November 9 we had a special treat: Adventure Day class went to a local park called Rhus Ridge (Rhus is the genus for plants including poison oak and sumac) and we all got to hear Raye the docent and caretaker talk about everything from how to make a fire (he demonstrated
-- and
or breath as the case may be) to how to make cord out of natural fibers, to
, to how to use a horn to call people down from the hills (Raye used to use this strategy with his own children when they were young). Raye is truly an unusual man and had amazing frontiersman's skills: he
, bows, and
, told stories of California native plants and how they can be used to start fires, feed people, and attract fauna, and knew how to use old jeans as starter material for fire.
What a gift to be with him and hear his stories firsthand.
