Having worked the early shift Saturday I'm off to investigate a few prospects out Kaslo way. Archeological surveys suggest there's a Neolithic quarry north of Kaslo at the headwaters to Milford Creek, and so I find the appropriate logging road and I'm off...
This logging road, 10KM long, rough and what's left of my exhaust is scraping the dirt about to fall off...slowly slowly up and up.
It makes it, surprise surprise, and I get out to explore. Milford Lake, headwaters of Milford Creek, thick brush, more a small pond than lake, solitary campsite with a sign-in book that complains largely about the road...
Exploring is brief, the mosquitos will be overwhelming come dusk and so I head back done, stopping at the roadcuts along the way.
The rocks, heavily metamorphic mudstones, and in the veins of quartz I find the chert nodules. Quality varies, I collect a few with some hard banging then continue down the mountain. When the trees break there's great views of Kootenay Lake, I must be a KM above it at least, and no trace of snow.
Back in Kaslo I head on the highway North West to spend the night.
***
Night spent, morning is spent gathering coffee in town, French Toast, 2 slices, $13.00, coffee $4.00 per cup, and people say we're expensive...
Then off to walk the banks of the river, collecting more flint nodules, better quality, the water has polished them much like the arrowheads I've found, how long does it take? I mean, I've found flakes with sharp edges, but the longer they lay in the sand and waves the more they come to resemble just pieces of Chert, no longer discarded tools erosion has smoothed all their rough edges and knapping marks...
Other rocks, none of interest other than for possible mixed media projects that hinge upon me finding a time and place to get them started...
***
Sunday night, slow, working with T* who is not so competent I'm discovering, and she's having a rant about the tip out, thinks it's too much, unfair, and I hate to break it to her but it's literally half of what anyone in town is paying to the house, but she doesn't get it and the squeaky wheel may soon be replaced...
Customers, a couple of good ones, the rest, well, should have hung a wreathe of garlic on the door and sprinkled it with Holy Water...
***
Monday, up and ready to go to Gym, days off, only now H***** is texting me, 7:00 AM, she's sick, heatstroke, too long in the sun yesterday, could I please, pretty please, work her shift for her....
This is fucking annoying. I'm working 6 days a week now, 4, 5 hour shifts, no chance to go anywhere, she's working two and this is the second time this month she's dropped one..."I really need this job" she'd told me in confidence, nope, she doesn't, and yet - here we are, her second absence, 2 shifts a week and she's 50/50, next time it'll be a bee-sting or Lyme disease or the blueberries need harvesting or a favorite laying hen needs to go to the vet...
The excuses are a bit much and I'm getting pissed, here on a day off when I should be off on a hundred other adventures, and this is not going to be the pattern for my summer...