Man, You’ve Got To Have A Plan

During my career as a forester, I frequently had the opportunity to work with inmates from the Dept. of Correction’s labor camp. The inmates are organized into ten person crews who assist us during projects such as tree planting or forest fire suppression. Years ago, I met an inmate whose name escapes me, but he taught me a very valuable lesson. At the time, we were working on a fire and he came to me for direction as to how to proceed with an assigned task. As a fire is frequently a constantly changing situation, the plan you begin your day with, frequently is not the one you end with. When he asked for further direction, I mutter something to the effect that at this moment I was not certain what we would do next. As he pulled me aside, he uttered words to me that nearly 30 years later I still remember. He simply said, “Man, you got to have a plan; you won’t go anywhere with out one!” Words of wisdom to live by!

As I began to prepare for retirement some eighteen months ago, I developed what is affectionately know as “The Plan”. I offer my plan for your reading pleasure.

Within the first month of retirement
perform at least one volunteer activity
host a dinner party
read a book
take a fun day trip

Within first three months of retirement
take two classes – for fun and to exercise the mind
plan a vacation
start a passion activity
begin a photo project

Within the first six months
take a vacation
become established in at least one volunteer activity

I case you are wondering about the inmate’s plan for his life, I never asked. Even at such a young age I knew that some questions are better off left unasked.

Whose Woods These Are I think I Know

Many thanks to Robert Frost for the title line on this post; his words just seemed to fit the picture.

This is how the “woods” of the Plainville, Massachusetts' Conversation Area appeared in the cold morning hours of December, 2007. Thankfully, the town fathers had the foresight to preserve a large track of hardwood forest for the enjoyment of future generations.

Countless weekends were spent hiking and camping in these woods as a member of the local Boy Scout troop. Little did I realize at the time that these childhood adventures would lead me to my future career as a forester.

It Is Done!

As I reflect upon today, I recall the words of Winston Churchill who said, “Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning”.

Today I submitted my letter of resignation which is the last step of the retirement process. In just three weeks, I will join the ranks of foresters who previously work for the Oregon Department of Forestry. For me, it is clearly the end of the beginning of the second half of my life. In just a few weeks, I will begin the third half of life, which I have anticipated for so long!

There’s No Place Like Home For The Holidays!

It seems as if you can not have a holiday without traveling and this year was no exception. Tradition dictates that every other year we fly to the east coast to celebrate Christmas with my family. Anyone who has flown recently can relate when I say that the “friendly skies” are definitely a thing of the past!

Our flight from Portland to Salt Lake City was delayed by a half hour while the plane was deiced. Since planes do not fly well when their wings are covered with ice and snow, that time was well spent! Upon arriving in Salt Lake City, we discovered that our connecting flight was in another concourse so the cross country hike was on. By the time we arrived at the departure gate, the flight was on final call so we jump aboard just minutes before the door was slammed shut.

Once the plane was deiced, we taxied for position in the departure line only to be diverted to a temporary parking area because of a problem with the aircraft's in-flight computer. We sat quietly for forty-five minutes while the pilots and the maintenance guys worked their magic! Since your options are severely limited once the plane is airborne, I am always very thankful when they find and fix mechanical problems before you reach the end of the runway!

Upon arrival in Boston, we were greeted at the baggage carousel with the tangle of unclaimed luggage from the prior day’s cancelled flights. Needles to say, I was very surprised and thankful when our bags rounded the corner on the baggage carousel. In fact, it might be the one of the best Christmas gifts a weary traveler can receive!

The Tree of Life

If you ever get a chance to visit Florida, do not miss the Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World. The center piece of the park is the Tree of Life. If you zoom in on the tree’s trunk, you will see why it is so named.

In his book The Growing Tree, Brayton Wilson writes the following: “Most people have an intuitive sense of what a tree is. They visualize a tall, single-stemmed, woody plant with a branched crown and many leaves.” He continues on and states that all trees share the following attributes:

1. They specialize in becoming the tallest, and longest-living of all the plants

2. Their design is complex and dynamic

3. Their basic design is like a tower bearing many tiny solar collectors


When you visit Disney’s Tree of Life, you will discover it’s special attribute!

The Idaho Experience

During the summer of 1972, I was a member of a six person timber crew working on the Boise National Forest, near Lowman, Idaho. Oh what a summer is was! We lived in a tent camp that was more than seven miles from the nearest road. Needless to say, the night life was nearly nonexistent! The Forest Service would fly us by helicopter into the forest where we would spend the next ten days living out of the tent camp shown in the pictures.

Despite the lack of recreational activities, we never seemed to lack for things to do. We all shared in the daily maintenance tasks which were not limited to the following: cutting firewood and building the cooking fires, hauling drinking water from the creek, meal preparation, and the never ending dish washing.

Since we had no refrigeration, all fresh food was prepared and consumed within the first two days. For the remaining eight days, we ate lots of Spam, deviled ham spread, and anything else that came in a can. More than thirty years later, I still have no desire to eat Spam regardless of how it’s prepared!

Evenings were spent huddled around the camp fire waiting for nine PM because at the hour the temperature would drop and magically the ever present horse flies and mosquitoes would disappear. Just as soon as the insects disappeared, the field mice would begin their nightly raids on our supply tent. If the food stuffs were not in a can or a wooden box, the mice would feast until stuffed.

The summer camp out experience of 1972 is one I will never forget! Despite the fun and adventure, I also believe that it was the year that my love affair with camping ended abruptly. Now my idea of camping involves getting a good spot by the pool at the Holiday Inn.

Blown Off The Grid

In the late hours of Sunday, December 2nd, an intense Pacific storm battered the coasts of Oregon and Washington with wind gusts exceeding 100 MPH. The local airport in Astoria recorded a wind gust of 85 MPH before the station's data link was severed.

As we live on Astoria's north slope, we tend to be sheltered from the winter's strongest winds. Despite this, my weather station still registered a gust of 46 MPH. Throughout the night, the side of our house was pelted with shingles torn from our neighbor's roof. The winds also deposited numerous trash cans as well their content into our side yard.

The following pictures shows the neighboring duplex with a sixty foot tall red cedar crushing the roof.

Needless to say, it will be a long time before these units are once again livable!

The storm also trashed the power distribution system, especially on the south slope of the city; we were without power for four days. It certainly could have been much worse especially when you consider the damage to the southeastern states in 2005.