Service at the Marine Life Center with the Vespula Veterans

The sun was, perhaps, as brilliant as it has yet been this season, and the bay was as low.  A day of extremes; almost Summery.  The Vespula Veterans gathered at the entrance to the Marine Life Center, ready to do some service and explore this house of our many underwater citizens.  We began our outing with a gathering in the sun; Explorers piled on top of one another in an unconventional gathering form, but why argue with a close group?  We brought our minds to the service mission of the day and addressed the one pressing question: where is Drew?  Drew, it turned out, was far away in the Coulees training for Rites of Passage guiding, but we had our most excellent new mentor, Steve, there to explore with us for the day.

We stood up, circled up, and played a little intro game: Head Honcho.  We learned a thing or two about peripheral vision and multi-sensory awareness, laughing all the while.  We then played a game in honor of Drew, Coon Stalking Chickens.   Good job, everyone, but a special thanks to those who played a very adept Drew Butler!  We then came back together and brought our minds to toward safety and the vision for the flow of the day.

As the meeting ended, we looked over toward the Marine Life Center.  Where were the employees?  No sign.  Matt made a few phone calls, and then we gathered up.  Circular leadership and the EC motto of turning problems into possibilities seemed like the most appropriate response.  We discussed circular leadership and considered how to respond to this unexpected event of potentially not having our scheduled service project.

Well, the Explorers first tried talking to one or two people at a time, running around, bursts of outrageousness, and forgetting the dilemma.  As time went on, and it was apparent that they were in charge, it became clear that those options maybe weren’t the most effective response for deciding on an action.  Then Explorers had the idea of chanting their preference to one another to see who could chant the loudest.  Hmmm… not so effective either.  After a few questions, and some more discussion, the function of sitting in a circle became a bit clearer.  We also realized that we could list our options, consider them, and then work out how to decide as a group.  Ahhh… much better.

Well, the world is tricky and sometimes fickle, but really never boring.  Just as we came to an understanding of how to work together and were on the verge of a clear decision, the jingling of keys was heard, and we all looked over to see the Martine Life Center doors being opened.  How perfect!  Explorers descended on the hapless volunteer, who, thankfully, was in wonderful spirits.  We introduced ourselves and got down to service!

Service at the Center: scrubbing rocks; dodging Jet the Ling Cod; scrubbing tanks; using grabby arms to pick up deep rocks; wondering at the amazing life before us; listening to some fascinating tales of who these denizens were and how they lived; touching all kinds crazy critters in the touch tank (including a sea cucumber… have you ever touched one of those guys?  Whoa.); getting to know the wonderful volunteers a bit better; finally saying goodbye as we hopped out of the window (yes, the window… don’t worry… it was okay’d by all, and the boys could not have asked for a better exit…)

So, our day done at the Center, we still had some time.  We began walking toward the park when it suddenly occurred to this Explorer that Hide is not just a game for the woods.  We played a few rounds as we walked.  The question came up here and there… is this place natural?  What does natural mean?  Am I part of nature?  Good questions worth asking, and, as with all the best questions, no clear answers.  We checked out the low tide and marveled at the Summeriness of the day as we made our way to our big emerald carpeted, kite-adorned park.  Explorers ate and climbed trees, ran and rumbled at our destination.  We touched base again on group process and community building, then played a game and greeted the parents.  What a day!

Thanks so much to all the Explorers for your boundless energy!  Thanks so much to all the parents for your enduring support!

Be sure to check out pics from the day in our Photo Gallery