Congratulations to the 2011 Fortnight Summer Camp crew on the completion of an incredible wildlife observatory!
We began with a platform at 30' that was constructed during the Fortnight Summer Camp of 2010. In small groups we built and tacked on new components: a concrete landing pad, a retractable staircase, a weaving catwalk, a vertical ladder, safety rails, and some stylish benches. While it was sometimes hard to predict how everything was going to come together, we eventually ended up with a cohesive, accessible, and visually stunning result.
We worked hard through the week, but we weren't just blindly swinging hammers. In addition to practicing myriad new shop and job-site skills, we were also trying to delve philosophically into a very important question: How do we learn to appreciate working? There was the obligatory, ever-pertinent discussions on craftsmanship and quality, but then we discovered some more subtle topics. For example, what do we do when we feel fatigue or boredom? How can I remember to pay attention to my motions while swinging that hammer? Who are our teachers in work and life, and how can we best hear their lessons? And ultimately, what does it mean to work with and for others, and not just myself?
The exploration of work brought us far beyond construction and carpentry. It brought us into baking bread, into rolling homemade pasta for 40 people, into forging jewelry and tools, into writing poetry, printing books, and etching wood. It also brought us into the ways we discovered leisure. Admist such an active community, there was no time for television or a retreat into virtual activities. Rather, we found our rest in raucus night games of Ghost in the Graveyard, in singing sea shanties around a bonfire, or in muddy hikes to seek out the haunted Prospector's Cabin.
The observatory symbolizes the physical intensity with which we plumbed the depths of that philosophical question regarding work. Not only will it serve as a reminder of the question to all those who helped on the project, it will undoubtedly inspire and compel future crews to discover their own answers with gusto.
Again, to all of our campers, counselors, and supporters, well done!
