Precious Time

Pretty big scare today.  My mom called last night, worried that her leg was hurting, swollen, and getting worse.  Took her to the doctor, and when she came out of the exam room she was shaky.  Turns out the doctor wanted her to go straight to the Emergency Room.

So after a battery of tests, it was determined that she has a large blood clot in her leg and a small one in her lung.  The doctor and nurses all seemed optimistic about Mom's recovery with blood thinners.

Although this wasn't quite as scary as Dad's falling off the ladder problems of a few years ago, in the ER waiting room, I was definitely dwelling on just how much time I have left with my parents and how many more trips to the hospital we might be taking in the near future.  Not a pleasant topic for meditation.

My mom, dad, and uncle are all losing their hearing and visibly slowing down both physically and cognitively recently.  I always thought they would become this way in their sixties, but it wasn't until the very late sixties, and now early seventies, that they really are beginning to be like old folks.  So, looking at it from a selfish angle, that gives me only 20 more years, tops, before I'll be constantly saying, "What?!"

Makes me wonder how many more elk hunting trips, how many fishing trips, how many games of pinochle do I get with these folks I love dearly?  After Grandpa, Mike, and Steve, I put a great deal of mental physics into the topic of dying and living.  Hadn't thought about it much lately, but today there was the elephant in the Emergency Room, staring down his trunk at me.

Time.  Priorities.

Are You Our Guide?

The first couple of guiding trips I wasn't so sure this was going to be such a good idea.  The fishing wasn't spectacular, and I felt bad because these folks were paying serious coin.

The women were cool, happy to be out on the water and relaxing in a beautiful setting.  The guys were visibly disappointed in the fishing, and for good reason, fishing was slow.  I felt like I let them down.

 Ed, my friend and new boss did his best to cheer me up over the phone.  It was frustrating to let people down.  In the end, all you can do is your best.  Take the folks to beautiful places, teach them how to cast, and teach them how to catch the fish.  Much is still out of the guide's hands.

The last two trips have been an absolute joy.  Teaching folks how to fly fish, seeing their happy expressions when they catch fish, and their genuine appreciation of the gorgeous surroundings.

It has been a blast getting to meet people from around the country, and even the world.

I've been playing around with the digital camera and making movie/slide shows.  Here's an example of one of the latest attempt:

Why?

This says much..,

A Great Video and a Great Song

This song and video by Canadian Rachelle Van Zanten is now on my all-time favorites list.  Our kids deserve better than what we're handing over to them.

Nowhere Bound

This is the first summer I can remember without a big trip.  For some reason I just didn't feel like it this year.  Granted, money is a little tight and all, but the idea of a long road trip just doesn't do it for me right now.  Maybe I'm just tired of doing the long drives solo.  The flights to the Ukraine and Nome lost their appeal, too.  I've never been much of a homebody, but taking the occasional guiding job and just fishing and hiking around here seems to be enough this year.

 Worked in the garage and in the yard, and just kicked back on the back patio under the dogwood tree, with a nice breeze, and listened to good tunes felt pretty damn good.  I've already fished more than I would have if I'd gone up to the Damdochax this summer, and I've also lost 12 pounds since school ended.  Bizarre.