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We are having a very rainy Saturday, but blue patches are appearing amidst the blanket of gray, lifting all our spirits.
We had a wonderful time caving on Wednesday. It was incredible
exploring Morris cave and being inside a mountain, so far
from the sky and the sun. We crawled through dark damp passageways
and squeezed ourselves through tiny tunnels. It felt like
a time capsule, looking at the beautiful formations carved
by water thousands of years ago. After about four hours of
caving and exploring, we knew we were approaching the entrance
when the air suddenly changed and I could distinctly smell
the scent of trees, the sun, and a gentle breeze, even before
I could see the light. We all got a laugh out of walking on
the highway back to the van with our long underwear and muddy
faces.
We were immersed into farm life when we arrived at Dave's sheep farm. Many dogs surrounded us and the baying of many sheep could be heard in the distance. Soon we were split up and sent off to do various farm chores such as; turning pungent cheeses, moving chaotic bleating lambs, cleaning a gigantic barn and fixing the foundations of another. The most fascinating aspect of the farm was definitely the milking. At four, all the milking sheep were herded into the barn and then onto the milking station, which was a platform that raised the sheep's udders to hand level. It was a wonderful atmosphere in the barn, with the milking machines and the loud Kenyan music pulsating together. The music was courtesy of Musa, the Kenyan farm worker. It really added a lot of fun to the milking process.
September turned-out to be busy birthday wise. We had a special dinner for both Michael and Charlie's birthdays. Our Spanish Guru (Ari) took a break on his duties and made a pizza laden with vegetables and cheese, followed by cake for desert, made by our talented pie maker Emil. Many versions, in many different languages of "Happy Birthday" followed. The yurt was bright and warm inside, and the energy rowdy and amiable.
We ventured up to the White Mountains of N.H to go rock climbing. Rising at
four in the morning, we left Kroka when the air was sharp
and the stars were still bright in the sky. After a quick
"in the van" breakfast, we arrived and set off through the
woods and over an expanse of huge granite boulders towards
the prominent Whitney-Gilman ridge of Cannon Cliff. The wind
whistled past our ears as we climbed the first two pitches.
The view opened up as we climbed and we could see up the valley
into the distance towards the looming White Mountains. The
cars on the road below became smaller, seeming more like matchbox
cars as we continued higher. The third length of our climb
involved a vertical wall split by a narrow gap. I was behind
Thomas and Charlie, and then partially up this steep wall
I came to a place in which I could not progress further. As
I gained a few inches, I would slip and fall several down.
I became colder and more scared and I realized I was actually
unable to complete the climb. I was disappointed to have to
return to the base of the mountain. It was very interesting
as a group to be conquered by a mountain…for now.
As our fourth week arrives here in Newfane, we who thrive in the Kroka kitchen are beginning to attempt more complex cooking methods and recipes.
Recently, we have tried making yogurt and it was an absolute success. Here is a quick rundown of the (once again, vague)
steps to creating a scrumptious batch of your own yogurt.
- Begin by setting a pot of milk on a stove/fire so it slowly begins to heat up.
- Stir the milk constantly so that it does not burn. As you are letting the milk heat up, measure the temperature every so often with a candy thermometer.
- When the milk reaches 83 degrees Celsius, remove it from the heat. Set the milk in a safe location to cool down.
- Continue to check the temperature after about 30 minutes. When the temperature reaches 42 degrees Celsius, pour the milk into a warm, clean cooler (you can set it by the fire/stove ahead of time to heat it up).
- Add 1 tablespoon of live culture yogurt into the milk and stir a few times. Leave it in the cooler at room temperature for the next 8 hours.
Hopefully after this time, the contents of your cooler will look and taste something like plain yogurt! If it still looks like milk than drink it and try again another time. If you are triumphant, place the yogurt in a refrigerator before consuming and enjoy!
During the past week we had Davis Terrel from Bright Earth
Solar come to camp to give us a lesson on solar energy. He
started by giving an introduction to solar energy and going
over some basics of circuitry. After an hour in the classroom,
we went out and built a small solar system in order for us
to better understand what we had just learned. After we completed
the system, Davis explained how our solar system here at Kroka
works and went through and pointed out all of the components
of the system. When we arrive in Ecuador, we will be assembling
a more complex solar system, so Davis also spent some time
making sure that we had the confidence to assemble it. All
of us enjoyed our time with Davis and we finished with a lovely
lunch and conversation. Thanks Davis!
Use solar energy! It is worth investing in. Since solar electricity
doesn’t need to travel very far, a lot less is lost
due to friction and heat.
Just 17 seconds of the sun’s energy, if captured, could
provide the world with a whole day’s worth of energy.
There is plenty of sun therefore we should take advantage
of this efficient way of harnessing harmless energy.
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