Free Birds

Sorry for the delays in updating the blog. Incredibly busy and little free time are barely sufficient to describe the workload down here lately. The following post was actually typed up October 13th and I'm just now getting to putting it up. Much has happened since then, but I'll save that for a day when I have time again.



The C-17 just took off and left with a piece of me on it.

The last of our winterovers have departed. I was saddened to see them go.

With hugs, handshakes, and waves I watched them get on the airporter for a ride to freedom and a land with humidity, relative warmth, and smells. It’s been a long fourteen months for most of them, and I’m sure they’ll be happy wherever they end up so long as it’s warm.

Bidding my farewells to them, I managed to avoid using the “G” word. For people who drift as much as the nomadic Ice people, it’s almost a certainty that our paths will cross again someday.

I seriously hope they do.

For those in the Pacific Northwest, I don’t foresee any problems with this. For those from different directions, we may just meet a little further down the road.

The Maineiac suggested having me tag along on a future driving trip across Africa. She figures I’d come in handy when the Land Rover breaks down. I’m going to try and hold her to it. I think driving through a war-torn country or two could be interesting.

131 days to go.

The Maineiac also left me with one last piece of advice before she got on the airporter.

She told me to appreciate this place.

It has been tough doing that lately. I’ve become a little jaded as to how things work (or more often how they don’t) down here. I’ve been working a lot of extra hours, working a side job, and volunteering for other activities. I’ve started to forget why I really came down here, and hopefully this jars it back into perspective for me. I see some of the most incredible things in the world, but it gets hard to see that when you’re staring at a computer screen looking at a list of broken trucks.

This is a beautiful place. Stunning, in fact, provided you actually take a moment to look at it.

We’re still in the season of the perpetual sunrise/sunset. The sun sits low enough in the sky that as it circles around town you can see the sky burn with brilliant color. On a clear day, it’s enough for people to stop what they’re doing for a minute and just stare. It’s still amazing.

There’s a popular saying down here: “The first season you come for the experience, the second you come for the money, and after that you come back just because you don’t fit in anywhere else anymore.”

For the most part, this saying is fairly true. Now I’m remembering it’s not all about the money this time. It’s still about the experience and the people.