asbestos, mold, and lampson's

this day was, er, unusual. just before nine we got the word: evacuate the building. the carpenter had uncovered what might be asbestos. since there had been work done on stabilizing asbestos in a basement room that had flooded last spring (thereby releasing the floor and unsealing the asbestos by loosening the floor. we left he building and climbed on our bus, while fellow staff and i made calls to school districts (come and get your kids) and families (your kids are coming home early). two hours and a bit later i was on my way home. most of our kids were delighted to go home early. two flipped out. emotionally disturbed kids can surprise you, the main group tried to support the struggling kids. 

it wasn't asbestos. it was mold. i'd been smelling mold in my classroom for days, and had told our custodian. apparently mold isn't a problem until someone, an asbestos expert, no less,  decides blowing it throughout the school could be problematic. 

so home i went, ate lunch and took wendy to lampson's.

i've been coming to this trailhead for 30 years. 

that's the grass river at the top of the falls.

the water was high, though not as high as it will be when the ice goes out in spring. the color of the splashes is from tannin, the water's color is brownish.

wendy knows this place well. 

 she found a birch log

 "tideline" and shelter

this shelter was miraculously constructed against the cliff wall at the base of the falls.

 looking through a new opening, a hemlock's root system exposed by high winds.

 found: rock book. boulder book.

 a root door?

a peaceful walk, i saw a hairy woodpecker, heard a raven, and heard the grass crowding it's way to the st. lawrence. from the blue line to the dark river.

and i have an unexpected long weekend. the word is that the building won't be ready for humans until late sunday night, or monday.