Session E: Day 7 - Transformed by Turning Things
Written by Gever and Serena, with help from Ana.
Parents are coming, parents are coming! Saturday morning means a lot of things at Tinkering School, from yurt cleaning to dining hall mopping, from shop knolling to build-site reset, but the one that is on our minds from the moment we wake up is the simultaneously thrilling and dreaded arrival of the parents. Thrilling because there's so much to share and show, dreaded because none of us want to say goodbye yet - or ever. And, the windmill needs love!
With Nik, Gever, and Elijah up on top of the tower diagnosing the problem with the shaft, Johnny is the designated stepandfetchit. He runs to the shop for critical tools a couple of times and then realizes that he could take advantage of the nice railroad system.
Swapping the shaft and re-mounting the blades does the trick - it's turning! And it sings! (from Gever's Instagram feed)
See this Instagram video by @gevertulley * 44 likes
We were, in all senses of the word, happy campers. Friendships were forged, enormous things were built, stories were made and told, and in the end we became a real community of tinkerers.
Gever, in his usual way, thanked the parents for lending us their children. Then he got choked up, and tried to hug everyone. It was embarrassing and nice at the same time.
Next the teams demonstrate their projects, explained their process, setbacks, and iterations. Nothing significant broke (until after the parents left).
The train turntable turned a train perfectly.
The flying swings flew perfectly (powered by the delightful squeals of the riders).
Midway Station entranced people with it's amusements and distractions.
#Miles&Elijah4evah!
Katherine and Nik just enjoy the tower.
We don't build out of necessity, we build from desire. The motivation is intrinsic, and fueled by the joy of learning and doing great things together. And ultimately, these sometimes clumsy things we build, become beautiful and written indelibly on our memories.