the ice house

today at 5am i got aquainted with the ice house.  we wore full rain gear.  rubber boots, overalls, jackets, and gloves.  the ice house is probably about 20 yards long and 8 yards wide.  there's a grate on the floor with giant corkscrew type thing called an auger that grinds the ice up  more.  it spits the ice out a chute on the side of the building into a tote.  a tote is a plastic, well insulated container that is a pretty much a perfect cube.  the forklift holds it up to the chute and it gets filled to then be taken to the boats for the fisherman. 

so we were in there breaking ice up because something was wrong with the thermostat and it froze a shit load of it.  the floor is not entirely flat.  it is stainless steel at a 45 degree angle from each wall down to the narrow grate.  we had to pick the ice into chunks and kick it into the grate.  had to get done.  boats were trying to be launched. 

we continue to paint those damn bunkhouses.  should be done tomorrow. 

the food is good here.  8am.  noon.  5pm.  we get fed very well.  i do not have to clean up.  i do not have to cook.  i leave a laundry bag on my door.  the housekeeping dept does a very nice job keeping the bunk area clean.  my life is very different here.  living alone in MD i do everything.  this is kind of a vacation in a way from all that stuff.  i enjoy not being tied to a clock so much.  i do not miss my car for some reason.  it is the ultimate symbol of freedom.  but i don't miss it.