the bird on fire

The Bird is the Word: Sophisticated Schoolyard Shenanigans

Subscribe to Blog via Email

Enter your email address to subscribe to this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

Go Climb a Mountain

by Leave a Comment

By Hiker and Blogger Claire Jenkins

On the 17th of February, right before the February Break, the Outdoors Club went on a hike up to the Palm Desert cross. The Outdoors Club, advised by Ms. Clark, hosts hikes monthly. All are welcome.

Happy hikers Sydney Armor, Sarah Jefferson, Claire Jenkins, and Hannah Makkai pose for a quick photo session and water break before climbing back down the mountain.

Ms. Clark and Hannah make interesting (“ahem” weird) shapes while Sydney and Sarah watch confusedly and Claire backs awkwardly away.

What’s happening? Possibly a playful pagan ritual? Actually, Ms. Clark was looking for an “interesting” photo op.

Ms. Clark smiles happily as her students dance like heathens.

PVS hikers rest in harmony with the view above Palm Desert from the yin-yang sign by the cross.

Editor: Renée Vazquez

Threshold

by Leave a Comment

By Peter Kadel

The footsteps have always been there, the paths of others for me to follow.

Some days they all lead me towards one place, a clear and pure consensus.

But other days they are split, and I must guide myself as best I can through the confusion.

There are also days when I must stray from the path to discover what lies beyond.

And then there is today—today is a day unlike the other days when certainty guided me.

As I arrived at the top of what I believed was the tallest peak I would ever climb,

I was faced with a new set of daunting challenges towering far above me.

As I viewed these giants, I saw that there were no trails marking the safe paths.

I realized that I stood at a threshold between the known and unknown.

There were no footprints to follow, no trails to track, no one to tell me where to tread.

And so I took a step forward.

 

Editor: Claire Jenkins

Lost Dreams in the River

by Leave a Comment

By Shelby Armor

 

A river,

so majestic,

so beautiful,

home to so many things

and I cannot be one with it.

My dreams are filled with the illusions

of fins on my arms

and of flippers on my feet;

it all seems so close

yet so far away.

I could sit for hours and sway,

sway to the melodic sound of rushing water

and leaping fish,

but I cannot.

I cannot breath using water

or slice through the sea

for I am a human,

and that is all I will ever be.

 

Editor: A.J. Patencio

Explaining Polo: What’s a chukker and other key facts

by 1 Comment

By Claire Jenkins                  

Polo (the real kind, not the water kind) is known as the game of kings. To put it simply, polo is kind of like half hockey, half soccer, and throw in eight horses and eight players. The objective of the game is to get the ball through the goal posts, much like soccer. It is four against four in field polo, and the fields are about 300 x 160 yards, which is about the length of three football fields.

Four of the players are trying to score one way, and the other four are trying to score the other way. In field polo, after one team scores, you switch directions so that the teams are now going opposite ways. The ball for field arena is a small white ball, kind of like an oversized golf ball, but big enough to comfortably fit in your hand.

The match is divided into chukkers, each lasting seven minutes, with a break of three minutes between each one. At half time, the interval is extended to five minutes, and the crowds are invited to walk onto the field to tread in divots.

Polo has many interesting quirks, but like most other sports it has rules against fouling. There are lots of different fouls in polo, and some are severe enough to get you kicked off the field. Below are some common rules and possible fouls:

Right of Way–When the chukker is in play there is a  “line of the ball,” which is the direction in which the ball travels once the ball has been hit or thrown. When a player has established the right of way along that line, it can’t be crossed by any player if there is any risk of collision.

Crossing the Line–Any player who crosses the player who has the right of way close enough to be dangerous or cause a player to slow down, commits a foul.

Riding Off –This is the act of pushing another player and their horse out of the way using your horse and your body. It is allowed at any point in the game whether the person has the ball or not. It must not be done at a dangerous angle or varying speeds because that can cause serious injury.

Hooking mallets – A player may hook an opponent’s mallet if they are on the same side of the opponent as the ball and the mallet must be below the level of the opponent’s shoulder. Players cannot hook an opponent in front of the horse’s legs, as it would be called a foul.

 

For more information about polo rules or upcoming events, go to uspolo.org. or empirepolo.com.

Editor: Makena Behnke

Why Mountains Are Important

by 2 Comments

By Peter Kadel, Blogger Naturalist

 

Mountains, throughout history they’ve been there. Majestic towering behemoths that inspire adventure and invoke wanderlust in the hearts and minds of people everywhere. The Greeks told stories of the famed Mount Olympus where the gods dwelt; mountaineers dream of summiting lofty peaks such as Mount Everest; the rolling hills and mild peaks in the Lake District of Great Britain have inspired many classic literary works. Mountains are deeply ingrained in our history, and I believe they can be instrumental in fostering a new appreciation and even reverence for the natural world. Mountains are more than just geological features; they are mighty titans that bellow a challenge to the world, daring us to summit them. Climbing a mountain, putting its entirety beneath you and breathing in the vistas seen from that exalted point of view, is a thrill that will instill anyone with a love of the earth and a desire to protect it. Since the beginning of time we have sought safety in valleys and looked for protection in the shadows of mountains, but now as we have become more adventurous, we seek out the challenges mountains have to offer. And this is good; it’s common sense that being outside is good for you. Exercise and fresh air are beneficial.

If we can convince people to appreciate and even enjoy the mountains in the world, then we are one step closer to preserving then for generations to come. After all, people are more likely to protect things they care about. And protecting mountains and the surrounding areas isn’t just to allow recreation; it can also keep water sources clean because many mountains deposit rainwater and melted snow into lakes and rivers below. Protecting the mountains–staving off development–will go a long way towards protecting our water sources from contamination. These benefits won’t just help us; the various critters that inhabit mountains benefit greatly from having places that aren’t full of people and factories and housing subdivisions. Giving the natural world and its denizens their own space will greatly improve the harmony between mankind and nature.

 

Editor: Makena Behnke

What It’s Worth

by Leave a Comment

By Naturalist Poet Pete

What’s it worth?

What’s the worth in protecting the great outdoors? What dollar amount can be assigned

To open meadows, rolling hills, and swift streams? What are they worth

Once they are caught and defined? What is the profit of seeing the Grand Canyon strip-mined?

In blasting the mountains and depleting the veins? in taking the treasures beneath the earth?

There is something golden on the surface. There are green treasures that tower above,

Ancient giants from ages past, enduring symbols that are the heart of the forest.

They are the guardians of the old worlds and sentinels of life, creatures deserving of our love.

We must defend them; we must not soften. We must be undaunted in our noble quest.

There is a value in the untouched world, not in dollars but in the human soul.

Editor: Charles Schnell

The Road Less Traveled

by 2 Comments

By Peter Kadel

Last month, I went to the Schoepe Scout Reservation at Lost Valley to work as a volunteer for one of the off-season events. The entire weekend was packed with activities and shenanigans that made my time up there enjoyable. The event itself was not the only fun part; the journey there was also a part of the adventure. This is not because I don’t like the camp, but because to reach the camp I drive up a series of windy mountain roads that culminate in a ten-mile dirt road–a dirt road that is legend among the Boy Scouts of Southern California and parts of Arizona.

“The Road,” as we call it, is a bumpy, windy, washed-out, pot-hole-covered, ten-mile gauntlet that acts as the only public land entrance to the camp. The only other entrances to the camp are by helicopter or through an Indian Reservation. The road has quite the reputation with those who frequently drive to the camp. While the faint of heart may dread the long drive to Lost Valley, I cherish it. I would rather drive down a ten-mile dirt road through a stunning wilderness landscape that makes me feel at peace than drive for one mile on I-10 or any busy freeway in America.

Windy roads are more fun to drive once you have the hang of driving them. The rougher terrain and the sharper turns on windy dirt roads are much more engaging than straight busy highways. You can’t use cruise control or go on mental autopilot. The looser terrain also allows for sliding or drifting, which can be really fun as long as you are careful. The thrill of a fast turn of a dirt road is quite the adrenaline rush when you do it right. And, aside from the obvious fun, a windy dirt road signifies a separation from hustle-and-bustle cities and the trappings of society that in the end don’t really matter.

On my drive home, I actually had to stop driving for a good five minutes so I could just take in the beautiful vista before me, breathe in the clear air, exist for a minute in this paradise with a sky so blue that it took my breath away. The spiritual benefits cannot be replicated on busy highways. If that doesn’t convince you of the benefits of off-road driving, then consider this: when I’m on a major highway, I see people exchanging insults and honking at each other. In the backwoods, I barely see a soul. And, when I do, they’re kind-hearted people with a respect for nature and for those around them. The experiences found off the beaten track and in the heart of nature are something that everybody needs and most don’t get enough of. So go; find them.

Editor: Shelby Armor