Captain's Last Day

I guess I am going to start with my night’s sleep again. I did adhere to my water restrictions and actually slept through the night for the first since arriving here. I woke up at my usual time and went outside to exercise. Interestingly enough my neighbors across the hall who are in their mid-twenties woke up at the same time I did. They want to commit themselves to a weight-lifting routine everyday during the week. It is funny watching them wake up all groggy and go about their motions. This morning both of them got up, dressed, and went over to the weight area. Five minutes later I noticed them walking back to the dorm. I was outside doing my burpee/pushup routine as they walked by. I called out to them and jokingly said, “ Now that was fast, you guys are done?” As it turns out, their workout partners were a no-show so instead of working out on their own, they headed back to bed. To me this was odd because getting up is more than half the battle. If I got up, got dressed and made my way over to the exercise area, I am going to exercise. Their goal was to work out each day this week and as it turns out, they have only worked out 2 days this week. On Tuesday, they completely slept through the alarm. I heard it go off and I noticed someone turn it off but no one got up, they remained in bed. Since this happened, they asked me to be their back alarm because I seem to always be awake at this time. I certainly don’t mind and according to my friend they will never sleep in again with me as the back up alarm. Today was strange to see them return to their rooms to go back to sleep. Ah, the younger generation, (gee, I sound like an old man!) I may never understand.

After breakfast the work call arrived and I went to the bus boarding area. Our crew loaded on for the Captain’s last day. She is moving on to command a station near her home. She has been a Captain at this camp for the past 3 years and was certainly a good one. In my short time here I could tell she knew what she was doing and was very secure. She is moving on for all the right reasons and today was our last day with her as she is normally off on Friday. We boarded the bus and we were off to our fourth different assignment of the week. We arrived in a nearby mountain town of Idyllwild which is a rustic place on the way to Palm Springs. Even though it is very close to Palm Springs it might as well be a world away. Palm springs is a desert and Idyllwild is in the mountains. PS is hot and dry while Idyllwild is cool and moist. There are many trees and it is situated at 5000 feet above sea level.

Our assignment was unclear as we arrived. Another crew was there as well. We stopped for an hour while the Captains came up with a game plan. Thankfully, we were allowed off the bus and I enjoyed the peaceful mountain air along with the beautiful trees. While we were stopped two of the longest standing crew members gave the Captain a going away present of a bucket of ice water over her head! This is a rite of passage the good Captains receive from their crewmembers. She took the dumping of the ice water just like a trooper and true to her personality. She laughed and probably felt honored because from what I have been told this does not happen to many Captains. The Captain dried herself off and we went back on the to our next destruction. We arrived at a nearby residential area where we had to move cut brush from a hillside to the street so the brush could be picked up and discarded. At first we had a chain of crew members as we passed the brush from the hillside to the street. Somehow the chain broke down and we had to hike up and down the hillside individually carrying the brush. Yes, the outdoor projects continue and thankfully there wasn’t too much brush to lug up and down the hillside.

We finished the task by early afternoon and it was off to “hide” for the next 2 hours. The Captain drove to a local fire station. She pulled in, got out of the bus, and pulled out a fire hose. With the fire hose she sprayed the bus through the windows and then the back door. She was getting us back for the ice bucket earlier in the day. She drenched the two crew members who got her earlier and a few other crew members. I only received a ricochet spray as my seat on the bus protected me from the water blast. The Captain had this well planned out. As it turns out, she conspired with the Captain of the local fire station the day before planning the water hose attack. Everyone had a good laugh especially the Captain. It was a good last day for the Captain and it illustrated her sold personality.

The day was over and we arrived back at the fire camp. As we departed the bus, the Captain gave each of us a very warm and firm handshake. I wished her the best in her new position and just like that her 3 years of being Crew 2’s Captain was now over. Sure, I only experienced 2 weeks of those 3 years, but I was glad to meet her.

It was back to the room after dinner so I could write. Since my friend moved in the visitors have not stopped. It seems like we are the “popular” kids in college and everyone wants to visit us. I am sure this is all due to my friend who is the life of the party. Tonight we had constant visitors all through the evening. Normally when I start writing, I don’t stop until I have finished. However, I did not want to be rude nor did I want to come across as aloof so I stopped writing to talk. I got into a discussion of prison reform with another inmate who had some very good opinions. Somehow the June 4th deadline imposed by the federal Judge came and went without a whisper. This was the big deadline imposed last December. According to the convict hotline, this has been postponed until June 19th. All I know is that I have a little less than 9 months remaining on my sentence and then I will be released. At the time of my release I intend to join my family. I do understand I cannot leave the state of California during my parole period of 13 months due to my restitution obligations. I will continue living one day at a time and this will develop into a plan for that future period.