As I mentioned yesterday, Willa and I just went on a phenomenal field trip to Illinois to spend a day in the apiary with David Burns, our beekeeping mentor. This was such an incredible opportunity, it deserves a whole post to itself. I’ll share about our day and then include an open letter of gratitude.
A Day in the Apiary with David Burns
What a truly incredible day! Here we are a week later and I still can’t wipe the smile off my face!
During the course of the day we made a bazillion videos for his YouTube channel (thank you, videographer Patrick!) and got into so many hives I lost track. Maybe a dozen? Maybe more?
We checked for honey stores for winter, checked on queens in a few hives, learned about small hive beetles (we don’t have those where we live in CO), did varroa mite testing in a new way for me, applied the brand new VarroxSan mite treatment strips (totally new for all of us), weighed honey frames, did math, some of us got stung, took breaks, had a lovely lunch, and above all shared a lot of laughs and learning.
Patrick found a tiny turtle that Willa fell in love with.
David has put together this video which shows the main subject of our filming that day.
Open Letter of Gratitude
Dear David,
Willa and I are writing to not only say thank you for our truly special day with you and your bees, but to say more about what we learned and our thoughts upon returning home and taking time to reflect.
First, what an opportunity to be invited to spend such a day with you! We have been learning a tremendous amount from you since Spring of this year, but to get to come and learn in person is a dream come true.
It is one thing to watch and study your videos and do your classes, all extremely valuable, but to get to stand beside you and see and experience the same thing in the moment and hear your reactions, descriptions, comparing them to my own, really helped me solidify my own perceptions and interpretations. Was I thinking the same as you about a particular hive? Or did you say things that changed my thinking and understanding? Tuning into these nuances from you was probably the most priceless piece of coming to learn in person. I’m excited to now apply this at home.
You are the embodiment of a master beekeeper. To me this means that you may have several decades of experience and knowledge, but you approach things with an empty cup, fresh excitement, and non-judgment of others. You see that there is always more to learn – about beekeeping but also from others no matter their level of experience. You made me feel like an equal of sorts, a peer almost. And what an unexpected surprise to get to teach you a new trick! You also quickly tuned into my knowledge and experience level and treated me accordingly; I felt respected and valuable.
I feel honored that you trusted me in your hives. It feels like that must be the highest form of respect in beekeeping. Thank you for that.
Willa said this was a new core memory for her and, as we drove away, she, with exhausted tears streaming down her face, said “mom, if you get to come back another time can I please come, too?” “Yes, darling, yes. You worked hard with the bees and stayed focused as much as an 8-year-old could with all of the activity we had going on. You bet!”
David, you are appreciated and respected from all of us in the Martin family. Thank you for being you, for teaching, for sharing life wisdom, and for being so generous with everything you do. And a special thank you to Sheri for welcoming us so graciously.
This will be a core memory for both of us forever.
With Gratitude,
Willa & Carey
Best Field Trip EVER!
This is one of the highlights of homeschooling for me, the freedom to do learning field trips like this. I’m excited to be back in our own apiary applying what we’ve learned, carrying the confidence and validation we received from David, ready to see our bees through winter and continue to grow our colonies come Spring. Huge thank you to David, Sheri, Patrick, and, of course, my own David.
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