Monday, January 3, 2011

Back To Work We Go

We all face Year 2011's First Monday together.  Hi, ho,hi, ho, it's off to work we go!  Some are heading back to their Day Jobs and we salute your dedication, loyalty and tenacity.  Some of us might not have day jobs but work still happens.  We may be self-employed or, in our case, self-motivated to bite off a bunch of extracurricular work. 

When people work for free, as we do, it's called "volunteering."  As you well know, we love volunteering but the bottom line is that it is often work in the same sense as regular work in the real workaday world.  We've been putting off a LOT of volunteer stuff with a wide range of classic procrastinator lines.  Here are the ones that have kept us away from work: 

1) We don't have time right now as we're packing to leave for Arizona;
2) We don't have time right now as we've unpacking from Idaho;
3) We don't have time right now because we have to do homeowner chores before winter sets in;
4) We don't have time right now because the weather's perfect and we have to enjoy before winter sets in; and the Age Old Standby everyone uses,
5) We don't have time right now because of the holidays.

Well, guess what, we've run out of procrastinator excuses and it's Back To Work We Go.  Here's our backlog and current plate full of volunteer work tasks:

Process all of the material from our August trip to Salmon, Idaho.  (est. Time = 40 hours)
Process all photos and notes from Salmon River field trip floats (est. time = 60 hours)
Begin research of nationwide policies for geo-caching on public lands (est. time = 80 hours)
Begin serving as Advisor to Verde NRCD Board of Supervisors (est. time = 20 hours)
Begin field work on Verde River Recreation Guide project for Chip N.  (est. time = 50 hours)

Hum...that's gonna keep us busy at least until we head back to Idaho in April!

So, whazzup with the photo atop this blog post?  Well, for one thing, it's the truth.  The older we become the more that statement rings true.  No matter how much any of us might have done, we also tend to remember the things we wish we shoulda, coulda and oughta have done. 

We salute those of our Dear Friends who don't let the typical excuses stand in their way of getting "out there." 

And with that lead-in, we'd like to congratulate some Dear Friends and Loyal Blog Readers for their "go for it" attitudes.

First, let's take Rachel, Jan and Lee from Idaho Falls.  Way back last fall, they jumped all over the new Allegiant Air service from Idaho Falls to Mesa, Arizona.  They are coming down in a mere 11 days to spend the MLK Day weekend with Susun in Sedona.  Ever the Party Planner, Susun has quite the itinerary lined up for the adventurous trio.  Lee, Jan & Rachel could have easily found any number of reasons not to so a short hop here in the middle of winter but they forged on.  We're very proud of that attitude and it's inspirational.  Thanks, Rachel, Jan & Lee! 

Next, let's take The Spudboater. Not only does she have the "go for it" attitude but she also walks the walk, too.  She's done all manner of trips in Year 2010 that would have been all to easy to forego for all kind of reasons.  But get this, she's actually coming down here to The Straw House in late March!  Yep, she's hopping a plane in Boise, shuttling through Portland and then landing in Phoenix on March 24 for a six day sojourn here at Happy Hour Central.  She's actually already bought the ticket and sent us a confirmation!  Thanks, Spudboater, ya dun good!

Now how about the case of Adventurer Wayne R.? If there ever was an "out there" kinda guy, it has to be Wayne.  We remember about 25 years ago when Wayne up and decided to go spend the winter down on Antarctica!  Yep, he actually got a job at McMurdo Station near the South Pole.  That was a real milestone that set Wayne off since to every continent and into a career few can imagine.  Wayne recently announced he's got another gig escorting tourists by private jet to Asia.  Per person prices START at $66,950 for this trip.  That's not a typo.  You can click here to read about it.   Wayne's the type of guy who looked at the slogan shown in the photo above this blog post and said, "Yeah, I know what that means and I'm living by it."  Way to go, Wayne!

Or how about Terry M.?  He's heading off into the wild, blue yonder in two weeks for some little-visited nooks and crannies of Eastern Europe.  Terry goes almost everywhere a whim can take a man.  No exotic locale is too "out there" for him.  Thanks for the inspiration, Terry.  You GO, Guy!

Lastly, let's revisit Deano and Lora.  That Happy Couple never misses a chance to make memories by traveling hither and yon far and wide when the opportunity arises.  Even though they live near Ashland, Oregon, they merrily skipped over hill and dale to visit friend in Flagstaff, Mogollon, Rocky Point and, as you know The Straw House, during their short recent holiday break.

As we've mentioned recently, you make your best memories when you go out of your way to do something special and visit some place far beyond your normal haunt(s).  As this year begins, perhaps we should all ponder the slogan above and wonder just how far and wide we can wander in the months ahead.

Cheers, jp

2 comments:

Wayne Ranney said...

I'm touched John. Really. Thank you for the mention in the "Throw away the lifelines" blog.

I'd have to say it was my mom's passing in 1985 that caused me to say yes to Antarctica in 1986. (Do you remember I called you from the South Pole via a HAM radio patch (the technology of the day) - and got your answering machine - HA! Now those guys down there all have e-mail, the world wide web and ATM machines!) Life is short - live it now. From that first trip to Antarctica it all cascaded up into a life of travel, learning, and friendships. You were there to provide support and love throughout those many adventures. Here's to an adventurous 2011!

Marti Spudboater said...

John: Your admonitions of love and adoration are graciously accepted. I always figured that I'd remember trips to places like Croatia and Slovenia, down the Salmon River, celebrating 7_7_07 with friends at the Bowery Guard Station,cooking up coffee and bacon before a soak in Baumgartner Hots Springs, watching my daughter ski race and play soccer--you know, important fun stuff. Work is highly overrated. Wayne put it best, travel, learning and friendships are underrated. They are what makes us who we are and who we hope to become.