Silence Is (Not So) Golden

Nothing new here. Life is moving on imperceptibly slow. Sure, there are minor details of life that may be interesting to some, but for the most part life has been nothing but the slow turn of the Earth, marching onward with no slow down in sight.
I’m not sure how much time has passed since I have been here. Sure, a calendar will tell me it has been two weeks since my arrival, but every day has felt like many days. Even yesterday is a blur at this point.

I went without running water in my temporary home for almost ten days only to find that the leak that had once forced me to keep it off has mysteriously ceased. I had a shower today and it was lovely. Also, my dishes that had piled in the sink refound their homes in cabinets and drawers.

Life has been good, yet lacking.

I miss the companionship of a wife and children. I miss the noise that accompanies the domestic half of my life. Work is a welcome distraction from the silence of my borrowed trailer, but it is no substitute for the joy of family.

So I wait, impatiently, for their arrival, angry at those who have delayed it with their careless (and possibly criminal) actions (or lack therof).

Perhaps I should relish the silence, enjoy the time spent in quiet. Perhaps I should take this time to reflect or grow.

Not for me. For me, there is no growth without the stress of noise. There is nothing in silence but time for navel-gazing and dangerous over-contemplation of one’s life choices.

I think too much when I am alone. I go to places the mind should never go. I worry and fret and despair over details of life which I have no control over. I take too much credit for my position in time and space.

If I have discovered anything in this time of silence it’s this: God has given me gifts which I have taken for granted. I assume that what I have is normal and is a part of me, like appendages. I did nothing to bring them into existence, they just are. Every good gift must be something I deserved, merely because I exist.

But, a wife, children, and the fertilizer of chaos are not deserved, they are gifts. God supplies them for the growth of a man, and when they are removed, even temporarily, a man can find himself stunted and unable to flourish.

God knows I need noise as much as He knows I need times of silence. One to grow me, the other to force acknowledgement of His gifts.

Pray that they arrive safely and more importantly soon.

New Adventures Begin

Out of my driveway and into the world

Some things are laughable, like planning to leave at 6 AM. After driving for Uber late into the night I woke up way beyond my alarm and left at 9. 

My singular goal on day one was to get lunch at Lee’s Diner in Hammond, LA. My mom used to eat here during her younger years and she has always raved about it. I tried to eat there last year on my way through, but a fire had gutted the kitchen and they were renovating. My personal memories of it are sparse, I know we went a few times when I was a kid, but what I ate besides a chocolate malt escapes me. I hit the road salivating. 

Someone’s having fun…

Before I even got out of Florida I was reminded why I was heading west.  A prescribed fire was going just on the other side of the highway. I hope it was successful, given the smoke column I’m pretty sure it was. 

The panhandle of Florida takes what seems like an eternity to cross. My lunch plans settled into dinner plans as I ate some roller “food” from a gas station. I know people who won’t touch those things. I figure if I am going to be sick I may as well do it right! 

There wasn’t much excitement between home and the Louisiana border. Then came the Obligatory Community Coffee Stop at the welcome center. 

My favorite part of the coffee setup they have there is the “Children Need Assistance” sign. Everyone should know all Cajun kids start coffee at a very young age, the younger the better. That’s why we tend to be shorter than average. 

Mmmmm

I kid of course. But really,  I started coffee at five, and my growth stopped at 5’7″. There has to be a connection. 

Around 5 PM I finally reached my goal. The place was packed, so I grabbed a spot at the counter. I’m not used to traveling solo so I am not used to lunch counters. I actually tried to pull my stool closer to the counter at one point. My embarrassment was quickly stifled by this:

Double Mmmm. 

I was persuaded that I could probably make a decent po boy at home but that ettouffe was a bit more difficult to perfect. I’m so glad I made that decision. 

I topped it off with a chocolate malt and headed out full but determined that boudin balls were necessary to make my drive through LA complete. After discovering that most places were closing soon I found Hebert’s down the road was open until 7 and if I hurried I might just get me some awesome. 

I assume it’s Cajun lasagna… 

When I saw they had lasagna I was a little worried. After a short discussion with the girl at the counter I decided on links instead of the usual balls. 

Insert obligatory sausage joke…

While they may look a little strange, they were amazing. 

I trucked on and crossed the Mississippi at sunset. 

Old Man River #NoFilter #WowMyPhoneCameraIsGood

My second goal of the day was to make it to Houston. I selected a Pilot Travel Center just outside of town thinking “this will work”. Normally this would be reasonable thinking, but when I arrived around Midnight I was met with one hour parking signs and a panhandler telling me about his seven felonies. “Nah man, I won’t snatch your wallet, I ain’t dumb.” Then he asked if I smoked “hydro”. Soooo it was on to the other side of town where thankfully I was able to find a Walmart with rvs parked out front. Rvs are always a good sign that no Walmart manager is going to scoot you along at 4 AM. 

After six uncomfortable hours across the front seats of the van, I decided to trek onward. 

Day two was even less eventful than day one. About the time I hit west Texas the AC stopped working well and I was forced to switch from long pants to shorts. That was quite an event! Sarcasm.

Roasting and getting blinded, TX hates me. Oh, and so many bugs.

Finally I hit NM and after getting through Carlsbad and Hope I was finally climbing into the mountains. 

More like “hills” really…

My plan was to park somewhere on the forest and set up a tent. There was snow rumored on my aunt and uncle’s property where we plan to stay for the summer. About ten minutes from town I find out that they are actually in town and the property is pretty much snow free! 

After eating decent Mexican (i.e. NOT Utah “Mexican”) we settled down to sleep in their trailer. 

My hidey-hole…

First view of Cloudcroft in the daylight.

Now to get the rest of the family out here. 

I can get used to this…

The Adventure….Doesn’t Begin

Today was supposed to mark the beginning of our adventure to New Mexico. Of course, thanks to a snafu by the car dealer, our title has not been sent from VA to NM. So we are stuck in a holding pattern for the foreseeable future.

Which is fine.

How I really feel

We are way behind on packing and cleaning, and it gives me time to do my new favorite pastime: driving Uber.

For a total of four nights now, I’ve driven around town and picked up people from all walks of life. Some are chatty, some are eerily quiet, most are somewhere in between. Some are drunk, some are just trying to get to or from work. I feel a bit like I am playing GTA in real life, picking up random people in random places and dropping them off in other random places, then watching the money counter scroll upwards. For an extrovert like me, this has been a pretty cool job.

I’m glad to have a little job to do, it distracts from the craziness of trying to get this show on the road. As if I didn’t have enough anxiety already, add a deadline and a really long drive and I’m getting crazy not being on the road. I made it to Arizona in three days last year. If it comes down to it, I can probably make NM in two…

I’ll keep you posted.

My Life is About to Get a Whole Lot Of Crazy

Lighting a backfire in Idaho, State Fire 2013

When I’m not wrangling five hoodlums, I wrangle fire. In 20 days I’ll be starting my second full season of working on an engine full time. Needless to say I’m a bit freaked out, not because of the job, but because of all the stuff that must be done to get there. We have 20 days to get the house cleaned and prepped for a six month absence, get a trailer cleaned and packed, prepare two vehicles for a 1500 mile drive, prep for a pack test, and get three cats, a dog, and seven people from Florida to New Mexico.

Needless to say I am incapable of deep thoughts at this point. While I do have some stuff already written up, I can’t edit them to my liking right now. So don’t expect much in the next few weeks except for some possible updates on our adventures.

Those are probably more fun anyways. 🙂