Friday, October 1, 2010

A BONFIRE, CHESTNUTS AND THE MOON....

Toward the end of our week at Snow Farm , Mark the wood working instructor initiated a bonfire event. He collected the firewood (there is some logic there, right?) and had a huge stack ready for flame as we all gathered on the benches to watch. How do you ignite a bonfire at Snow Farm? Ha! Easy! Mark went into the glass blowing studio, picked out a long hollow pipe with a big red-orange glob of molten glass on the end, brought it out to the pile of wood and walked around it , touching the glass to the wood, which ignited immediately. After several parts were burning well, he returned the glass and pipe to the studio. It looked like a giant match! On her way to the bonfire, one of the ladies who was in the welding class had picked up a large handful of chestnuts that had fallen from trees near the dormitories. She suggested we try to roast them. But, what to use for a pan? The light bulb went on over her head, she said she would be right back and went off to the welding studio. In a matter of minutes she was back with a fabulous chestnut roasting pan! She selected an old wok from their scrap pile, welded a long metal handle on it, and then attached a wood handle to the metal one. She put it in the fire to clean it off and get it very hot, then popped in the chestnuts. They roasted quickly and as soon as the skins began to split she dumped them in bowls and passed them around. My very first "chestnut roasted on an open fire" ! I didn't get a photograph of the bonfire and the group but did catch this shot on the way back to the dorm. It was a beautiful evening.......

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