Unfortunately, Britta, there is no oil over here. You must be thinking of some other war. But we do have opium and I will make sure to secure our supplies for that. The hellman province (right next door) grows more opium than everywhere else on earth combined. We fly there every day. It is within 50 miles of here. The export this year is expected to be several thousand TONS of pure heroine!
Andy still won't leave the room and really is sucking the life out of me when I am not at work. What a little bastard. He needs to be sent back to work.
Todd, I am ok on the glasses part. The SF guys hooked me up with a few pairs of Oakley's for getting them on a flight that they needed. The SF guys bring redbulls and food and other misc. bribary by our office all the time. I guess that is thier MO. The infantry just show up. With like four hundred dudes. That is definately thier MO.
I think that I am going to go out to the bazaar later on today. Anybody need a chinese black market Folex watch? well let me know if you do.
I started to read Richard Feynman's "the meaning of it all" last night. It is a pretty good book. I was laying on my cot and Sgt K appeared at my door. I invited him to sit down and we started to have a talk. He asked about what I was reading. I asked him about what he reads and he affirmed that he has only read five books in his life. He also said "...and they all have the word God in the title, except the bible." He then asked me why I was laughing so hard.
As it turns out Sgt K is an excelent guitarist and loves photography. I asked him if he would read any poetry while he was here. He said if he wanted poems he would write his own damn it. I asked if he ever listened to someone elses music or looked at someone elses photography. He didn't like where that line of thought was going to end up so he went back to his room to play more Xbox.
Today at work I had to pull Andy's load all by myself because I am the only one who knows how to do it. Now everyone gives work to me and is thinks "Anderson, I guess he'll have to do because he is the only one who hasn't been busted yet." Not really how I wanted to get into that job.
I should get back to work because nobody knows where I am at right now.
Could I get a few pairs of paramedic's shears in my next package. I don't think that they cost any more than a few dollars and I end up cutting alot of stuff in a day and sometimes scissors would be handy. They need to be able to be carried in a pocket or on a belt, i.e. no sharp points. and a shaving kit bag and a bar-soap holder box thingy would be pretty useful too(ziplocks suck)
Anywho, back to the grind.
Lots of love but no place to put my soap
-Bert
63 Years of Memories....
63 Years of Memories....
that's what I have now. The photo below shows the chair on the point which for so many years was my father's favorite after-supper place to contemplate and cast for walleye. As much as I feel guilty about what's happened, I know he would understand and even say there's nothing to forgive. He lived life fully and moved on many times. I'm the one with the unique experience of being attached to a beautiful place for my whole life. And despite all my best efforts, yesterday the 'cabin' was sold. I signed the papers and, truth be told, a weight was lifted. A new life lies ahead without the obligations, but with all of the wonderful memories. My unrelentingly positive attitude says this is truly how it is, but my heart is still sad.
There are some things in life for which the balance between the obligation and the joy of ownership often cannot be sustained forever. It became clear that I was no longer up to the task of taking care of the place quite a while back. However, knowing what needs to be done and doing it are often far apart. Finally, no choice was left. It had to be sold.
Now it's gone. No more worrying about how long the grass or how deep the snow is up there. No more sublimely pleasurable early morning cups of coffee sitting on the dock when the color of the lake is like pale blue glass and the air is completely still. No more endless repairs, high taxes, and utility bills. No more late nights around the fire pit with friends and family - warm from both fire and friendship. No more frozen pipes or emergency calls to the furnace guys. No more saunas and midnight skinny dipping that make you feel like you'll live forever while your connection with nature is confirmed by the gazillion stars of the milky way and the loons calling out in the dark. No more concerns with low well water levels or water so hard and full of iron the clothes turn yellow and your newly washed hair feels like brillo. No more finding the way home by boat in the dark after a long day on the lake feeling like this is the only place you really, really belong. No more praying that the boathouse will make it another year without collapsing. And ultimately, no more making new memories with friends, family and loved ones. No new memories, that is, at Half Bay, Lake Vermilion, Tower, MN. New life... here we come!
How do you thank a place for memories?
1 comment:
Good Morning! It's really weird to say how was your Sunday when ours is just beginning! But anyway, hope your Sunday visit to the bazaar was interesting and that we'll hear all about it. No real Folex for me, thank you - or a fake Rolex either. :)
To coordinate with the others who are sending you packages --- I'll send the scissors and shaving kit stuff, guys. I have a box half full and needed to find the 'right' stuff to fill it up. [Your sharpener is coming!] I guess you'll let us know when you're running low on candy, eh, Bert?
How can you do two guys work and still have time to read all that technical stuff you were telling me that you should read every day?
MN just had a National Guard unit head out to Iraq so that was all in the papers. Is there any relating to what's going on there? Not worded well, but you get what I mean, I'm sure.
So, why didn't you go on FOB? BTW, where's Hill? Here I am asking lots of questions again. Sorry!
This is the final weekend for the renters so hopefully next weekend we can go up north. I've missed it but I've been so busy it wouldn't have been possible anyway.
Hi, Blake. Thanks for translating!
Going to have our Sunday morning coffee and ...
Bill says hi and like Blake he reads everything but doesn't say much.
Hugs and love,
Mom
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