The view from the top of the hill

Work Hard, play hard, and use a Craftsman Drill.

Adminisk8or

05/22/2024

Nine times out of ten I like the privilege of being able to say I work hard all the time and hardly ever have time to goof off and play around. This week I get to claim both!

The hard working part of things, aside from the usual grind, comes from me installing a bathroom fan. Previously, I installed the unit itself and got it wired up and mounted. Thursday was the day I got the ventilation run. BOY was that an effort or ten. It's one thing to drill a normal hole through wood. It's another to drill like two dozen through brick, destroy a drill (yes drill, not bits... though I did destroy about four of those, too) and chisel it all out. All said and done, it took me practically all day to do, and the biggest mistake I made was trusting a Harbor Freight impact drill that was smoking and stinking before it finally gave up the ghost. Once I got myself a Craftsman brand impact drill, well, as the old saying goes, "It was never the same again.". Holy smokes was that a night and day difference. And that project ran me up until about 11 PM, at which I had to shovel dinner in me fast and then pack for...

A Pacific-northwest roadtrip! As it's near our anniversary and the wife hasn't been up in this area, we decided to explore, mainly around Oregon, and have a week to ourselves to be free. And thus far? It's been great! The 12-hour drive out here was, as our old friends The Beatles put it, "A long and winding road"... except maybe not so winding, for the most part... just long. But we made it, and we have had nice adventures in the meantime. We've hiked hills, had Tillamook, been to the top of Astoria, crossed big bridges, flown kites, watched sea lions play joyfully, and of course, dipped our toes in the ocean. Between the two of us, typically the Mrs. is the one who is usually a lot more sensitive to temperature, and I'll often get the non-verbal indication that things are too cold as she dawns a blanket. And yet, as we approached the western shore waves, it was I, not her, who was squealing like a little girl over how cold the water was, while she calmly looked on at me in wonderment, saying, "Really? Dude, it's not that cold!"

I think my favorite thing we've done was a hike this morning. We went on a semi-impromptu hike up a nearby hill in town, and I know that my description of this comes from someone who lives in a mountainous desert region, and has had little interaction with such lush, green places as this in the last ten years; but walking up through that forest made me feel like I was transported into another dimension where it felt as if nothing had ever touched this forest. I know it was surely not so, but it was a quiet and magical place. The trees towered very high above, and wherever they were bare, moss was not only growing, but teaming vividly, so that the lower dead branches of the trees all head carpets draping from them. The upper branches of the trees were all so thick and reaching for the sun, that the rest of the forest felt like you were closed into a giant room of wooded walls, and although you could see sunlight and knew it was out there, it was a very shaded walk for most of the way. The sheer number of ferns and how prominently they grew made it feel like you were more likely to see a pterodactyl than a fawn.

And once we did emerge at the top, the view was just perfect. I've been atop high mountains that overlook miles and miles of land on all sides, and those views are amazing. But this view was different- it overlooked some few miles of inland rivers and and lakes, and the small town down below, and the glistening ocean waves to the west- and I know this will probably sound a little silly, but it reminded me of a page out of an I Spy book (specifically I Spy Treasure Hunt, the page where you're overlooking everything from the battlements). I know most people probably scratch their head at that saying, "okay...", but seriously, if you haven't looked at an I Spy book in a long time, go back and look at some of those pages, and really get to appreciate the art that was hidden in plain sight. Walter Wick spent weeks, sometimes creating some of these sets and scenes, and with his artistry in combination with his imagination, in my opinion, you only need to look at the pages to see the fantastic result. To me, the man seemed to have an eye for places that felt homely and tranquil. Even in Spooky Night, however unsettling the rooms and places are meant to make you feel, it still somehow feels cozy and inviting, oft times.

I dunno, maybe it's just me reading too deep into what I perceive, but I really think Walter Wick had a good eye for creating tranquil and homely scenes. Speaking of, I hope those reading, whether you are working like a hound dog or if you have finally gotten that vacation you've been working towards, I hope you have paintings, photos or other outlets where you can escape to feel like you are home or at peace for a moment. You deserve it. Until next time, see ya!