January 11-12, 2003 event with Sherman Heights Community Center - by Debbie Tarczy

Patches of snow and environmental education activities were just part of a fun-filled weekend at the Sierra Club's Foster Lodge in the Laguna Mountains led by Heather Tatton and Brad Buffett. On Saturday, after a brief introduction meeting and splitting into chore groups (including the butterflies, wolves, leaping lizards, and gladiators) , we hiked out to Desert Point, with fearless George Greer in the lead! The kids were thrilled when they came across patches of snow large enough to make snowballs! After playing in all the snow patches we found along the way, we reached Desert Point and had lunch. The air was cool and the sun warm.

Waiting for us at the Lodge, was Lee Kirchhevel. Lee and his wife Betty provided several hours of environmental education games and lessons in sensory awareness. While we were out hiking and spending time with Lee, volunteer Shirley Moak was busy in the kitchen! Shirley prepared hot lasagna, garlic bread, Jello-salad, and veggies for us. A great big thanks goes out to Shirley. After breaking into clean-up groups, we were ready for more adventure - snowball fights, indoor games, and a special night treat by volunteer Paul Kater. Paul brought star charts and a telescope for viewing constellations. He mapped out the stars and showed us on star charts the patterns we would see in the night sky. We covered flashlights with red cellophane paper and walked down the trail to the waiting telescope. Thank you Paul for providing this star-gazing experience!

The remainder of Saturday evening was spent with free-time activities including board games and card games, drawing pictures, or just sitting by the fire talking.

Sunday morning started out with a satisfying breakfast of pancakes, bacon, cereal and fruit prepared by Paul Kater with help from Lisa Wiksten, and again (our number one chef!) Shirley Moak. We just couldn't keep Shirley out of the kitchen! After breakfast, reporter, Deb Ensor, and photographer, Laura Embry, from the Union Tribune arrived. They interviewed the group, took some photos, and joined us for a hike to Garnet Peak. The article was published on January 27, 2003 and is posted on our website!

After hiking the peak, the group returned to the Lodge for lunch and clean-up. It was a very well-planned, well-enjoyed weekend for all! A huge pat on the back to Heather Tatton and Brad Buffett who planned the weekend! I have to say that your organization and planning made this weekend the huge success that it was!

Special thanks to all the volunteers who made this weekend special including Jim and Liz Davis, Allan Fein, George Greer, Paul Kater, Andreas Marek, Shirley Moak, Andy Steyers, Debbie Tarczy, Lisa Wiksten, and Katherine Otto (SHCC).