We all know the old term “ getting up to speed”. I use it to give you the latest intel in this case. It’s been a rather strange summer in ways that I will leave silent for the moment but promise to explain in depth in a later post titled “The Exchange.” Today exchange meant money as I traded U.S. dollars for Canadian cash for our upcoming trip to Quebec on Wednesday. I stopped at a local bank rather than taking the time to do it at the duty free shop.Canadian money is interesting stuff! I love the way it looks and feels! The exchange rate was ok today but it’s been better recently. Maybe Monday morning isn’t the best time to exchange. My teller at the bank made the whole process simple and fun regardless. She shared family information and we soon realized just how small the world truly is sometimes especially here in St. Lawrence Co. Exchange took on a new meaning at that point! Try getting that from an ATM! Human interaction still means something to many of us!

It’s been a busy time recently for me but that’s nothing new for most of us really. I have continued my work in Lake Placid and have been involved in some side projects back home near Black Lake. My time at the Olympic Center project grows short and I anticipate leaving there in the next month or so. I doubt I will be a “Forgotten One” though! My friends there seem to like my Taz-mania! We have a lot of laughs! What a crew! It’s going to be tough leaving my friends and coworkers quite honestly. It’s been a “good run” as we say in construction.I think I should live in the now and say that it’s not over yet. There’s still time to make some memories!

Up at Rollins Pond and Fish Creek where the Airstream has been parked most of the summer my work camping weeks leave little time for adventure. There’s always a chance at a wonderful sunset and some campfire time though! The daylight grows less and it’s more noticeable now in the early morning. There’s a chill in the air and mist sometimes rises from the surface of the ponds. The hoodies of spring come out of the Airstream storage cabinets once again. No more the days of just wearing t-shirts. But summer temperatures prevail and it’s been rather hot some days. We are just past the halfway point of summer and there’s lots of beautiful weather still to come. But there are signs everywhere of the change to come. Dried weeds and grasses gone to seed. Soft maple trees starting to change color way ahead of the others. Velvet antlered bucks are sporting ever larger racks and are very noticeable now. There are two near Upper Saranac Lake that I see regularly recently. It’s weird seeing two of them feeding together alongside the highway. To recognize the change is to feel connected to nature in my opinion. Lately my connection to nature has been short circuited much too often by life itself. A seemingly never ending series of decisions that must be made and weighed carefully. There are things in these lives of ours that we will get but one chance to get right. Lucky for me my connection to nature is sinewy strong and resilient. I know that I will find my way back to the hard and durable surfaces of adventurous paths where my spirit energy will synch with the season. Nature rarely disappoints. Changing seasons are very relevant.Change is inevitable. So are life’s unforeseen and unpredictable circumstances. I see the comparison to them in the mountain ponds and lakes. A ripple can become a wave and a once calm surface no longer throws back a beautiful reflection. The waves are harmless if you are prepared for them but we can’t always see the storm approaching. A storm will often wash in prized pieces of driftwood and other treasures despite the damage it has wrought. Words can be compared to the grains of sand on storm beaten beaches. Piled in layers and created by forces more powerful then ourselves. A mystery of time long past and a promise of days to come.

The last day or so has been all about preparing for our next adventure. The date and booking for our fishing trip were set several weeks ago. Far different then the previous three which were booked eight months before we went.It was a spontaneous decision for me.Usually born of the need to get out and explore new turf. The trip was our friend’s idea initially. He said he really wanted to return to the bush and disconnect for a week. I pondered it for awhile as we sawed some logs one day this summer.While taking a water break we began throwing dates around and found a potential window of opportunity that worked for us. An opening would be difficult to find though we feared this late in the season. But his persistence paid off and a booking was found in a region of Quebec somewhat familiar to me. A new outfitter,a new lake, and many unknowns. But three old friends and Zane would be reunited for the first bush trip in six years.But one friend was unable to make the trip after deliberating the timeline. We will be a party of three just as we were in 2015. I have never wrote of the Canadian bush trips of years past very much. But I will in time. For they are the stuff of grand memories and short bursts of living unique experiences. I have found a greater connection to nature in those far off bush settings. A home away from home where I gained insight into a future I hoped to fulfill. It’s amazing to think that six years have passed since our last trip to Quebec. It’s still got that same old thrill! Heading into the unknown. There is a parallel to my present situation that feeling of heading into the unknown. Not all is always thrilling however. But I know in my heart that the small blessings will find me and bring greater insight into my life experience.It is the nature of manifestation. To seek out the positive is key. For in depths of negativity there lies only more of the same. There is truth in what is known as the Law of Attraction. It took me years to understand certain aspects however. My life lessons are far from over. Of that I have no doubt.

I suppose this short post answers a few questions and raises many more. So be it. It’s best to simplify and clarify the larger picture. In adventure there will be memories made and forever secured with a good friend and my adventurous son. We have embraced the possibilities. Raised the funds for our adventure through hours of hard work. Quickly planned and prepared for it. The time grows closer with every passing hour. And what will be written or captured in our many pictures? Who knows exactly?It always comes back to the same thing with me. The other side of the hill. I always want to see what waits there for me. For us. For we never know when we will get that next chance or if we can even reach the other side of the hill. I know that I will always try. For it was planted in me by some force so many years ago now. Why think that the best days of your life are behind you because of the passage of years? They may truly still be waiting for you to add to the ones you’ve already lived. And who knows just how far we will reach or what we will need to overcome to get there? But most importantly the dream of the Grand Wander seeps into my well of thoughts with its endless possibilities. It’s MOONTABS In Motion once again! A battery charging event that waits for us beyond the border crossing. Wait for the story! ✍️