Tales from the Off Season: the early days

Now that camp is empty, really since I've been back on Saturday I haven't seen any other people. I know they're here, I just haven't seen them. The quiet is expansive at times but then there's always the constant chatter of the thoughts in your head to keep you company. It's hard to imagine that being the case on the mainland, where there's always something to keep you busy, someone else to distract you. But out here I've found that I have to find a way to be alone with myself because that's all I have. Some days it's harder than others because what's going on in your head is more or less chaotic static and there's no way to get away from it. There's no making sense of it, and there's no running from it. You just have to figure out how to let it be that way until it stops buzzing in your ears.

Speaking of running I've been doing that a lot lately. Seems to be a way that I can quiet those voices in my head. When I'm focusing on taking one more step and continuing on around the next bend I don't hear my head quite so much. Which is comforting.

Well, I have some animals too. Gato seems to have taken a liking to me, following me around and coming up to the house at night to snuggle and spend a little time. It's nice to have her there, she's at least a little company when the house feels empty. There's also a bison that comes into camp sometimes. He's around here every once in awhile, been a bit since I've seen him, but I'm sure he'll be back.

I don't know when the construction of the pier will start. Soon I would expect. It's being delayed for several reasons, many of which I'm not sure I fully understand, but such is the way of things. It'll happen when it happens. And then there will be more folks around. Which I'm sure will be good.

And now follows, some photos recently of the off season days.

some days

I'm having a good vacation. And tomorrow I will be going back to the rock. Earlier than I had wanted but sometimes things don't work out the way you want them to because you do things you shouldn't. Yay for me.

Let's take a moment...

I'd just like to point out the time stamp on this post. Yeah, that's right. 3.45 AM. That's in the morning. I don't know why I can't sleep tonight, or why I'm in my office writing about fish. So I'm going to go play soccer on the parade ground. By myself. Yeah. Awesome!

There must be something in the water...

Maybe I left Oregon just in time? Seems like every time I turn around another one of my friends back home is either getting married or having a baby. Sometimes you stop and think where you would be in life if you made different decisions, especially when the decisions that you did make often are split second and by the gut feeling you have.

I just don't know what would have happened if I'd stayed in Oregon. It's not that it's a bad thing to be 23 and married with a baby on the way. It just scares me how I might have missed out on the adventures if I'd made that choice. I know I didn't come from a small town but when the majority of your friends decides that they want to settle down and never leave the place they grew up it makes you wonder.

It's that restlessness coming back in. Someone told me the other day they thought I was a braver person than them for moving away from everything I've grown up with and known to a place where I knew no one and was faced with the challenge of learning a completely new organization and job.....I don't know if it's bravery or insanity. I just know that I wanted some adventure and I took it when I had the chance.