2015 IN THE REAR VIEW MIRROR

POST # 196

It's the final blog post of the year.  In a few short days, 2015 will be history.
   
This year, the Thoughtful Wanderer began his journey in the land down-under, Australia.  I was there for just over four months of 2015, roaming around four states, Victoria, South Australia, New South Wales and Queensland, and my time was spent visiting with friends as well as house and pet sitting.  I had the pleasure of caring for eight different critters, which included four dogs, Pippen, Ali, Bam Bam and Baxter, and four cats, Chloe, Ruff, Tumble, and Tilly.  I would be very hard pressed to chose a favourite amongst this group.  Each and every one of them had lovable characteristics, and I would be happy to care for any or all of them in the future.   However, I think that the odds of that happening are fairly slim, as I don't expect to make another trip to Australia.  But one never knows for sure.

Arriving back in North America in May, I spent time in Oregon at my friend Mary's place, followed by the first of two visits back to Orcas Island to take care of three of my favourite furballs, Oscar, Felix and Ziggy, prior to returning back to Vancouver in June.

Once in Vancouver, I met up with my friend, Guy Mcpherson.  Guy was on a two week long speaking tour of the west coast, and I offered to go along as his personal assistant.  It was an amazing two weeks, and I felt extremely fortunate to be able to spend so much time with him.  Once the tour was over in late June, I decided that I may as well continue on to the Mud Hut in New Mexico for my fifth visit.  I remained there until early July, and then headed back once again to Orcas for my fifth visit there as well.

I was back again in Oregon in August, visiting with Mary, and while I was there we had a very short house/pet sit just south of Bend.  Mazey the dog, and Rascal the cat, kept us company.

September and October found me back again on Vancouver Island.  First stop, was a return visit to my furball friend, Chumlee in Nanoose Bay, followed by a new housesit just west of Duncan, where I had the pleasure of spending time with new furballs,  Ringo and Bella.

Part of the month of November was spent in Vancouver, taking care of Shadow the cat, in a new venue close to Granville Island.

Then, I decided to make another visit to the Mud Hut in late November until the middle of December.   Each time I have been there, I think that it will be my last visit, and so far I've been wrong five times.

And now, I am back again in Bend Oregon.  I think this will definitely be the last visit here.  My friend Mary is moving back to Washington State early in the new year, and I have come here to help her with the move.

I'll be  back in Canada in January, en route to my old home in Dawson City to take care of four Border Collies and one cat.  I am looking forward to that.

How much longer this wandering can go on is anyone's guess.  I continue to be amazed that this whole set of living arrangements that we call industrial civilization hasn't crashed and burned by this late date, and if I were a betting man, I would probably predict that before 2016 is out, life as we know it will be profoundly different, and certainly not as comfortable as we have it now.  It will be an interesting year. (As an example of just how different things might be, I read today that this week, the North Pole could be much, much warmer than normal.)
 "By Wednesday, the North Pole is expected to see temperatures in the range of 1-2 degrees Celsius or 41-42 degrees C above average (73-75 degrees Fahrenheit above the normal daily temperature of -40 F for a typical Winter day). Such an extreme departure would be like seeing a 120 degree (Fahrenheit) December day in my hometown of Gaithersburg, MD. Needless to say, a 1-2 C reading at the North Pole during late December is about as odd as witnessing Hell freezing over. But, in this case, the latest wave of warmth issuing from a human-driven shift toward climatological hell appears to be on schedule to arrive at the North Pole in just a few more days." - Robert Scribbler
Like I said, it's going to be an interesting year, in more ways than one.

 Finally, I still have the means to wander around.   So I guess I'll just keep doing what I'm doing until I can't.

Happy Trails,

Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer

PACKING UP IN BEND

POST # 195

The plan for today's blog, was to add a few photos from my recent journey to New Mexico, but instead I will keep this short, as I am helping my friend Mary pack up her place here in Bend, Oregon, in preparation for her move to Bellingham, Washington.

I doubt if you could find very many people who actually like to move, but it always feels good to help out a friend.

       BOXES, BOXES, BOXES.







AND MORE BOXES!!!!!!!

PLUS...

GREAT MOVING WEATHER AS WELL.

 Winter Solstice begins tonight at 8:49pm local time.

Happy trails,
Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer

MUD HUT TO BEND OREGON

POST # 194

December 11th was my departure day from the Mud Hut in New Mexico, after an extended visit with my friends, Guy and Sheila, and Mike and Karen.

I had intended to fill this blog with a variety of photos and videos from New Mexico, however I am having difficulty downloading them via this computer.  So I will wait until next week and give it another go.

Since leaving the Mud Hut, I flew from Tucson, Arizona, to Los Angeles, and due to a crew mix up, I was late departing there for my flight to Portland.  This made me miss my connection to my destination of Redmond Oregon.  I spent the night at a hotel (courtesy of Alaska Airlines), and continued on my journey the next day.

I am in Bend, Oregon to help my friend Mary move back to Bellingham Washington.

More news next week.

Happy trails,
Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer

FINAL(??) POST FROM THE MUD HUT

POST # 193

The standing joke around here is that this is definitely my next-to- last visit to the Mud Hut. The reason that it is a joke is because I've said the same thing ever since my first visit back in February 2013. To date, this is my sixth visit.  So I guess only time will tell whether or not I get to seven.

By the time I leave, later this week, I will have been here for the better part of three weeks.  My hosts, Guy and Sheila have been absolutely wonderful, and generous with their time. And time, as we should all be aware, is our most precious asset.   I am extremely grateful to have had the chance to spend so much time with them, and even more grateful to count them as friends.

In addition to Guy and Sheila, I've also spent time with other friends, Mike and Karen and their wonderful little furball, Pouncer Bouncer, who had a sleep over here last night.

Of course I'll be sad to say goodbye later this week, but such is the life of the Thoughtful Wanderer.  However, I am reminded of a phrase I came across many years ago which goes like this:
" Don't be dismayed at goodbyes. A farewell is necessary before you can meet again, and meeting again after moments or lifetimes is certain for those who are friends."

If that last sentence is true, then I guess I should start to plan for my seventh, (and next-to-last?) trip to the Mud Hut.

                                  THE PROFESSOR AT WORK

                                        POUNCER BOUNCER

               MIKE, KAREN and POUNCER BOUNCER

                                   SUNSET AT THE MUD HUT

WALKING UP THE ROAD WITH GUY AND SHEILA ON DECEMBER 7TH, 2013


Happy Trails,
Paul
The Thoughtful Wanderer