Upcoming Sabbatical
I have a sabbatical coming up next year, so need to think about what will occur in the eight weeks my company gives me to relax, invigorate, and do something that will motivate me in the years to come.
It is an opportunity for at least one special trip and at least one project that I would not normally be able to do.
Looking back on my life I have had many vacations, all of which are far more memorable than day-to-day life. So wasting a sabbatical would be a crime.
On my previous sabbatical we went to see Hoover Dam, a bit of Las Vegas and a national park in Utah...and I completed the retaining wall around Delbert's Garden. I started but did not complete my viewing of all Alfred Hitchcock films. There was probably more, but these stick in my mind.
Not epic, but not trivial, either.
So what should we do this time? And when?
Because of the importance of this, as stated, I am willing to "break the bank" to make this happen without, of course, sacrificing financial security. We went to Amsterdam and figured how to pay for it (mainly by not doing big projects at home) and that was an important trip for us.
Other trips were planned well and executed well, others not planned and caused us months, if not years, of restricted budgets and activities.
So certainly a good plan is essential (of course planning in spontenaeity!).
I have accumulated a number of ideas for trips and destinations...and projects. So I am going to use this space to summarize them as potentials for the sabbatical.
Destinations:
* St. Helena Island in the Atlantic Ocean closest to Africa. A trip here, while not trivial is now within reach because commercial air travel there is available. Yes, you have to fly to South Africa, then to St. Helena, then back to South Africa.
* Catalina Island off California. More accessible than St. Helena. For my Willis Vail book.
* Missions in California. For my Willis Vail and Tibbitts books.
* San Francisco. For the Tibbitts book. Meet people, see Missions, etc.
* Wales, Ireland, Scotland.
* New York, NY; New Jersey; Upstate NY.
* Chicago. Essanay building. For book about the early film industry.
* Muskegon, Michigan Possibly combined with Chicago
* New Orleans and Mississippi port--for Willis Vail book.
* East Oregon: Balch Hotel in Dufur, Heppner, Enterprise, Baker, Owyhee Dam-- for hydro and others.
* North Africa/Gibraltar: Mililla, Ceuta, Parsley Island, Gibraltar.
* Atuona, South Pacific French
* Indian Ocean Isles Maldives, Cocos, Christmas Island
Projects:
* Restart the Mr. Smooth Show. Depends on cleaning my office, which is a pre-requisite.
* Basement cleaning. Need to establish some pre-requisites but plan on finalization here.
* Back room siding, back window removal, electical, window cleaning, replacement, walls, ceilings, floor. Pre-requisites--obtain supplies, training, demo, clean up.
* hook up, test and program a local tv broadcast
* renew FCC license, get up station again
* put up weather station
* drapes in living room
* mug shelves in kitchen
* new kitchen lighting, new kitchen floor
* new bathroom floor
* remove carpet in living room completely.
* new outlet in living room.
* fill shelves in living room with outlet access
* sensor system to computer
* computer network with sensor reports
* Win95 computer with Jornada sync
* tetherball
* permanent brick/brick garden and sanctuary
* flagpole
* shed
* complete all drainage projects
* complete all walkways
* fix Falcon and drive around
Fix:
* bedroom lamp (me)
* UFO desk lamp (me)
* Predicta TV (hire)
* green chair in living room (hire)
* green couch in living room (hire)
* cubby hole cabinet (me)
* oak table (me)
It is an opportunity for at least one special trip and at least one project that I would not normally be able to do.
Looking back on my life I have had many vacations, all of which are far more memorable than day-to-day life. So wasting a sabbatical would be a crime.
On my previous sabbatical we went to see Hoover Dam, a bit of Las Vegas and a national park in Utah...and I completed the retaining wall around Delbert's Garden. I started but did not complete my viewing of all Alfred Hitchcock films. There was probably more, but these stick in my mind.
Not epic, but not trivial, either.
So what should we do this time? And when?
Because of the importance of this, as stated, I am willing to "break the bank" to make this happen without, of course, sacrificing financial security. We went to Amsterdam and figured how to pay for it (mainly by not doing big projects at home) and that was an important trip for us.
Other trips were planned well and executed well, others not planned and caused us months, if not years, of restricted budgets and activities.
So certainly a good plan is essential (of course planning in spontenaeity!).
I have accumulated a number of ideas for trips and destinations...and projects. So I am going to use this space to summarize them as potentials for the sabbatical.
Destinations:
* St. Helena Island in the Atlantic Ocean closest to Africa. A trip here, while not trivial is now within reach because commercial air travel there is available. Yes, you have to fly to South Africa, then to St. Helena, then back to South Africa.
* Catalina Island off California. More accessible than St. Helena. For my Willis Vail book.
* Missions in California. For my Willis Vail and Tibbitts books.
* San Francisco. For the Tibbitts book. Meet people, see Missions, etc.
* Wales, Ireland, Scotland.
* New York, NY; New Jersey; Upstate NY.
* Chicago. Essanay building. For book about the early film industry.
* Muskegon, Michigan Possibly combined with Chicago
* New Orleans and Mississippi port--for Willis Vail book.
* East Oregon: Balch Hotel in Dufur, Heppner, Enterprise, Baker, Owyhee Dam-- for hydro and others.
* North Africa/Gibraltar: Mililla, Ceuta, Parsley Island, Gibraltar.
* Atuona, South Pacific French
* Indian Ocean Isles Maldives, Cocos, Christmas Island
Projects:
* Restart the Mr. Smooth Show. Depends on cleaning my office, which is a pre-requisite.
* Basement cleaning. Need to establish some pre-requisites but plan on finalization here.
* Back room siding, back window removal, electical, window cleaning, replacement, walls, ceilings, floor. Pre-requisites--obtain supplies, training, demo, clean up.
* hook up, test and program a local tv broadcast
* renew FCC license, get up station again
* put up weather station
* drapes in living room
* mug shelves in kitchen
* new kitchen lighting, new kitchen floor
* new bathroom floor
* remove carpet in living room completely.
* new outlet in living room.
* fill shelves in living room with outlet access
* sensor system to computer
* computer network with sensor reports
* Win95 computer with Jornada sync
* tetherball
* permanent brick/brick garden and sanctuary
* flagpole
* shed
* complete all drainage projects
* complete all walkways
* fix Falcon and drive around
Fix:
* bedroom lamp (me)
* UFO desk lamp (me)
* Predicta TV (hire)
* green chair in living room (hire)
* green couch in living room (hire)
* cubby hole cabinet (me)
* oak table (me)