10/27-31/25 I went up to Camp Serendipity for 5 days: Monday through Friday.

There was a little snow in the pass, but the road was clear all the way over. I arrived at 12:40 and brought my gear up to the cabin in one trip. I hoisted the flag and then had my lunch and a nap. When I woke up, it was too late to walk to the grave, so I skipped it.

On Tuesday morning, the temperature was 23 degrees outside but there was no rain or snow. I started out by practicing the piano and by the time I finished, there was a light rain that turned to snow. I went to work outside anyway and pulled a big rope and a 100-ft. tape up to the big alder log.

Working in the snow, I measured from the log to the road and learned that I had bucked up 42 feet of the alder tree. I fastened the rope around the end of the log with the intention of dragging the log down the hill so I could buck up the rest of it.

I tied the other end of the rope to the truck and then backed the truck down the hill. Instead of dislodging the log and skidding it down the hill, I broke the 3/4" rope right in the middle without budging the log. It is evidently wedged in there pretty tightly.

I put the rope and the tape away and started thinking about other approaches to pulling the log out and down. I went in for lunch and a nap. By the time I got up, it had stopped snowing so I walked to the grave. It rained lightly and was pretty cold. It seemed to get colder and rainier as I finished up the walk. On the way I chatted with Byron and Barb a little.

When I got back, I read the news headlines that I had downloaded while I was in Internet service territory. That warmed me up before my shower. During the evening, I developed vertigo which I suspect was BPPV. I figured I would sleep it off.

On Wednesday morning, I still had vertigo when I got up. It was severe enough that I figured it would be too dangerous to try working outside in the bushes. I spent a lot of time practicing the piano and then just before lunchtime, I got out the file on BPPV and read up on the Epley maneuver and then lay down on the bed to follow the instructions.

The first part of the process is to diagnose which side is affected, and when I went through the steps, I discovered that I didn't have it. It had cured itself, which to me was a good outcome. I didn't have any vertigo for the rest of the week.

After lunch and a nap, I walked to the grave. The weather was sunny and pleasant, and the walk was delightful without that pack of rocks. I met and talked to a guy named Dan Jackson who was interested in my cabin project. I gave him my card and invited him to stop in.

On Thursday morning, I was happy that the vertigo was gone. The temperature outside was 25 degrees and the air was clear. I watered Tiger and then Dave called. We had a great conversation. Then I practiced the piano before I went outside to work. I used the wheelbarrow to haul firewood rounds up the hill from where they were piled up to the firewood stacks under the scaffold. That is a nice chore because I can choose the size of the load, and I can choose how fast I go and whether or not to stop and rest. I work at my own pace with nobody measuring or watching me. Great work if you can get it.

After lunch and a nap, I walked to the grave and had a nice chat with Byron and Barb on the way.

On Friday morning, I started out by practicing the piano and then around 10:00 o'clock I walked to the grave. Then I had my lunch, closed up the place, and left for home at 12:45. It was another fun, safe, and successful week even though I didn't get much work done.