On the Edge: Ode to a Stray Dog

This is smoke being trapped under a cloud...it just looked pretty cool.

I have a little break here early in the day, so I figure I might as well work on the old blog for a little while this morning. I woke up this morning to discover it has become even colder here overnight. It is a beautiful day though...very chilly and bit breezy, but not hazy as it is so often here. My favorite of the camp's wild dogs seems to have gotten himself hurt in the night, so I spent a little while this morning looking at his injuries and ensuring that they weren't too bad. He is actually a beautiful and very sweet dog, so it is sad that he doesn't have a home, though perhaps this place is his home and we are all his foster family. He gets treated pretty well by the crew...he is fed and even gets petted occasionally.It has been a bit of a busy morning, as I have been making updates to our velocity field for the prospect, and meeting frequently with our client representative to discuss progress and expectations.

This is the camp dog...he is really sweet, and I try to look out for him...

I have been working through my list of New Year's Resolutions with you guys, so I guess I can continue on with that exercise today, but first a recap...1) Don't be blubbery and 2) Don't be a crap dad. Okay, with the summary of the list to date out of the way we are ready to jump right into #3: I resolve to pay down and hopefully pay off all of my outstanding debts this year excepting my student loans (which I will continue to be current on, but will focus next year on REALLY denting them). Why, you might ask? Seriously, if you asked why there might be some severe problems in your finances as well! Not to be overly critical of myself, but I haven't been doing as well as I should have on really pushing to clear out old debt, but it is time that I do! I want one day to remarry and not saddle my new spouse with my debts of the past...I want to buy a house...I want to be able to help my children pay for college...I want many things that can only be had from a place of financial security, and that place exists only through minimizing or even eliminating debt. As I have gotten older I have become increasingly uncomfortable with the idea of having outstanding debt...how can you be truly free when you are in hock to someone else? It just seems a weight on life...I don't need to keep up with the Joneses of the world. I think that one of the best things a family can do for its happiness and prosperity is to live within its means and minimize its footprint on the world. I believe that a life simply lived (obviously it is okay to enjoy the good things in life, just within the means) is best, so I have been working on trimming down my material possessions and looking for ways to just live less materialistically all around. So there you have my big number three resolution...get as close to debt free as possible!

I believe this is cover in case we are shelled...also makes solid shade.

What else do I have going on right now...ah, I am working on planning a vacation or two. Since becoming a field employee I am confronted with a very rare problem...what do you do with all of the time off?! I only work half of the year, which means that I have 26 weeks worth of vacation...that's 182 days to fill up. Sadly, because the rest of the world doesn't get 26 weeks off a year, I don't really get to spend all of that time off doing amazing things...no, most of it I get to spend living like a sucker in Houston, Texas...not my favorite place by even a long-shot. I love the people that I have there, of course, but I am just not a huge fan of the city, generally...not enough topography, not enough access to good outdoorsy things to do that I enjoy, and too many people with too many cars driving too much each day. Of course, I get the irony that I am an oil industry employee that hates people driving too much, but it just is the way that I feel. It isn't that I am against the use of or drilling for fossil fuels (that would certainly make me a man of low integrity as I make my living supporting just that endeavor) so much as I believe that there are some places that should be sacrosanct regardless of their expected or estimated reserves...I also feel that it is better to use our energy resources in a responsible way with an eye to extending them for as long as possible rather than always relying on new exploration and drilling to keep up with increasing demand...we need to conserve and explore together for a sustainable energy future. Sorry to have gotten so off topic...back to vacation planning. As far as I can figure, I will be able to work my schedule to enjoy two reasonable vacations this year...one perhaps of ten days and one for perhaps five or six days. I was thinking that I really want the longer one to be a relatively a truly epic backpacking trip; the sort of thing that gets ticked off of a life list...perhaps the Chilkoot Trail in Alaska, or the Wonderland Trail in Washington, or a section of the Pacific Crest (Erin through-hiked the Appalachian Trail, so that one will have to wait for me), or something similar. I have been dying to do the Milford Track in New Zealand, but I don't think this is the year for that trip. For the shorter vacation perhaps a climb up Mt Ranier or a visit to Anchorage, Alaska or a trip to the beach...I have wanted to climb Long's Peak, so maybe I should do it while I have the time to. I also am planning to do a really special trip with my kids this year (if you have some suggestions please comment), and also to make it to the annual July 4th Family Wine Weekend.

This is a picture of the view from the Wonderland Trail at Cowlitz Divide looking at Mt Rainier.

This is a historical image of the "Golden Staircase" on the Chilkoot Trail leading into the Klondike .

Well I suppose that is all that I have to report from Iraq today...while there was some violence and kidnappings of oil workers in Algeria yesterday we have been assured that all is well here outside of Basra, Iraq. If you worried please don't be...the situation over here is constantly and closely monitored and plans are in place to move us very quickly to safety in the event of any troubles.