boys (some of them)


"Inspiration point", overlooking Emerald Bay


Incredibly clear water of Tahoe as viewed from Nevada beach which I cycled to, just across the stateline.

Only four more days of ACE to go!