sometimes life...

...can be so simply complicated.

At times I get philosophical. It's my nature. I apologize in advance to those whom I'm about to bore.

"The wife" and I love to try new things. We love to explore... reach out... experiment... test.

During our 29 years together (I'm counting our one year of dating too) we've learned that if we always do what we always did we'll always get what we've always got... which, in many ways isn't necessarily bad. But if you don't try something new you'll never know what might be better.

So we do... we try new things. Things that may lead to better experiences...
memories... life. Or things that may not.

Either way if we get the urge, if we have the desire, the energy, the want... feel the need. If we decide we're tempted to try... we will.

We will try in earnest! We have always done that... together... as husband and wife, as best friends, as lovers, as a team!

Up here in the Pacific Northwest we're blessed with a great, huge outdoor playground of sorts. Together we've experienced this playground in many, many ways. We raised our children to play, to test, to experiment... to try. To respect and protect... to use wisely... delicately. To cherish their environment... to have fun!

We've shared with them our belief that life... as short as it is should be fun... in a balanced sort of way.

And they realize and appreciate this. They do. With us, with their families, with others. They enjoy their lives as much as J and I enjoy ours.

So why am I sharing this with you? This family quest of sorts. Our own personal legacy of life... of family.

What purpose does it serve? Why does it need to serve any purpose?

Aren't we simply blessed with what we have and shouldn't we be thankful for what we get?

Isn't that a rule? A rule of life written in a book. Etched in granite... marble somewhere?

Do we need to push... to test... to experiment... to go beyond what we accept as fine... okay... comfortable in life. Why isn't a good life today not necessarily such a good life tomorrow?

What gives us the drive to press on? To explore... experiment... test? To try new things... to reach out? Why do we do this?

Perhaps it's because I bought a 'yak recently and have one helluva lotta mountain lakes, quiet bays and out of the way, slow moving rivers to get to in the next ten, maybe twenty years.

I know there's some fish out there waiting to bolster our spirits! I know J and I will be paddling our little 'yaks around these little pools for years to come!

I know I simply wanted to share with you... our friends... that we've bought a couple of kayaks and we're going to have a bit more fun... in many, many more ways.

Perhaps I went through all of this thought... this drivel simply to say...

"We're not done! Not nearly done! We're not through experimenting... playing! We're going to have fun and we're going to keep on keeping on! ...even if it kills us!"

Besides, we've bought these bloody things so now we have to use them.

...i guess sore fingers, aching bones, insane brother in laws tend to drive people to doing stuff like this... buying kayaks...

...they'll just make us a bit more remote... more difficult to find.

Ah yeah... our 'yaks, our dog, a remote mountain lake... a nice summer's day. What else can there be...

...I'd better not post my answer to that question on this blog.