Monday, early Today looks to be beautiful, as omened by last night's red sky.The smell of cooking bacon is wonderful. The coffee actually has little aroma, the way Bill boils it, but the added "religion" (brandy) gives it good nose. Dad brought up Ethiopian Yrgacheffe [which I supply him] for evening coffee. A few of us appreciate the difference, but [Bills way of making] coffee is one of Bill's things.
Not even 2:00
Love you you can have a full, long & fulfilling day and then realize you still have half of it left. Cold on the island today. Still haven't reached as warm as the forecast low of 55. Best we've seen on the porch thermometer is about 52. I started the sophisticated wood heat stove, which was appreciated by all. 68.2 inside is quite comfortable. Bill has been reading up on the loons that make these waters their home. It's so delightfully easy to flow surrounded by river. Constant reminder of how spiritual a place this is.9:15 [pm]
There's a clock on the wall. It's loud when it's the only noise, which is not rare. Homage to the spirits, including Southern Comfort. Much drinkin' has been done by all, including me. Hence the handwriting. No sauna tonight. I'm not sure anyone's sober enough to think to light it. I'd probably enjoy one. I've mentioned it more than once, but no one did anything, so I gess no sauna. Just hanging out on the porch. There are gonna be a lot of hung over skeeters.Tuesday, going on 11am
I had to check to see what day it is. We all slept in till damn near 9. Some woke as early as 8, and started breakfast, which got the rest up. Looks to be chilly again today.Bill and his brother-in-law Mark had planned to make a trip to [the local Lodge] yesterday, but read the omens that said stay (bad motor, bad weather, cold & wet). They're making another go of it today. We'll light up the sauna in a bit, and it'll be toasty upon their return.
There is a clock in the cabin, but I check it seldom. When the wind is calm a beautiful silence decends upon the island. In those moments the clock's ticking is the only proof or reminder that time exists. There is little need for time here.
Almost 4:00
Bill and Mark radioed in to say they were fishing on way back. We just got hail. We'll see if they get back sooner. [They were down wind, and got the hail minutes after it stopped for us]I've been slaving over the stove, which really just means stirring jambalaya every hour...
Night, somewhere around 10
Although no one says grace or anything like that, there is a noticeable Christian bent. I'm the most un-Christian one here, with Dad as the second. We have distinct christian—not sure which flavors. Chad is recently into it, and maybe at bit judging. I made a mental note earlier not to get into deep arguments with him.It's past 10:00 and finally dark out. There was a very beautiful full double rainbow earlier.
On the way up I took some milage notes and such, but no real entries per se until I got there.
The trip was 800 miles each way. My average gas milage (whole trip) was 27.86 mpg. Best tank was 30.7, worst was 24.9.
I'll put the entries in as I wrote them, so the grammar gets lazy now and then... Bracketed and italicized notes are my additions as editor. :-)
Also, I'm editing out the actual location names, since it's a private cabin. Getting there involves a long drive, getting on boats at a lodge, crossing a lake and heading up a river. The cabin is on a privately owned island.
Sunday, Fathers' Day
Sunrise was about 5:30. Sunset last night at 9:30. Few made it that long. I didn't. Up with sunrise today. Coffee good with brandy. Bottle's not gonna last. Bacon & eggs.Mid-Morning
Lake was wet. Really damn wet. Over water, under water—semantics. Wind, chop, the kind of splash and spray that'll push you over if you're not aware. My feet were dry (good boots!), so no big deal except for the shivering and stiff fingers. Just be. Agree to do cold and wet. It was fun, and made the beer taste better—when things were still enough to get it to mouth. You drink some, you lose some.The cabin is very cool. 160 degree sauna you appreciate after the lake. Gave Dad his Fathers' Day flask just 'fore breakfast.
Four out fishing, leaving Dad and I to relax. Coffee also good with our friend Jack [Daniels]. Time for more, methinks...
Early afternoon, rain at the cabin
Lazy time, just sitting around. Maybe/probably when the rain stops they'll take the boats back out. My expectation is to go out with the next group.The group I like, although I think Chad the least. He's about my age, but ends up seeming the youngest of the group. He seems like a kid in his own way like that. He's also the only one not a father.
He's also said a bit too much about his church talking about pagans being bad. I can't tell how strongly he feels that, but he hasn't seemed to figure out or notice my own leanings on that matter. We'll see if there end up being some interesting arguments...
Mid-afternoon
Strange crew. Odd mix of knowledge. [I did cut some stuff here...]
Well, I've got the new story at Quick Shtick Writing started. We'll see how it goes…
I'm back. I'm wiped. I may have the flu.
I got back at something like 2am last night.
It was an amazing vacation, but a crappy fishing trip.
I did keep a journal. I'll post that later. Probably starting tomorrow, depending on if I get up in the morning with any time before work.
I may be napping soon.
Short on time, so quick and to the point.
Tonight I'm headed over to Dad's. About quarter to morning tomorrow we head off.
I'll be home for a couple/few hours tonight, which will be spent doing two things:
I am bringing a notebook to hand-write stuff. I'll post that when I get back.
Have a good week, I'll be back some point on the 27th.
Bye!
Brian, the fictionman
Actually, it was a very productive trip. I got home about 7:00. Amy took off for therapy. Her appointment actually ends right about now, so she'll probably be back in half an hour.
I've been prepping for Canada.
My contacts are a bit dried out from the airplane air. I'm tired. I'm going to rinse my eyes and just chill until she gets home.
(Hand written this morning...)
The probably Russian cab driver was fifteen minutes early, which is good because I woul dhave set the pickup time at 5:30 to be safe (rather than 6:15). Last time I flew was '93—just not the same now, eh?
But he drives like a taxi driver.
Breathe. Flow. Be.
I haven't had any coffee.
He turned on an oldies station (97.1 The Drive) and it just felt appropriate. Ride, Captain ride... Not my first choice, but I do have that one on a button in my own car. He asked if I minded, I said no.
What I didn't say was, "Anything that helps you get me there on time is good." I get like that when I'm worried about being late sometimes. You should see me on the way to a movie...
(My writing in a swerving cab is not good)
Cleveland.
More on that later.
At this point I don't know if I'll have time to post interesting things. So instead you get to keep up to date on what I still need to get done. Just in case you care.
I'll probably take this post and edit it as the days go by, in which case I'll probably update the date each time.
(in other news, we finished the current Quick Schtick Writing story.)
So: The Great List of Things Brian Needs to do Before Going to Canada:
Well, Amy has already mentioned it on her blog, but yesterday I finished the rough draft on The Reltice Emerald. That's what nearly a year of lunch hours adds up to.
That was followed by a good half hour or so of what felt like an adrenaline rush.
But after that I found myself still at work, and still not happy about being still at work. At work, when I'm frustrated or feeling insecure about my job, I clean things.
My desk damn near glistens. The coffee area is spotless. I started running out of places to clean...
The list of Things Brian Needs to do Before Going to Canada:
Sometimes things marked "confidential" are labeled that not because you shouldn't know, but because you don't want to know.
Case in point -
We have three MBA student interns at work for the summer. They're working on a project of their own, so them being around (despite our being expected to support them) doesn't reduce our workload or anything.
And one of them needs to learn about managing confidentiality—specifically not printing confidential materials and leaving it sit on the printer for hours and hours. In this case is was the internship agreement. Now, I had been under the impression that interns were barely paid, since it's more for their benefit anyway.
Not so! They're paid almost double what I am. Plus they get to tour the new building. Management can't even confirm to us which building we moving to sometime September-December. We don't even get to know when. The interns won't even still be here by then. But they're being shown that so they can be impressed about how great a place it would be for them to work after they graduate. Crap, can I be an intern?
I wouldn't mind being the low guy on the totem pole. At least I'd be on it. I just wish they would quite dropping it on my foot.
Optometry. Good thing.
As in I have contact lenses now. Ones that even have the right prescription, which my glasses have not had in quite some time.
Getting new lenses is always a fun thing. The world takes on that almost unreal feeling clarity and sharpness. So I had a good day, for the most part.
There was one side effect I wasn't expecting. I've had glasses so long I'd forgotten what it was like to have peripheral vision. I almost got dizzy walking down a couple of hallways today, because there were side walls that moved as I walked. Not just blurs that were either moving blurs or stationary blurs.
The world is once again made of individual objects.
Like little boys that don't let their daddies type... :-) Sorry, if there was more I was gonna say, it's gonna have to wait.