So, everyone is asking me what exactly my new job is. To start off, lets explain VISTA.
VISTA is:
-Volunteers in Service to America
-AmeriCorps branch that tries to eliminate poverty (despite knowing thats impossible)
-the only non-direct branch, which means that we dont swing the hammers, but rather create sustinable programs that enable the hammer to get swung
-the branch that seems to create more policy change than physical "i just did that" change
Now, as a VISTA member, I am working with a Habitat for Humanity Chapter, called Out Towns. Our Towns refers to Davidson, Cornelius, Huntersville, and Mooresville, now which are all partly mine, apparenetly (yes its true kids, not spelling well doesnt disqualify you from being able to own a town). I have an office at the Out Town office. Acutally, my office used to be split between Manny and Phil, the two contruction guys. Manny is in MS right now, and I moved all his stuff to Phil's desk, and took over his computer (which I actually relocated from the Volunteer area, where Syd mainly used it). My (our) original computer was blue-screening (aka broken).
So what do I do? So far, my main project has been dealing with homeowner warranty issues. I have sorted the mess all out. Many of the issues were already taken care of, dont apply because its been too long (we only service the homes for a year), or were an exageration (homeowners tell lots of fish stories). My next project looks like it will involve me educating everyone the benefits of Microsoft Project and the wonderfull world of the Gantt Chart. Scoot back in your chair before you fall off the edge.
I think today I am going swimming. tommorrow I get to do some direct service...but dont tell VISTA!
--Will DAlen Rice
Friday, September 15, 2006
Monday, September 11, 2006
MS...beautifull MS
I went to MS for the week. It was hot as hell. We framed an entire house. I feel at this point that I could oversee the framing process from the cutting of the plates, to the construction of the walls, to the final process of cap plating. Learning alot is an understatement.
There was also a chance meeting with my old roomy, DJ. He is down there, working it up with an NCCC team for another year. I also managed to catch up with one of my potential life mates, Tori. We went to Wal-mart and just basically hung out and reminisced. It was a short time, but very enjoyable and it seemed like it was just yesterday that we were all together.
Now, I am back here in wonderfull NC. Yesterday we went up to Babel Towers in the Linville Gorge. I jumped a couple times from the cliff. It really put the life back into me. Unfortunately the weather didnt cooperate and some very loud lightning forced us to "oh crap, we should leave." Somehow, the 3 girls i was with got lots of cuts, scrapes, and bruises. It seems that always happens when i get girls to go to water holes with me. Dont know why.
Tommorrow will be the re-start of my job. I dont know what I will be getting into tommorrow, but it should be pretty laid back. Thursday I might go to a concert. Life is easing back into normalcy for me, which means lots of fun here in Charlotte. Sometime this week I'll start training again, hopefully keeping it up for more than a month. Now that I have my UFC poster on the wall, I wake up to inspiration.
I may be getting a cell phone tommorrow. I can almost hear the gasps from everyone reading this now.
be great, be the change
--DAlen
There was also a chance meeting with my old roomy, DJ. He is down there, working it up with an NCCC team for another year. I also managed to catch up with one of my potential life mates, Tori. We went to Wal-mart and just basically hung out and reminisced. It was a short time, but very enjoyable and it seemed like it was just yesterday that we were all together.
Now, I am back here in wonderfull NC. Yesterday we went up to Babel Towers in the Linville Gorge. I jumped a couple times from the cliff. It really put the life back into me. Unfortunately the weather didnt cooperate and some very loud lightning forced us to "oh crap, we should leave." Somehow, the 3 girls i was with got lots of cuts, scrapes, and bruises. It seems that always happens when i get girls to go to water holes with me. Dont know why.
Tommorrow will be the re-start of my job. I dont know what I will be getting into tommorrow, but it should be pretty laid back. Thursday I might go to a concert. Life is easing back into normalcy for me, which means lots of fun here in Charlotte. Sometime this week I'll start training again, hopefully keeping it up for more than a month. Now that I have my UFC poster on the wall, I wake up to inspiration.
I may be getting a cell phone tommorrow. I can almost hear the gasps from everyone reading this now.
be great, be the change
--DAlen
Saturday, September 02, 2006
New Spike tommorrow!
Tommorrow morning, I am leaving at 4:30am to drive to MS to help build houses. We will be staying in some type of Red Cross shelter, getting paid very little, but helping to make a difference. Its like an NCCC spike all over again (minus the blue 6 crowd, the longer-than-one-week stay, and everyone wearing the same clothes). I do miss NCCC.
What have I been doing for the past 10 days? Well, I stopped burning the forest, drove to Athens for my annual birthday party at UGA (Alex's b-day, not mine), drove to ATL for 4 days of orientation, met some cool girls, found a cool bar that rotates at the top of a building, came to Mooresville NC, finished a house to live in, moved in, worked 3 days in the office, worked one day framing walls and finishing top plates, and went to a baseball game. Somewhere in there, I also ended up seeing my old roomy eric, started wondering where my old neighbors Robin, Allan, and Chris are, played some Stout Frisbee golf with Cody, and hung out with Jerrod and his girlfriend.
Life is good...as long as you want it to be.
--DAlen
What have I been doing for the past 10 days? Well, I stopped burning the forest, drove to Athens for my annual birthday party at UGA (Alex's b-day, not mine), drove to ATL for 4 days of orientation, met some cool girls, found a cool bar that rotates at the top of a building, came to Mooresville NC, finished a house to live in, moved in, worked 3 days in the office, worked one day framing walls and finishing top plates, and went to a baseball game. Somewhere in there, I also ended up seeing my old roomy eric, started wondering where my old neighbors Robin, Allan, and Chris are, played some Stout Frisbee golf with Cody, and hung out with Jerrod and his girlfriend.
Life is good...as long as you want it to be.
--DAlen
Saturday, August 19, 2006
Yay comments!
Well, I got the comments. Thanks everyone. I'll try and dig up some good naked pics from somewhere. It could take a while though...girls dont really talk to me much.
I just discovered some really good music. Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. Theyre gonna go big when people here them.
Only a few days left until the new job starts up. It looks like I might get a chance to go to MS to do some building right at the beginning of my service year. Maybe I can reunite with Tori.
How is the rest of the team doing? Anyone out there?
Life is good. So was Little Miss Sunshine.
The mohawk is back.
--DAlen
I just discovered some really good music. Red Jumpsuit Apparatus. Theyre gonna go big when people here them.
Only a few days left until the new job starts up. It looks like I might get a chance to go to MS to do some building right at the beginning of my service year. Maybe I can reunite with Tori.
How is the rest of the team doing? Anyone out there?
Life is good. So was Little Miss Sunshine.
The mohawk is back.
--DAlen
Saturday, August 12, 2006
No Comments
I havent had any comments in quite some time...so I am wondering if anyone still reads this. So, I am resorting to time tested and proven tactics to get people to read my blog...
If there is a comment next time, I will make sure to post pictures of NAKED GIRLS and HOT GUYS...possibly even with FIRE IN THE BACKGROUND. So, tell all your friends.
So, yeah, this week was crazy long and hectic. Allow me to fill y'all/you guys in.
MONDAY
We had recieved word the previous week that we would be assisting with a muck fire, which had been burning for about 3 weeks (see Aerial burn that we helped set). The problem with a muck fire, is that it burns below the ground, and previously burnt material is able to somehow reburn. This fire, had actually burnt itself below the water table as well...some call it magic. In the latter part of the day, we manned hoses and added water to make mud puddles. The morning was a little less productive, as we moved about 2000 ft of hose in order to set up a GIANT sprinkler...a sprinkler running off of 6" diameter hose lay. Thats pretty ridiculous, since most of the time we are working with 1.5" diam hose. It looked to be a long week of muck.
TUESDAY- 14 hour Day!
Since we had burns to do, we didnt have to work the muck! So, we packed up and travelled to Archibold Bio Research Station. We did the first burn, with not too much problem. The 2nd burn, ended up being a nightmare. The fire breaks (lines, sometimes roads, where fire cant travel across the gound) were pretty much non-existant. One line we worked was tall grass. Other lines were palmetto mulch. So, you light the grass on fire, let it burn towards you a little, and then spray it out with water, letting the other side burn on into your bounded space. Then later you worry about whether or not fire started again and is burning somewhere at this very moment...somewhere it shouldnt be. Mulch burns as well as grass, so using it to stop fire is like putting your boat in the ocean to keep the pirates away.
WEDNESDAY
This day was sweet. We got ready for more muck fire, and then found out that forestry didnt need us anymore...so we did prep in the morning, and then burned out a unit here at our preserve. There was no holding...the fire couldnt spread. Take a torch, look for something that will burn, and add lots of fuel to it so it rips!
THURSDAY- my run in with the law
This was another good burn day, working with the game commission. Towards the end of the fire, I was standing out near the main highway, our south line. Suddenly, a Sheriff Deputy pulled up, lights flashing. She started asking me all these questions, which I didnt really know the answer to. Then she proclaimed that there was zero visibility on the road, power poles were about to be burned, and this didnt look like a controlled burn. I start to tell her it was a prescribed fire and everything was fine...but she walked away and started calling everyone to tell them about the chaos. The fire was really tame at that point, and visibility was about 5 miles. I guess maybe she had never seen much fire before. So, the fire department and dept of forestry both came by, and asked why they were called, because indeed nothing was going on. My boss got a kick out of it, and the burn boss couldnt really figure out the drama of it either. She eventually drove away, and everything was fine.
FRIDAY- the biggest 2 acres ever
We did a small sandhill burn of a property inside a gated community. Apparently, it was a very rich golf community, so there was a little added stress. We were burning wiregrass to try and promote some endangered plant to comeback. We could have yelled to each other across the unit it was so small. Unfortunately, again there were no control lines, so it was a balance of lighting/spraying with water. Then, we had to fully mop-up at the end, which means nothing can be left burning, or smoldering, or even steaming really.
All in all, I learned a lot, worked a lot, and made a lot of overtime, so life is good. One week to go, and its back to the big city!
--DAlen
If there is a comment next time, I will make sure to post pictures of NAKED GIRLS and HOT GUYS...possibly even with FIRE IN THE BACKGROUND. So, tell all your friends.
So, yeah, this week was crazy long and hectic. Allow me to fill y'all/you guys in.
MONDAY
We had recieved word the previous week that we would be assisting with a muck fire, which had been burning for about 3 weeks (see Aerial burn that we helped set). The problem with a muck fire, is that it burns below the ground, and previously burnt material is able to somehow reburn. This fire, had actually burnt itself below the water table as well...some call it magic. In the latter part of the day, we manned hoses and added water to make mud puddles. The morning was a little less productive, as we moved about 2000 ft of hose in order to set up a GIANT sprinkler...a sprinkler running off of 6" diameter hose lay. Thats pretty ridiculous, since most of the time we are working with 1.5" diam hose. It looked to be a long week of muck.
TUESDAY- 14 hour Day!
Since we had burns to do, we didnt have to work the muck! So, we packed up and travelled to Archibold Bio Research Station. We did the first burn, with not too much problem. The 2nd burn, ended up being a nightmare. The fire breaks (lines, sometimes roads, where fire cant travel across the gound) were pretty much non-existant. One line we worked was tall grass. Other lines were palmetto mulch. So, you light the grass on fire, let it burn towards you a little, and then spray it out with water, letting the other side burn on into your bounded space. Then later you worry about whether or not fire started again and is burning somewhere at this very moment...somewhere it shouldnt be. Mulch burns as well as grass, so using it to stop fire is like putting your boat in the ocean to keep the pirates away.
WEDNESDAY
This day was sweet. We got ready for more muck fire, and then found out that forestry didnt need us anymore...so we did prep in the morning, and then burned out a unit here at our preserve. There was no holding...the fire couldnt spread. Take a torch, look for something that will burn, and add lots of fuel to it so it rips!
THURSDAY- my run in with the law
This was another good burn day, working with the game commission. Towards the end of the fire, I was standing out near the main highway, our south line. Suddenly, a Sheriff Deputy pulled up, lights flashing. She started asking me all these questions, which I didnt really know the answer to. Then she proclaimed that there was zero visibility on the road, power poles were about to be burned, and this didnt look like a controlled burn. I start to tell her it was a prescribed fire and everything was fine...but she walked away and started calling everyone to tell them about the chaos. The fire was really tame at that point, and visibility was about 5 miles. I guess maybe she had never seen much fire before. So, the fire department and dept of forestry both came by, and asked why they were called, because indeed nothing was going on. My boss got a kick out of it, and the burn boss couldnt really figure out the drama of it either. She eventually drove away, and everything was fine.
FRIDAY- the biggest 2 acres ever
We did a small sandhill burn of a property inside a gated community. Apparently, it was a very rich golf community, so there was a little added stress. We were burning wiregrass to try and promote some endangered plant to comeback. We could have yelled to each other across the unit it was so small. Unfortunately, again there were no control lines, so it was a balance of lighting/spraying with water. Then, we had to fully mop-up at the end, which means nothing can be left burning, or smoldering, or even steaming really.
All in all, I learned a lot, worked a lot, and made a lot of overtime, so life is good. One week to go, and its back to the big city!
--DAlen
Saturday, August 05, 2006
Tuesday, August 01, 2006
is it hot in this fire or is it just me?
Life is still good down here. Yesterday and today we burned some units right here in our own backyard. It beats the heck out of travelling somewhere else to burn. i had a case of the mondays, which in this line of work and location translates to a little open flame induced semi-heat exhaustion.
I lit an edge of palmetto scrub yesterday...saw some 50 ft flames torching trees (unfortunetly). Then I ran out of fuel, and the only source of more torch mix was across the lake. so, myself and my roomate Parker decided to meet up, and each of us waded into the lake. luckily it was only about 2.5 ft deep. Of course, it was marshy, so we were both waiting for an alligator to come say hi. i actually was excited about getting my feet wet, hoping they would cool off, but it was really more like wading into a bath tub with leather boots on (kids, try this at home).
Anyway, I got pictures, and most of you will probably be forced to look at them next time I have been drinking and we are partying at my place.
Deep thought of the day:
What would your life be like if you decided not to be bothered by things? What if, say every month, you could concentrate and endure a discomfort, so much to the fact that it no longer became bothersome? This would mean that you could overcome 12 new pain-in-the-rear experiences every year! The current one I am working on is gnats. I am on the verge. As long as they dont actually get in my eye or in my lungs, i can take them buzzing around my ears. they start to sound like music after a while.
Next update: are the tractor brakes working yet? who knows? maybe it needs a new master cylinder? or maybe i get frustrated and lite it on fire. Stay tuned!
--LEroi
I lit an edge of palmetto scrub yesterday...saw some 50 ft flames torching trees (unfortunetly). Then I ran out of fuel, and the only source of more torch mix was across the lake. so, myself and my roomate Parker decided to meet up, and each of us waded into the lake. luckily it was only about 2.5 ft deep. Of course, it was marshy, so we were both waiting for an alligator to come say hi. i actually was excited about getting my feet wet, hoping they would cool off, but it was really more like wading into a bath tub with leather boots on (kids, try this at home).
Anyway, I got pictures, and most of you will probably be forced to look at them next time I have been drinking and we are partying at my place.
Deep thought of the day:
What would your life be like if you decided not to be bothered by things? What if, say every month, you could concentrate and endure a discomfort, so much to the fact that it no longer became bothersome? This would mean that you could overcome 12 new pain-in-the-rear experiences every year! The current one I am working on is gnats. I am on the verge. As long as they dont actually get in my eye or in my lungs, i can take them buzzing around my ears. they start to sound like music after a while.
Next update: are the tractor brakes working yet? who knows? maybe it needs a new master cylinder? or maybe i get frustrated and lite it on fire. Stay tuned!
--LEroi
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Ever been "that guy?"
I got a chance to go surfing last weekend...and it worked out really well. the waves were small, but shapely and wide, so the learning capability was great. I caught a few, fell off the front of a bunch, and even paddled over to where the surfers arent allowed and got airhorned at by the lifeguard. All in all, a great day. I will probably go back this weekend. An interesting thing happened to me while I was there though. I saw a large sea animal of sorts swimming near me. It didnt come to the surface to breath, but I could see some fin stuff breaking the water surface. I kept my eye on it. It eventually swam over near some people, who didnt notice, but then did, and immediately got out of the water and told the people near them to do the same. Shark? quite possibly. a little annoying to because I missed some waves while i was waiting to see where it would go.
Have you ever been driving down the road and you look over and see a guy driving a small tractor? You think to yourself how funny it is that he is driving a tractor on the side of the rd. Its not as though he is using it like a car, he is just moving it. There is always "that guy" with his tractor on the regular rd. Now, have you ever looked over, and up a little, to see a guy driving in his mammoth tractor? I'm talking the big kind with a steal cage you could wrestle another person in. The kind of tractor that almost goes fast enough to get to the speed limit in most school zones. Ever seen "that other guy," driving the giant tractor? That was me today, as I think I spent close to an hour just driving a tractor from point A to point B, alot of which happened to be on a big road. It was funny to me to think about it as I did it. Thats all you really can do on those things is sit there and think. It was a good respite from constantly burning. Plus, it was apparently 105 degrees today!
stay cool in the heat wave.
--DAlen
PS I heart my secret buddy and peanut trail mix...probably send some fresh mangoes your way along with my backstock of buddy gifts.
Have you ever been driving down the road and you look over and see a guy driving a small tractor? You think to yourself how funny it is that he is driving a tractor on the side of the rd. Its not as though he is using it like a car, he is just moving it. There is always "that guy" with his tractor on the regular rd. Now, have you ever looked over, and up a little, to see a guy driving in his mammoth tractor? I'm talking the big kind with a steal cage you could wrestle another person in. The kind of tractor that almost goes fast enough to get to the speed limit in most school zones. Ever seen "that other guy," driving the giant tractor? That was me today, as I think I spent close to an hour just driving a tractor from point A to point B, alot of which happened to be on a big road. It was funny to me to think about it as I did it. Thats all you really can do on those things is sit there and think. It was a good respite from constantly burning. Plus, it was apparently 105 degrees today!
stay cool in the heat wave.
--DAlen
PS I heart my secret buddy and peanut trail mix...probably send some fresh mangoes your way along with my backstock of buddy gifts.
Friday, July 21, 2006
Dalen's cool weather tip
Tip of the day:
So, when it is really hot outside in the sun, and there is no shade around, the best thing to do is create your own shade. This can either be done by forcegrowing a tree to make in instant canopy (very difficult to do) or by simply burning 100s of acres at one time so that your smoke column is so great that is literally creates its own clouds that block out the sun. I would suggest this second option
We burned with the Dept of Foresty again last monday, doing another aerial ignition burn and torching some 600 acres of fire-dependant ecosystem in less than 3 hours. Then, it was back to the Gainsville area for burns on tuesday and wednesday. Because of working until saturday last week and because of burning so much in the beginning of the week, we worked only a part day on Thursday and had today off.
I cant decide if its hotter wearing tyvek and gutting houses, or wearing nomex and setting fires. I feel like I sweat more gutting, but its hard to get hotter than fire. I am learning a lot and enjoying it still, although it is quite exhausting. the workouts have been pushed to the wayside in favor of reading and more restfull activities. My term here is about half way through...and then its back to the lovely queen city. I miss everyone there and look forward to seeing all of you soon.
--DAlen
So, when it is really hot outside in the sun, and there is no shade around, the best thing to do is create your own shade. This can either be done by forcegrowing a tree to make in instant canopy (very difficult to do) or by simply burning 100s of acres at one time so that your smoke column is so great that is literally creates its own clouds that block out the sun. I would suggest this second option
We burned with the Dept of Foresty again last monday, doing another aerial ignition burn and torching some 600 acres of fire-dependant ecosystem in less than 3 hours. Then, it was back to the Gainsville area for burns on tuesday and wednesday. Because of working until saturday last week and because of burning so much in the beginning of the week, we worked only a part day on Thursday and had today off.
I cant decide if its hotter wearing tyvek and gutting houses, or wearing nomex and setting fires. I feel like I sweat more gutting, but its hard to get hotter than fire. I am learning a lot and enjoying it still, although it is quite exhausting. the workouts have been pushed to the wayside in favor of reading and more restfull activities. My term here is about half way through...and then its back to the lovely queen city. I miss everyone there and look forward to seeing all of you soon.
--DAlen
Saturday, July 15, 2006
crazy end of week (HAPPY BDAY JILL!)
Burns to date: 6 (2 at Disney, 1 here, 2 in Gainsville, and 1 near hear with DoF)
Wednesday afternoon:
I got the privelidge of using a brush cutter tractor attachment wednesday to mow fireline here on our preserve. As the day got later, I noticed Matt, my coworker, hadnt come to get me with the ATV yet. I lost my watch burning last week, so i didnt know that it was 6 oclock already. Once i finished mowing, I called Matt on the walkie, and found out he was stuck in a bog with the ATV somewhere in the SE corner of my big map. I drove to find him with the tractor, and sure enough he was deep. We couldnt manually remove the ATV, so we slowly drove the tractor close to the ATV to pull it out, almost getting the tractor stuck for probably eternity. finally got the ATV out, and I raced back to put it on the trailor, tying everything down right before a huge thunderstorm hit. Matt (on the tractor) got soaked. On the ride home, we found out we would be burning the next day.
Upon getting home, we found out we would be driving up to Univ. of Florida, and needed to leave thursday at 4:45...AM!!!!
Thursday:
Met up here at the office at 5 am, way early for any normal job. Then we drove to Gainsville, getting there around 9. Fire was on the ground by 10, and we burned about 150 acres. It was just like GA...wire grass flat wood. It burned very nice and clean. Then we proceeded to spend about an hour or two after everything was done mopping up some. It wasnt so much fun. We finished around 6ish...a long day.
Highlite of the night/trip: our hotel had happy hour, which meant free drinks for an hour. Hello Ms. Margarita.
Friday Morning:
Met up at 9ish for a second day of burning. Another 150 acres went up nicely. I learned a little more about ignition techniques for higher or lower intensities. Mop up took a little longer this time, but we did a lot of it while the burn was going on. All flaming or smoking debris within 30 ft of the fire line had to be drug in or put out.
We went ahead and stayed an extra night, knowing that trying to drive after two really long days probably wouldnt end up well.
Saturday Morning:
Woke up around 9ish again...got some free breakfast and drove back. My weekend didnt start until 1:00 pm on Saturday. But then again, you could argue that everyday is like a weekend when you love the work you do...and whats not to love about burning the forest?
Other highlite: yesterday during mop-up, i got to live the fantasy of every young boy out there. I sat on top of the water pump truck while it was driving and sprayed burning and smoking debris with a waterhose...the big fire hose kind. It was tons of fun and can put out a lot of water that turns to steam when it contacts white hot burnt pine. Pretty cool.
Remember kids...only you can grow up to prevent wildfire by setting Prescribed fire!
--DAlen
Wednesday afternoon:
I got the privelidge of using a brush cutter tractor attachment wednesday to mow fireline here on our preserve. As the day got later, I noticed Matt, my coworker, hadnt come to get me with the ATV yet. I lost my watch burning last week, so i didnt know that it was 6 oclock already. Once i finished mowing, I called Matt on the walkie, and found out he was stuck in a bog with the ATV somewhere in the SE corner of my big map. I drove to find him with the tractor, and sure enough he was deep. We couldnt manually remove the ATV, so we slowly drove the tractor close to the ATV to pull it out, almost getting the tractor stuck for probably eternity. finally got the ATV out, and I raced back to put it on the trailor, tying everything down right before a huge thunderstorm hit. Matt (on the tractor) got soaked. On the ride home, we found out we would be burning the next day.
Upon getting home, we found out we would be driving up to Univ. of Florida, and needed to leave thursday at 4:45...AM!!!!
Thursday:
Met up here at the office at 5 am, way early for any normal job. Then we drove to Gainsville, getting there around 9. Fire was on the ground by 10, and we burned about 150 acres. It was just like GA...wire grass flat wood. It burned very nice and clean. Then we proceeded to spend about an hour or two after everything was done mopping up some. It wasnt so much fun. We finished around 6ish...a long day.
Highlite of the night/trip: our hotel had happy hour, which meant free drinks for an hour. Hello Ms. Margarita.
Friday Morning:
Met up at 9ish for a second day of burning. Another 150 acres went up nicely. I learned a little more about ignition techniques for higher or lower intensities. Mop up took a little longer this time, but we did a lot of it while the burn was going on. All flaming or smoking debris within 30 ft of the fire line had to be drug in or put out.
We went ahead and stayed an extra night, knowing that trying to drive after two really long days probably wouldnt end up well.
Saturday Morning:
Woke up around 9ish again...got some free breakfast and drove back. My weekend didnt start until 1:00 pm on Saturday. But then again, you could argue that everyday is like a weekend when you love the work you do...and whats not to love about burning the forest?
Other highlite: yesterday during mop-up, i got to live the fantasy of every young boy out there. I sat on top of the water pump truck while it was driving and sprayed burning and smoking debris with a waterhose...the big fire hose kind. It was tons of fun and can put out a lot of water that turns to steam when it contacts white hot burnt pine. Pretty cool.
Remember kids...only you can grow up to prevent wildfire by setting Prescribed fire!
--DAlen
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
yesterday, fire fell from the sky
We did an aerial ignition burn yesterday. It was pretty dang cool. I think I doubled my acreage also. we burned a little over 1000 acres of property yesterday. Of course, mostly all i did was light some of the borders off, and the rest was lit from above via helicopter and flaming ping-pong balls. It was pretty dang cool. I got some pictures, but I dont know what the best way to get them off my camera is, as my computer is sitting in a closet. might have to wait until august to see the pics on a computer.
we burned for about 2 hours, and guess what happened then...it rained.
hopefully we will burn again today, otherwise i may be spending some time on a tractor.
--DAlen
we burned for about 2 hours, and guess what happened then...it rained.
hopefully we will burn again today, otherwise i may be spending some time on a tractor.
--DAlen
Monday, July 10, 2006
The land of fire/rain
Today I worked on my third burn/rain. Everytime we get to a burnin', and afternoon t-storm comes in, brings gusting winds that shift every whichaway causing high anxiety for spotting, and then it drops heavy rain, putting out our oh so lovely and productive fire. Last thursday and friday we travelled up to Orlando to burn at the Disney Wilderness Preserve (no, Mickey Mouse wasnt there, although I do think Disney world would be great to have a themed section involving wildfire/prescribed fire). We set backing fires (see also, slowest fire ever) and burned long days, but ended up not finishing due to rain. Today, we were burning out a small unit (less than 50 acres) and the rain came in (talk about a case of the Mondays). Hopefully tommorrow will be better though, as we are assisting with an aerial burn. this means that a helicopter will be dropping little flammable ping-pong balls to set the fire, and we just sit and watch, making sure the fire doesnt escape. From what i hear though, it can get exciting if the fire is dropped outside the burn unit. This is called a spot fire and requires immediate action to extinguish. It'll be a long day as well since we might be burning acreage up in the high hundreds (maybe even low thousands).
Last weekend I went to visit my cous Carla in Tampa. She cooked for me and it was awesome. Also, much thanks to Bill for the boat ride and the hospitality. It was nice to get out of Frostproof for a little while, but is also nice to return to this small ville. I am kinda getting attached to it...or maybe its just the fresh mangos getting to my head (or maybe its the chemicals from the orange factory across the street).
--Will
Last weekend I went to visit my cous Carla in Tampa. She cooked for me and it was awesome. Also, much thanks to Bill for the boat ride and the hospitality. It was nice to get out of Frostproof for a little while, but is also nice to return to this small ville. I am kinda getting attached to it...or maybe its just the fresh mangos getting to my head (or maybe its the chemicals from the orange factory across the street).
--Will
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
Tommorrow is the first day
"Are we burning today?" Thats likely to be my first question. Apparently the crew here has been really waiting for the right weather and conditions and me to show up so they could get as much burning done as possible. Yeah, my hands may not get clean again until mid-August.
Apparently Frostproof Florida puts on quite the fireworks spectacle. Happy 4th of July everyone!
I've gotten used to the house on paper st., but yet somehow it still feels like I am in an episode of the twilight zone. I usually wait until dark to go for a jog, and I usually run in the middle of the street because its the least worn. There is nobody still awake in this town by the time it gets dark, meaning 9:30 ish. I run down to the lake, then run along it, then back up to the main highway and home. If you go to the center of town, and turn left or right on Wall St. (I find this to one of the funniest things so far, Wall St?), its only about 4 blocks either way to a huge lake. The word lake is used here really to refer to something that seems more like just a giant puddle. I cant imagine it gets more than 5 ft deep anywhere in these lakes, but thats deep enough for gators which means its too deep for me.
Well, time for me to run into the big city (Lake Wales) to hopefully find some cheaper food and a post office box. It might not be until friday that I use a computer again, since hopefully we will be burning as much of the 5000 acre (!) Tiger Creek Preserve as we can.
be great
--DAlen
Apparently Frostproof Florida puts on quite the fireworks spectacle. Happy 4th of July everyone!
I've gotten used to the house on paper st., but yet somehow it still feels like I am in an episode of the twilight zone. I usually wait until dark to go for a jog, and I usually run in the middle of the street because its the least worn. There is nobody still awake in this town by the time it gets dark, meaning 9:30 ish. I run down to the lake, then run along it, then back up to the main highway and home. If you go to the center of town, and turn left or right on Wall St. (I find this to one of the funniest things so far, Wall St?), its only about 4 blocks either way to a huge lake. The word lake is used here really to refer to something that seems more like just a giant puddle. I cant imagine it gets more than 5 ft deep anywhere in these lakes, but thats deep enough for gators which means its too deep for me.
Well, time for me to run into the big city (Lake Wales) to hopefully find some cheaper food and a post office box. It might not be until friday that I use a computer again, since hopefully we will be burning as much of the 5000 acre (!) Tiger Creek Preserve as we can.
be great
--DAlen
Saturday, July 01, 2006
It has begun
My leisure time with Ms Victoria finally ended yesterday and I got in my car and drove south. i stopped once I reached Lake Wales, FL...well actually i drove through Lake Wales and stopped in Frostproof, where I will be living.
Enter house on paper st.
Its not actually as bad as the fight club's house on paper st., but its pretty dang close. The building is old...100+ years apparently. The TV gets 5.5 channels. Its pretty dark inside, but lightens up a lot when windows are opened. I had to choose between two rooms: the one closest to the back door, with the slanting floor that prevents you from sleeping in the bed on your side, or the other room, which has a couch next to the bed. I chose the couch. If I could see past the giant bush outside my window (which acutally is good for privacy), I would be able to see the fried chicken place next door. Now thats conveniance. Across the street, the pungent smell of an orange juice refinery fills the air. Its like a paper mill, but they make the paper out of oranges. The house is a perfect place to retreat to after long days of burning, looking for a place to read and sleep and store my stuff.
Tuesday, frostproof apparently has a big fireworks display. Looking forward to that. Sunday, probably going to the beach. Next weekend, probably go visit my cousin in Tampa (Carla? sound good?).
So far so good. --Leroi
Enter house on paper st.
Its not actually as bad as the fight club's house on paper st., but its pretty dang close. The building is old...100+ years apparently. The TV gets 5.5 channels. Its pretty dark inside, but lightens up a lot when windows are opened. I had to choose between two rooms: the one closest to the back door, with the slanting floor that prevents you from sleeping in the bed on your side, or the other room, which has a couch next to the bed. I chose the couch. If I could see past the giant bush outside my window (which acutally is good for privacy), I would be able to see the fried chicken place next door. Now thats conveniance. Across the street, the pungent smell of an orange juice refinery fills the air. Its like a paper mill, but they make the paper out of oranges. The house is a perfect place to retreat to after long days of burning, looking for a place to read and sleep and store my stuff.
Tuesday, frostproof apparently has a big fireworks display. Looking forward to that. Sunday, probably going to the beach. Next weekend, probably go visit my cousin in Tampa (Carla? sound good?).
So far so good. --Leroi
Wednesday, June 21, 2006
New New Job
Well, as some of you may know, I got the dream job of working with TNC burning the Florida forest. Unfortunately I am only doing it for 6 weeks. But, fear not, as I have gotten a second cool job to keep me busy for at least the next year...
I am working with Our Towns Habitat for Humanity in Huntersville/Davidson. I am supplies and equipment mangament supervisor, which means not only do I get to build and work on houses, I also get to keep track of who has the nails and where the tape measures all went. I am pretty stoked. I am turning into this outdoorsmen, rugged, homebuilding, humanitarian guy. Pretty soon all the women will flock to my steel-like carpenter forearms and smell of smoke as a result of burning the forest. and then I will RULE THE WORLD MUHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!
But seriously, I am doing well in the whole not-making-money area, accumulating lots of stories for my first New York Times bestselling autobiography.
peace,
--Steve
I am working with Our Towns Habitat for Humanity in Huntersville/Davidson. I am supplies and equipment mangament supervisor, which means not only do I get to build and work on houses, I also get to keep track of who has the nails and where the tape measures all went. I am pretty stoked. I am turning into this outdoorsmen, rugged, homebuilding, humanitarian guy. Pretty soon all the women will flock to my steel-like carpenter forearms and smell of smoke as a result of burning the forest. and then I will RULE THE WORLD MUHAHAHAHAHA!!!!!
But seriously, I am doing well in the whole not-making-money area, accumulating lots of stories for my first New York Times bestselling autobiography.
peace,
--Steve
Monday, June 12, 2006
Newest Job
Wanted: Person with prescribed fire experience, must enjoy riding on ATVs while laying down fire and/or putting out fire. Ability to use a chainsaw a plus. Must be willing to work in Florida, 1 hour from your cousin in Tampa and 1 hour from an east coast beach. Bring your surfboard. Must also be good with hands, as we build all our own fire engines and pumps. Experience living in 100+ year old houses is good, especially if you dont mind not paying rent. If you are currently living with 10 other people and would enjoy only living with 3 other people, please mention that. Pay is $12/hour, but we will also pay overtime should you get the pleasure of setting fire for more that 40 hours per week. Up to $100 will be reimbursed once you buy your cool new fire boots, the coolest footwear you could wear to any job. There will likely be some wildfire suppression work allowing you to complete your Type 1 Fire Fighter (FFT1) taskbook, allowing you to be a squad boss and work closer to being a burn boss. Blah, blah, blah, this is the coolest job ever, blah blah blah.
FL, here I come.
FL, here I come.
Sunday, June 11, 2006
2 days of work and counting...
Sunday, wonderfully hot and humid Louisiana Sunday.
Tommorrow I play golf with my mother for the first time in probably 10 years.
Tuesday and Wednesday are my last two real work days in this current AmeriCorps program.
Looking to hire an engineer to fix your problems? Call my email adress.
Josh is getting married in 2 weeks! Holy Cow.
Chris is leaving....tear :(
Partyhouse will soon to be no more.
Man, I need to find a boat and a wakeboard. Dr Maisto?
I miss the beach alot...especially now that the water is the right temp for naked night swimming.
Feelingsolazy.
How is everyone? Does anyone still read this? Andrew? Are you alive?
Why does Gateway keep going down?
Where is tremont music hall when you need it?
Van Warped Tour in August anyone? Jerrod?
Love y'all. --Darth LEroi
Tommorrow I play golf with my mother for the first time in probably 10 years.
Tuesday and Wednesday are my last two real work days in this current AmeriCorps program.
Looking to hire an engineer to fix your problems? Call my email adress.
Josh is getting married in 2 weeks! Holy Cow.
Chris is leaving....tear :(
Partyhouse will soon to be no more.
Man, I need to find a boat and a wakeboard. Dr Maisto?
I miss the beach alot...especially now that the water is the right temp for naked night swimming.
Feelingsolazy.
How is everyone? Does anyone still read this? Andrew? Are you alive?
Why does Gateway keep going down?
Where is tremont music hall when you need it?
Van Warped Tour in August anyone? Jerrod?
Love y'all. --Darth LEroi
Thursday, June 01, 2006
Its dang hot!
Here we are in Louisiana, home sweet Louisiana...and dang its HOT! Actually, its just really humid, but at times is just feels really hot. Maybe I forgot about it, or maybe all my teammates ranting has gotten to me.
We are working on mold remediation and treatment of houses. First, we go in and rip everything out...well, hopefully not everything. Today I broke a pipe and we had ourselves a little indoor thunderstorm. But, almost everything gets taken out. then we started to scrub the walls with wire brushes. Tommorrow, we will spray termite stuff all throughout the house and eventually paint it with some special primer called Kilz.
27 days until AmeriCorps is over! 14 days left until this project is over. 27 days until i become homeless, jobless, and uninsured. To the couch batman! July 4th the part house becomes no more. Anyone want to buy a Kawasaki 550 jetski? Anyone selling a jetski trailer?
I just started reading a book about smokejumping...I could see myself doing that in 5 years. Only gotta work half the year to. I dont know if they provide health insurance though. Definately gotta have health insurance. Apparently, jumping out of a plain into forest fire is a little...whats the word? DANGEROUS!
Times up on the public computer. Gotta run. Love y'all.
--Steve
We are working on mold remediation and treatment of houses. First, we go in and rip everything out...well, hopefully not everything. Today I broke a pipe and we had ourselves a little indoor thunderstorm. But, almost everything gets taken out. then we started to scrub the walls with wire brushes. Tommorrow, we will spray termite stuff all throughout the house and eventually paint it with some special primer called Kilz.
27 days until AmeriCorps is over! 14 days left until this project is over. 27 days until i become homeless, jobless, and uninsured. To the couch batman! July 4th the part house becomes no more. Anyone want to buy a Kawasaki 550 jetski? Anyone selling a jetski trailer?
I just started reading a book about smokejumping...I could see myself doing that in 5 years. Only gotta work half the year to. I dont know if they provide health insurance though. Definately gotta have health insurance. Apparently, jumping out of a plain into forest fire is a little...whats the word? DANGEROUS!
Times up on the public computer. Gotta run. Love y'all.
--Steve
Monday, May 22, 2006
One more Spike
Well, I am back in SC for transition. Its hard to beleive that on Thursday I will depart from base in a van for the last time. We are going to Lafayette for 2.5 weeks, and then we will return to base. Its our last project and now that I know I am not coming back as a Team Leader, I am looking to the end.
I am looking for a job in forest fire work...or I might end up working for Habitat for Humanity. Nothing is certain right now. All I know for sure is that I can rent a storage unit in Charlotte for 40 bucks a month and sleep at the party house for free until I figure things out. Its great to have friends with couches.
Popso, a good friend of mine here is planning on saving some money and trying to go live in Peru for 2 months to help build an orphange. Man, doesnt that sound great?
Tonight, I am going to a RiverDogs baseball game with my teammate Tori. She got a team leader job so she wont be with us on our last project. I'll miss her greatly (together we form the superhero team of Tornando and Lorenzo, bog duo).
--DAlen
I am looking for a job in forest fire work...or I might end up working for Habitat for Humanity. Nothing is certain right now. All I know for sure is that I can rent a storage unit in Charlotte for 40 bucks a month and sleep at the party house for free until I figure things out. Its great to have friends with couches.
Popso, a good friend of mine here is planning on saving some money and trying to go live in Peru for 2 months to help build an orphange. Man, doesnt that sound great?
Tonight, I am going to a RiverDogs baseball game with my teammate Tori. She got a team leader job so she wont be with us on our last project. I'll miss her greatly (together we form the superhero team of Tornando and Lorenzo, bog duo).
--DAlen
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