Saturday January 20th 2007
Location: The Townsend Cabin, Townsend MT
Well it seems sometimes predictions can come true, even concerning the weather. It snowed this midmorning leaving 1 inch of soft snow on the ground. However as you can see in the photographic evidence that by 4:20 PM it has mostly melted or was blown away by the wind.
Because of the unseasonable warmth, the family started in the backyard some sort of ritual called a ‘camp fire’ it seems them having a fire inside wasn’t enough work for them so they started another outside in the back yard. They cooked plain tasting ceremonial food over the open flames- and they built a second fire for warmth. They would then dish the hot food onto cold metal plates and try to eat the food before it cooled. It seems that while outside in 30 degree weather the outside would become very cold yet the inside of the meat was still hot enough to cause great discomfort. They also seemed to stand in the smoke a lot (which proved difficult as the wind kept changing directions)and added great bunches of juniper and grass that would smoke heavily then flair up brightly showering sparks- all as a sort of purification rite I suppose. As it grew dark I expected them to go inside but it wasn’t until 9 PM that their festivities ended. They dumped a bucket of purified water on the fires signified the end of the world then went inside in high spirits.
I will post my next report tomorrow,
The Weather Rock
