This past week started out very restful. Many people found time to bake, canoe, knit, and relax. We're all beginning to realize that the end of the semester is quickly approaching, and we're trying to make the most of our remaining time here. On Saturday, Halloween gave us an excuse to dress up and forget about the paper due on Monday. However, the cold and rainy weather put a damper on the festivities, forcing us to call off the trick-or-treating. All was not lost; we were still able to consume our body weight in candy, saving the integrity of the Holiday. Thank you parents and friends for the cookies and sweets, and we encourage you to prove your love some more.

We noticed an interesting pattern with our costumes. It seemed the women dressed up, while the men dressed down. Almost all Arcadian men were clad in tight fitting and revealing clothing. Andrew wore his 6 year old devil costume, hand crafted by grandma. Silas dressed scantily as wonder women, costume courtesy of Rachel Landis. Jon was a noble knight, Alex a professional cyclist. Sam wore his nordic ski suit, while our very own Matthias Nevins dressed as Tiger Woods. Cam dressed as Elmo, Ellie as Pippy Longstockings, and Molly as Big Momma Cass. Kelly "Old McDonald" Muedeking riled up Leah, who dressed as fast food. Last but not least, Ashley dressed as the Elvin princess Arwen.

Our week ended with an optional white water canoe trip down the main branch of the Grasse River. Eight courageous souls ( Leah, Kelly, Ashley, Ellie, Cam, Calvin, Silas, and Andrew) braved the icy waters from Lampson falls to Donnerville. Only one group worked up enough of a sweat to go swimming, while the others remained relatively dry. We ran a rapid called 50/50 falls, famed for bucking off half of the boaters into the water. All were successful and came out unscathed. We continue to work on our Independent Ecology Projects, some more than others, and are looking forward to our last few weeks here.

-Silas and Andrew