Checking In

It was brought to my attention that I hadn't written since crashing a fire up north and there was a possibility that I had indeed been arrested. Have no fear, we made it out with minimal damage to our reputations, and quite a bit more interest in the research we're doing.

I figured I better get back on here and give some updates so you all know I'm alive and well.

So I passed Calculus...with a B minus. Not fantastic, but considering the stress I was under, I'll take it. Next semester will be Calculus II, (Calculus based) Physics I, Computer Programming for Meteorology and the first of two installments of basic Meteorology. It's going to be a rough semester.

I am also dating a fantastic man that I met back in 2012 (his facebook will tell you it was 2013, because that's what men do) on a fire when we were both on hotshot crews. We've seen each other on fires since then but lived pretty far apart, making any sort of relationship a tough one. Now we're 2.5- 3 hrs apart depending on how many times my blessed Garmin gets me lost. Yeah, same Garmin that told me to go have lunch at "Treat Your Feet" which I probably should've done considering my right big toenail is now looser than ever and is probably going to jump ship at the most inconvenient time.

Jason and I spent a (somewhat stormy) day roaming around Yosemite National park, and then I headed back up there with my lab to do some mountain meteorology studies for a few days. We camped out and ate in town.

This last weekend Jason and I went to Sonora to hang out with Corey who was roaming the west side of the Sierras. After having lunch and walking around town, we headed out to the nearest reservoir to cool off. On the way out there I got a text from the guys at the lab saying there was a big fire going off near me. I scanned the sky around me while Jason drove and then saw the plume. It was hilarious. Uh oh, oops, suddenly out of cell reception.

We watched the plume build while we changed into swim suits and hopped into the reservoir. All three of us being "fire people", we remarked about how different it was to see that and not care, and not have to cancel our plans. We floated in the murky water and turned our faces toward the sun. This is what normal people do during the summer.

Corey had to return to Mammoth to feed the mules and horses and Jason and I explored Big Trees State Park. It was nice to get up to cooler air.

I've decided that summer is about bouncing from one swimming hole to the next. When I was leaving Yosemite with the lab, we found an awesome swimming hole to cool off before heading back to the city. It reminded me of when I was in high school and summers really were summers.

Maybe that's what they are now?