From MSFB vol 11 #2, 7/5/1993

Work Weekend I is Totally Tubular

by Teresa Lyons
Bulletin Staff
The first MSF Work Weekend of 1993 started with a tasty breakfast of bagels and cream cheese, orange juice and brown water (Ian's version of coffee or tea) in lovely Central Square Cambridge and got progressively wilder from there. Instead of the usual truck load of chaos, two Mazdas were packed with people and camping equipment and, with a stop at a Dunkin Donuts for "real coffee", driven north on a beautiful summer morning. We ate the lazy man's lunch - the traditional run to Wendy's.
After pitching tents and fighting over the choicest spots (5 campers and 4 tents - what a difficulty!) and having a group firewood gathering session (it beats therapy hands down), everyone dove into their respective tasks. Amy Davidson, who was a virgin camper, discovered a snake and one of the biggest spiders in New England within minutes of the party's arrival. Not a wilderness initiation for the faint of heart! Amy, enthusiastic even in the rain, was awed and charmed even by the little orange salamanders (newts?) that she kept finding.
Amy and I took my favorite sedentary job of carefully scraping the deck, catching the peelings on a tarp to keep them out of the pond, in preparation for a coat of water sealer. Mother Nature obligingly provided the water, releasing us from our task. For at least one board, the sealant will be too late. It gave with a ungraceful crack! under Ian's unsuspecting rear end.
Sue Divney, after standing in knee-high water picking rocks out of the shallows of the pond for several hours, claimed the water wasn't really that cold. The truth was discovered by Amy, who occasionally stopped to chat with Sue, and Sue admitted she hadn't noticed the mosquito on her nose because her face was numb (note that she was only in the water up to her KNEES!)! However, Steve was still taken in by Sue's initial claims of the pond's temperateness and went for what turned out to be a very brief swim Sunday, commenting afterwards that it invigorated him so much that he felt quite thin (or small...or something).
Steve Munier and Jens Karlsson started right in on the heavy work, digging a trench through the middle of the field for use in this year's Survival Game. Actually, the trench was to hold a pipe that will, hopefully, drain the two small springs that are making part of the field a mini-swampland. The 75-foot long ditch took most of the afternoon to dig. Steve "Dr. Spades McFly" Munier was misquoted as saying "Grunt! I love this work! This is just a warm-up for the marathon ditch-digging we'll be doing for the latrines on the next work trip." Ian admits that he's hoping for a big group this year. He believes he heard a voice in the pitter-patter of the rain on his tent saying, "If you dig it, they will come." (Experiencing a tad of hypothermia, Ian?)
Ian, wild-eyed and carrying a chainsaw, snuck out of sight. Only the occasional roar of the power tool let us know that he, too, was enjoying his work. He cleared an area by the barn foundation which leads to a secret path behind the cabin. He also proudly rigged up a shower, but was disappointed with the blank stares he received when he demonstrated it - no one could tell whether it was on because of the rain! A bit frustrated by the lack of response, he mumbled something about painting the hose black on the next work trip to solar-warm the water.
Rain? Did someone say "rain"? How do all these references to moisture keep getting into my articles? Sigh! It DID rain, starting only a handful of hours after our arrival. A lovely cold rain, it was. But I digress. And so did everyone else. We set the tarp up over the deck and huddled by the fire, clutching cups of tea (someone forgot the hot cocoa) and telling stories. Amy, always with a cheery outlook, told the story of the rain god [see sidebar]. We passed around snacks, including Planter's brand Cheese Balls, which became quite a popular item, inciting some campers to make rude comments to anyone who wanted some. It is even rumoured that this year's virgin initiation rite will incorporate Cheese Balls, which closely rival and may even replace the usual peanut M&Ms in color toxicity and may surpass even Spam in preservative levels. Steve "chubby bunny runner up" Munier eyed the marshmallows for late-evening s'mores, but wasn't able to get anyone to challenge him to a pre-MSF practice. He wouldn't have been able to beat his old record anyway - those were last MSF's stale marshmallows!
Little work was accomplished as the rain continued. Soon it was time for dinner, yummy buffalo wings and salad. The wings, initially introduced to Vermont by Carol Barrette two years ago on a work trip, were quite a hit and even provided a sense of adventure for Steve, who selflessly volunteered to test their done-ness. Of course, we ate the quintessential camping dessert, s'mores (or, for the timid, simply toasted marshmallows). Conversation around the campfire died down soon after Jens' insightful statement that "Y'know, the more clothes you put on, the less you have left to put on." Unfortunately, after the early morning start (we met at Ian's at 8 a.m.) and cold rainy end to the day, the only appropriate campfire song was "Hypothermia", which didn't meet with much enthusiasm, so the evening had an early end.
The rain continued Sunday, putting a damper on the group. However, the excellent breakfast of french toast made from homemade or raisin bread gave everyone a bit of energy. Amy took on the job of raking and leveling the parking area. I did some odd jobs, such as re-stapling the tarp to the second latrine. Everyone pitched in on the "ditch" project, gathering rocks to pack at the ends of the drainage pipe to deter clogging, filling in the trench with muck and soggy clumps of sod, and stomping it all down as firmly as possible. Ian spread some grass seed on our footsteps and on the parking area.
In typical MSF Work Weekend style, the rain let up after everyone had packed their wet tents, put on their last remnant of dry clothing, and started on the road home. Well, at least the rain will help the flowers and raspberries (which are usually ripe around the time of the third work trip) grow!
Thanks to everyone that joined us - both for your help and your continued good spirits - Amy Davidson, Sue Divney, Jens Karlsson, Teresa Lyons and Steve Munier! -- Ian