Early Onset, Nostalgia

     On Thursday, as is my custom, I began to absorb the fact that I was approaching the end of my stay at the Project, so immediately I started feeling nostalgic.  The symptoms of that nostalgia in my case are excessive use of camera and feverish drawing and a perception (OK, MAYBE a MISperception) that EVERY little thing is important and of course must be recorded.

      So here are a (mercifully reduced) selection of photos from Thursday.

This was my muzzie net-covered bed.  The net successfully (I think) kept all bugs at bay for the duration.  Sure, it had some holes in it.  Some previous guests had repaired some of them with band-aids, but not me.  I had brought needle and thread with me, as instructed, and sewed them up.  If I do get malaria, it will be the result of my extraordinarily poor sewing skills.
    


I loved the grass roof of my little house.  It smelled absolutely wonderful, like sweetgrass back home.  Despite heavy rains almost every night, and sometimes during the day, no rain ever fell in my house, and all the Charlottes seemed snug and dry.  After a pleasant encounter my first night, my household gecko never showed itself again, though at night I frequently heard its "chuck-chuck-chuck-chuck," hopefully as it pursued tarantulas.

     I spent the day alone with the mahouts sketching and photographing the Big Four--genial Gee-Nowl and roly-poly Easy River and my favorites Buffy and sad sad looking Happy Lucky.

In the afternoon Jack returned from Phnom Penh feeling well enough to prepare for his flight home to England on Saturday.  
      And so 4:30 brought the last bath time with the Big Four.  I don't think I will ever tire of watching this video, uneventful as it is, and I hope you can experience some of the serenity, camaderie, and well-being it brings to me!

10 Minutes of Elephant Washing from Northpith on Vimeo.