AK so far...

So a blind bull moose walks into a bar and sits down to have another pint of everclear...
He asks the bartender is he would like to hear a joke about ptarmigans.
The bartender says "Sure, but I should warn you - Im a ptarmigan."
The Blind Bullmose thinks about it for a second and asks, "Well are there any other ptarmigans in here right now?"
The bartender says, "Yeah, there are two sitting right behind you, but we have a pretty good sense of humor, you can tell your joke if you like."
The Blind Bullmoose thinks for a second and says, "No Thanks, I dont want to have to explain the punchline three times."

And thats the story of how Brother Crow, in the time before the white man, made the ptarmigan sooooo STUPID!

Alaska So Far....

northern Lights, on their sides...turn head to left for full trippy effect.

More on the way, as soon as I figure ut this phone that takes amazing photos...
S

First Entry from Skagway

 Journal Entry from earlier today sitting on the rocks overlooking the bay, mid-day sun and peaceful calm... not a bad way to start the season...

13. April. 2014. Skagway, Yaukatania Point.
WOW.
White peaks, forests a brackish dark green brown, cold emerald waters gently lapping against the cold still granite bay.
And silence.
An occasional squal of seabird, and the very faraway hum of an approaching ferry. 
A few "Welcome back!"'s and at least one "Welcome HOME."
Home - a sometimes brutal idea that eludes my wary searching travels.
 
Did I mention sun?  Cause its out today, and Im warmed by its lazy gaze.
Silver striations wrestle greens as light and a gentle breeze dance on these peaceful waters.

A Place with a lot of memories in a short enough space of time that they are sometimes inextricably collapsed, piled on one another causing the starts and ends to overlap a foggy blur.
A collection of left overs,
Un wrapped,
Un boxed,
Read. 
And Im in awe with another passing year. 
How dare I claim sloth or boredom. 
How about just a day of peace. 
A day to just BE. 
All this living can make a man tire. (laughs to self)

Excitement for the next 5.5 months;
the people
the work
the stories
the laughs
the challenges
the loves
the bodies
the nature
the nurture
the faces
the parties
the solitude
the noise and the quiet...
The Adventure.

I can no longer claim a desire, even a fleeting want, for the stability and routine of a static life.
This is Dynamism.
This is my Life.
Welcome back.
Welcome home.

FMMMR - WKND Edition

With all the building tensions of staying with my once estranged family, witnessing first hand the truth of a situation I want to distance myself from once again, on top of the tensions of transitions as I move away from Florida, and on to California for a couple weeks, then settle again for a stint up in Alaska, I have, needless to say, been slowly creeping up on the verge of a melt down.  Songs from the past exacerbate the situation - leaving me feeling like one foot in yesterday and one foot in tomorrow, drinks after work only provide a haze through which I can still make out the shape of trouble to come, and the gravity of a big full moon pulling my mind skyward, it was time to break out the gear and spin my wheels, meet that FULL MOON head on with a smile and a hug....

FMMMR - WKND Edition (Full Moon Madness Midnight Ramble - Weekend Edition)....voila.

mountain biking with Fireman Sean (actually a paramedic)

FINALLY!!!

 

 

 

 

 

Then off to the beach for an full moon overnight camp.

 



HUGE wild beach tortoise



FINALLY (part II)



egg sack from a skate, relative of manta rays

florida has castles too

 

yeah you!  You fucker... come here and give us a little love eh?

how I missed your stupid face and bad advice...

late night visitors

sunrise

 

Of course after only a couple hours of being back I can feel the stress levels start to creep up again.  But I can meet it head on, with a clear mind, and a strong set of personal values.  With all the lying these two do to each other and themselves, not to mention me, I choose not to offer my point of view and have started preparing to leave.  If nothing else this short visit with the shadowy fragments of my family have shown me how far I have really been, how much I have seen, the power of the truth in both relationships and in the personal truths of the choices we make and live with.  The whole experience has pushed me even more readily, more steadfastly, and more securely into what ever is ahead of me.  Its been a journey for sure, and its not stopping now. 

 

See you soon,

S

 

 

 

Birthday Weekend Shenanigans

To make new friends at the very tail end of your 30's is a rare.  To make the kind of friends that will not only get you obliterated on your birthday but see to it you take all sorts of friendly abuse up to and including being shot with a blow dart is priceless, and par for the course this weekend...

Woke early on Friday to go for a run, felt strong, had to work at 10 but got a text from the boss saying to meet him at the Liquor Store at 9.30 to stock up on supplies for the evenings White Russian-a-thon. 

Work was the norm, save for a visit from this cool Thai lady who has been riding her bike all over the world for the last 6 years.  Her blog was actually useful when I planned my own trip to Thailand a year ago - small word indeed...

... and yet the overwhelming sense of something on the horizon was inescapable.

WAY before closing, the Caucasians started to flow...

My Pops showed up ON HIS CRUISER BIKE!  Which was unexpected and amazing.  Its not close and that bike is a turd! (more on replacing it with something usable later)

People started showing and it quickly descended into mayhem.

 

 

By 7:50 there was a shotgun, nun-chucks, a dart board being held William Tell style, and of course the blow gun, which managed to put a dart about an inch and a half deep into my forearm after exiting the bathroom...

 

The party moved to houses I don't really remember and by 4 I was hurting on my Dads floor again.
Saturday was beautiful, but I had checks to cash and a serious puncture wound in my arm, and a wicked hangover to attend to. 

And shopping at Walmart always makes me feel better...

And if that didn't work lunch at a place called Dominic's Deli certainly hit the sweet spot...twice!

Sunday found me chasing down some 650b wheeled treasures from Jamis out at Mala Compra trails for a big Demo Day. 

Ride Loni to the trails, sign the waiver, switch to a $6000 bike and S-H-R-E-D!!!

I also rode this little beast, the most fun Ive had on a bike in a long time, might have to invest.

Cool off after with a little dip in the Atlantic...

Cooking Italian tonight to fill a happy belly.

 

And blogging in the sunset...

If this is any indications to how my 40s are gonna be, don't expect me to settle down just yet....

 S.