We had a major dust storm yesterday.
Normally the airfield has "three mile mountain" as a backdrop. the dust completely obscured it and it was still sunny on the airfield. Within ten minutes, the winds were 40 kts and ZERO visibility. It was like the most dense fog ever except that it would grit and drind in your teeth. the sand gets into every tiny place that is hard to clean, especially on the most expensive equiptment.
Today we officially take over for the people behind us. While we have worked in the TOC since we got here, only after today is it officially Task Force Knighthawk (god I hate that name) instead of Task Force Storm. Just BS and red tape. There is a lot of old men congradulating themselves and each other for what a good job was done by everyone else.
Random thoughts:
Most americans don't know where afghanistan is. Most people I ask are suprised to find out that it borders china. Most Americans don't draw a mental distinction between the war in Afghanistan and the war in Iraq. People have a view of science that is one hundred years obsolete or more.
Enough randomness, its depressing.
Happy Birthday Tania (again). Blake I hope you are happy that I am using paragraphs in this post. No promises for the future. Dad please sell the LT.
If anyone wants to mail me a bag of jolly rancher candy or bite sized reeses peanut butter cups that would be swell. There is only salt food here. And the gravy sucks.
By the way, the opium harvest is evidently coming in great for the locals, expected yeild is 500 tons of heroine!
Well since I switched to day shift I got an extra twelve hours off before I had to work. I am fully rested and feeling alot better. Although I was woken up several times last night by part of my tent colapsing from the strong winds. So that is nice. Dayshift does PT before work which takes another two hours out of my day. Thats not as nice.
Well I am going to go try and choke down some sandy breakfast.
Lots of love and really thirsty
-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:
Hi!
I hope that by the time you get this you will have retrieved your package. Perhaps it is the one I sent. And I'm about to send another one so I will include Jolly Ranchers. I hope the vipers don't like them too!
I'm on my way over to see Grandma A. I 've printed out your postings to take to her.
Now I've been to Las Vegas and can say I don't ever need to go back. I couldn't figure out if it was reality trying to be plastic or plastic trying to be real. But whatever it was - everything was too big and too crowded. I'm glad to be home. I can't complain, tho, because I had towel bars and my sleeping chamber didn't blow down in a sand storm. Jeez!
So are there more permanent shelters or will you be in a tent the whole year? Is it winter there now? What is the temperature? Is the sand like NC beach sand? How do you do your laundry? How long does a sand storm last? Is there any warning? Are there any animals (other than vipers, spiders and scorpions) around? Are there asps too or only vipers? Why does Blake care if you write in paragraphs or not?
Flying to Las Vegas, I passed over some interesting (Minnesota euphemism for 'god-forsaken') terrain and was thinking that it must look like Afghanistan.
Anyway, hope you get some rest and can find a quiet spot to read.
Don't forget to shake out your boots and clothes before you put them on!
Hugs and love,
Mom
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