If things were different...
This morning, I got up at my usual weekend time, 5:00am (weekday is 4:30am) and prepared to go spear fishing.
Once in the water I instantly am aware of all the fish which normally hide during the later parts of the day.
I recently bought this small spear gun. On the end of the spear is a small rope to prevent losing the spear once it is fired. Unwittingly I clipped the end of this line to my swim suit.
While out shooting at fish, my spear gets snagged in the coral. I try to pull it out but it doesn't give. I run out of air and go up to surface......
My lips barely reach above the water and I am able to breath.
Eventually I get the speak loose and unclipped the end of the line from my body. Whew...
Later I spot an octopus. I stab it with my spear. It gets loose, I stab it again, it grabs my spear, pretty pissed off with me. I am suppose to grab it with my hands and finish it off. However, I chicken out (I hate the risk of getting bitten), go back up for air and when I look again, it is gone.
My two little adventures. Man vs. Octopus.... the battle continues.
You always hear about some guy or girl going hiking, fishing, hunting, swimming, et cetera on their own and getting into some sort of trouble and dying on the news. Often when people hear this, we say, "boy, that person is dumb. He/she should of had someone with them."
Well, if you ever hear of me getting lost, killed, or in trouble of some sort because I did something on my own, know this: I did it knowing the risks. I come to the point in my life where its either be boring and sit around and not push your limits, wait for specific people to want to go out and join the activity with me (and usually they'd rather be drinking or do the same old things), or go out on my own. The first option is not good, since I feel my time is short on this earth and I don't know if a certain activity I can do today I will be able to do tomorrow. The second option stinks too because my life is on a different time table than theirs. Therefore, I do what I can by myself. I actually somewhat hope I go out with some sort of bang like falling off a cliff or drowning or something of the like. I don't care very much anymore.
My fantasy as a kid:
To have a small house with a good size lot- not large, perhaps an acre. The 2nd floor of the house will have a guest bedroom with a balcony and white sheets. It will be facing east so that it can see the sunrise and over look the backyard garden. The house will be painted off-white with green trimming. Ideally, it would be a Victoria, Georgan style house with columns. The front yard would have a grand Sugar Maple, or Red, White, or Pin Oak tree on the left hand side that would turn brilliant red in the fall. Instead of normal lawn grass, I will have a Oriental Grass throughout the front yard with mulch inbetween. This will conserve water since everything will be drip irrigated. The grasses will also turn brilliant fall color. Under the mulch, in-between each of the Oriental grasses will be flowering bulbs. In the late winter/ spring, when all the grasses are cut to the base, the bulbs will be all flowering with multiple colors. I will also hand plant pansy during this time since they can resist cold temperatures of the late winter. As you walk on the entrance to the front door, to the left and to your right you will see large clay pots in a disarray on a sloping hill. Spilling out of the clay pots will be ice plant and other ground cover which will resemble spilled water. Lilacs will be planted randomly throughout. Lastly, I will have one small section of annuals planted in mass for lots of color during the summer. In the back of the house I will have a sunhouse. Inside will be my orchids and other tropical plants and a small indoor pond. As you step out into the backyard you will be in a tunnel which is actually a terrace for flowering vines to grow on. As you walk through this plant tunnel you will see rose bushes in between each pole. Some of the vines will be grapes. There will also be a short path on your left which will lead to a small gazebo. As you sit at the table under the gazebo you will see below you on your right some water plants like catills and mint and lotus which leads to a small black-rocky waterfall that falls in a small, but deep pond filled with large koi that can be hand fed and big lilly flowers.Going back to the plant tunnel, as you reach the end you will meet a white stone fountain. Water will shoot up and land down a sereies of steps before reaching the round basin. The fountain will resemble the one you see on Friends at the beginning of the show. No fish will live in this pond because I want it to be clean all the time. On your right will be a large garden. Here I will grow all the vegetables I would need. I will also use it to invite school children over and teach them horticulture and they can grow their own plants and take home what they produce. At the back corner of the yard will be a shed. This is where I will keep my falcon or hawk which I will entertain myself by hunting rabbit and small game. On the left will be a large swing which came from my home growing up. It is of course on this left side that you will be able to feed the koi in the pond and look up and see the gazebo above you. There will be regular perennial rye grass inbetween all of this (except around the round white fountain which will have stamped patio, like the gazebo base). On the left back corner will be a particular treat for youngsters. A red brick wall, with mix of large black rocks inbetween will have a brown gate. This gate and wall will be mostly covered by a dark green leafed vine. You open the gate and go in and see it leads to a semi narrow passage way. It will continue to lead to the storage shed where I will my gardening tools. However, this is not the fun part. Unbeknowest to the walker, will be a small wooden door on the right mostly hidden by vegetation. When one finds this secret entrance, he/she would have to semi duck/crawl to go through. On the other side lays a peaceful opening with Aspen trees and a white wooden chair. I'll have one of those glass reflective balls on a stand in the middle of this enclosing and the grass will be low cut bent grass (like what you see on a golf green). Along the wall will be small fountains and shade plants. It will be the place where people can escape from the hassel of the day and find peace with God. Going back outside of the secret garden, I would like to put a small spanish garden along the side of the house (not sure which side yet). This garden will mostly be filled with roses and red brick. It may not fit the rest of the house so I may have to scratch that idea. Along the edge of the left side of the backyard, behind the swing set will be a variety of flowering plants. I would also like to add one or two trees somewhere but haven't figured out exactly what kind of trees and where. Perhaps an American Ash tree near the house nearby the pond with koi in it. It would be my desire to go big game hunting once a year and store enough meat in the freezer so I would never have to buy meat at the store for a year. I would also go fly fishing often and as I mentioned earlier, falconing. My job will be running a nearby tea/coffee/flower shop. It would specialize in tea since coffee houses are to common these days. The tea would be grown right there (garden in back). Orchids and other flowers can be purchased at will. This of course would not be my main job. In fact, the majority of the money will go to the workers and to charity. My main job would be doing something to help people. Maybe be a councelor, or a doctor. A job that wouldn't require me to be at my office much and allow me to work at home and do the things I want to do. In fact, I wouldn't mind not having any main job at all and just volunteer helping people with their problems and take care of my garden while my wife brought home the paycheck. Now my wife would have dark hair. She would be kind hearted, hard worker who didn't put up with my crazy ideas or silliness. I would surprise her everynow and then by making breakfast in bed- oh our bedroom would be white with white sheets and lots of pillows. I would also surprise her by lighting candles all along the plant tunnel that leads to the gazebo and we would have a candle light dinner under the moon. My life would always be busy. Making short drives here and there meeting people and doing outdoor activities. I would have a history of diverse work like fireman and research. I would be known throughout the medium size town as being a nice, gentle, simple man who always liked new ideas. My only addictions would be sunrises and sunsets, God and my wife. The living room of my house would be filled with North American southern indian rugs and designs like my parents. The floor will be carpetted with a off-white weaving pattern. Oh, I almost forgot my greenhouse in the backyard which will mainly be used in the winter to store my annuals and clay pots. I may have a seperate greenhouse for more orchids. My pets would be the falcon or hawk (not really a pet though), a bulldog- for inside, and a Irish setter- for hunting. I might get a malmanute (wolf dog) and a hedgehog too.
Once in the water I instantly am aware of all the fish which normally hide during the later parts of the day.
I recently bought this small spear gun. On the end of the spear is a small rope to prevent losing the spear once it is fired. Unwittingly I clipped the end of this line to my swim suit.
While out shooting at fish, my spear gets snagged in the coral. I try to pull it out but it doesn't give. I run out of air and go up to surface......
My lips barely reach above the water and I am able to breath.
Eventually I get the speak loose and unclipped the end of the line from my body. Whew...
Later I spot an octopus. I stab it with my spear. It gets loose, I stab it again, it grabs my spear, pretty pissed off with me. I am suppose to grab it with my hands and finish it off. However, I chicken out (I hate the risk of getting bitten), go back up for air and when I look again, it is gone.
My two little adventures. Man vs. Octopus.... the battle continues.
You always hear about some guy or girl going hiking, fishing, hunting, swimming, et cetera on their own and getting into some sort of trouble and dying on the news. Often when people hear this, we say, "boy, that person is dumb. He/she should of had someone with them."
Well, if you ever hear of me getting lost, killed, or in trouble of some sort because I did something on my own, know this: I did it knowing the risks. I come to the point in my life where its either be boring and sit around and not push your limits, wait for specific people to want to go out and join the activity with me (and usually they'd rather be drinking or do the same old things), or go out on my own. The first option is not good, since I feel my time is short on this earth and I don't know if a certain activity I can do today I will be able to do tomorrow. The second option stinks too because my life is on a different time table than theirs. Therefore, I do what I can by myself. I actually somewhat hope I go out with some sort of bang like falling off a cliff or drowning or something of the like. I don't care very much anymore.
My fantasy as a kid:
To have a small house with a good size lot- not large, perhaps an acre. The 2nd floor of the house will have a guest bedroom with a balcony and white sheets. It will be facing east so that it can see the sunrise and over look the backyard garden. The house will be painted off-white with green trimming. Ideally, it would be a Victoria, Georgan style house with columns. The front yard would have a grand Sugar Maple, or Red, White, or Pin Oak tree on the left hand side that would turn brilliant red in the fall. Instead of normal lawn grass, I will have a Oriental Grass throughout the front yard with mulch inbetween. This will conserve water since everything will be drip irrigated. The grasses will also turn brilliant fall color. Under the mulch, in-between each of the Oriental grasses will be flowering bulbs. In the late winter/ spring, when all the grasses are cut to the base, the bulbs will be all flowering with multiple colors. I will also hand plant pansy during this time since they can resist cold temperatures of the late winter. As you walk on the entrance to the front door, to the left and to your right you will see large clay pots in a disarray on a sloping hill. Spilling out of the clay pots will be ice plant and other ground cover which will resemble spilled water. Lilacs will be planted randomly throughout. Lastly, I will have one small section of annuals planted in mass for lots of color during the summer. In the back of the house I will have a sunhouse. Inside will be my orchids and other tropical plants and a small indoor pond. As you step out into the backyard you will be in a tunnel which is actually a terrace for flowering vines to grow on. As you walk through this plant tunnel you will see rose bushes in between each pole. Some of the vines will be grapes. There will also be a short path on your left which will lead to a small gazebo. As you sit at the table under the gazebo you will see below you on your right some water plants like catills and mint and lotus which leads to a small black-rocky waterfall that falls in a small, but deep pond filled with large koi that can be hand fed and big lilly flowers.Going back to the plant tunnel, as you reach the end you will meet a white stone fountain. Water will shoot up and land down a sereies of steps before reaching the round basin. The fountain will resemble the one you see on Friends at the beginning of the show. No fish will live in this pond because I want it to be clean all the time. On your right will be a large garden. Here I will grow all the vegetables I would need. I will also use it to invite school children over and teach them horticulture and they can grow their own plants and take home what they produce. At the back corner of the yard will be a shed. This is where I will keep my falcon or hawk which I will entertain myself by hunting rabbit and small game. On the left will be a large swing which came from my home growing up. It is of course on this left side that you will be able to feed the koi in the pond and look up and see the gazebo above you. There will be regular perennial rye grass inbetween all of this (except around the round white fountain which will have stamped patio, like the gazebo base). On the left back corner will be a particular treat for youngsters. A red brick wall, with mix of large black rocks inbetween will have a brown gate. This gate and wall will be mostly covered by a dark green leafed vine. You open the gate and go in and see it leads to a semi narrow passage way. It will continue to lead to the storage shed where I will my gardening tools. However, this is not the fun part. Unbeknowest to the walker, will be a small wooden door on the right mostly hidden by vegetation. When one finds this secret entrance, he/she would have to semi duck/crawl to go through. On the other side lays a peaceful opening with Aspen trees and a white wooden chair. I'll have one of those glass reflective balls on a stand in the middle of this enclosing and the grass will be low cut bent grass (like what you see on a golf green). Along the wall will be small fountains and shade plants. It will be the place where people can escape from the hassel of the day and find peace with God. Going back outside of the secret garden, I would like to put a small spanish garden along the side of the house (not sure which side yet). This garden will mostly be filled with roses and red brick. It may not fit the rest of the house so I may have to scratch that idea. Along the edge of the left side of the backyard, behind the swing set will be a variety of flowering plants. I would also like to add one or two trees somewhere but haven't figured out exactly what kind of trees and where. Perhaps an American Ash tree near the house nearby the pond with koi in it. It would be my desire to go big game hunting once a year and store enough meat in the freezer so I would never have to buy meat at the store for a year. I would also go fly fishing often and as I mentioned earlier, falconing. My job will be running a nearby tea/coffee/flower shop. It would specialize in tea since coffee houses are to common these days. The tea would be grown right there (garden in back). Orchids and other flowers can be purchased at will. This of course would not be my main job. In fact, the majority of the money will go to the workers and to charity. My main job would be doing something to help people. Maybe be a councelor, or a doctor. A job that wouldn't require me to be at my office much and allow me to work at home and do the things I want to do. In fact, I wouldn't mind not having any main job at all and just volunteer helping people with their problems and take care of my garden while my wife brought home the paycheck. Now my wife would have dark hair. She would be kind hearted, hard worker who didn't put up with my crazy ideas or silliness. I would surprise her everynow and then by making breakfast in bed- oh our bedroom would be white with white sheets and lots of pillows. I would also surprise her by lighting candles all along the plant tunnel that leads to the gazebo and we would have a candle light dinner under the moon. My life would always be busy. Making short drives here and there meeting people and doing outdoor activities. I would have a history of diverse work like fireman and research. I would be known throughout the medium size town as being a nice, gentle, simple man who always liked new ideas. My only addictions would be sunrises and sunsets, God and my wife. The living room of my house would be filled with North American southern indian rugs and designs like my parents. The floor will be carpetted with a off-white weaving pattern. Oh, I almost forgot my greenhouse in the backyard which will mainly be used in the winter to store my annuals and clay pots. I may have a seperate greenhouse for more orchids. My pets would be the falcon or hawk (not really a pet though), a bulldog- for inside, and a Irish setter- for hunting. I might get a malmanute (wolf dog) and a hedgehog too.