I Really Do Know A Lot!

It’s really amazing how much I know. I know that there are times when I should keep my mouth shut. I know that other occasions exist when I should speak. I know that it’s never a good idea to assume anything. I often know when I’m about to make a big mistake. I know some things are better left until morning. And I generally know when I should make a left rather than a right. I know a lot. But even more amazing than how much I know is the fact that in spite of all of this grand knowledge, I find myself all too often tossing my intellect aside for some mysterious purpose that escapes me every single time.

A few months back our wine making group embarked on our second year of vinification.  We acquired several totes which were made up of pinot noir, pinot gris, and zinfandel grapes.  After hours of sorting and stemming and crushing and pressing, we had gallon upon gallon of wine.  Some went into large vats, some into food grade garbage can type containers, and some into five gallon glass carboys.  Due to the cold weather, we decided to move the carboys into a warmer environment, which consisted of a room about 300 feet away.  So here’s the deal. A glass carboy stands about 22 inches tall, and filled with wine weighs a good 60 pounds. Mix that with a 61 inch tall female who weighs slightly more than twice the carboy plus condensation plus a couple of glasses of wine plus a long day and the energy already expended to carry one carboy successfully to the new location – and what do you get?  The knowledge that the second carboy should have been carried by someone other than that female. I knew it the second I picked up those five gallons of pinot noir.  But I tossed away that knowledge like a used piece of tissue paper. And instead I carried the carboy the entire 300 feet and then proceeded to drop it onto a concrete floor at the end of my journey where it shattered into hundreds of pieces and wine flowed like water gushing from a broken dam.  All of that knowledge, but none of it put to good use.

I can’t even count the number of times that I have ‘known’ better, and proceeded to proclaim that knowledge after the fact.  It’s like knowing that if you run your finger down the sharp edge of a knife you are going to get cut. But something inside of you, some inexplicable inane power, causes you to discard that data and do it anyway.  Seconds later blood gushes from the opening in your skin and you shake your head and proclaim, “I just knew I was going to do that.”

Several years ago we took our family to Europe. The trip was amazing. Switzerland, Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Austria, and Germany all made our list of must sees. We rented a car in nearly every country and I became our designated driver. On the middle section of our trip we rented a cute little thing in Slovenia and drove to Croatia where we stayed for three days. On the second day we drove south to Pula to check out the ancient Roman amphitheater. After finding our destination I parked the car, only as I pulled it into the slot I bumped the vehicle behind me. The cars were both fine, but the incident caused my husband and me to share a few choice words.  Angry, I locked the car, grabbed our backpack with our cameras, but did not put the keys in a secure location. And I knew better. We proceeded with our tour and when we finished the keys had disappeared. Thanks to the incredibly gracious people of Croatia and Slovenia a new set of keys were hand delivered to us nearly five hours later.  What in the world had gotten into me? To throw away my knowledge about walking around with a set of car keys in my hand made no sense whatsoever, but I did it anyway! Thank goodness my family loves me, and although they don’t easily forget, they do forgive!!

The whole thing is crazy. It blows my mind the number of things I could accomplish if only I actually used the knowledge I have. And I’m not the only one who is so full of all kinds of smart thoughts but for whatever reason opts not to use them. I’ve heard nearly all of my friends and family members proclaim their infinite wisdom after the fact. We’ve all expressed the same phrases. “I knew better.” “I knew that was going to happen.” “I know I should never have done that.” “I had a feeling.” And so on.

I guess we all know a lot… it’s just that darn application part that gets in the way!

 

Just Say Yes

Sometimes you really should just say yes.  Break out of your comfort zone and stop all that nay-saying. Go on that weekend get-away with your friends and push yourself just a little further – you could actually have a good time and create some wonderful new memories. I am undoubtedly one of those people who enjoys the coziness of my own little world. I love my home and I can get overly wrapped up in my routines, especially as I get older.  The idea of doing something different, taking a break from the norm and allowing myself to step away from that world can feel daunting. I worry about all of those items on my to-do list that won’t get done if I leave home for a couple of days. And I become slightly uneasy at the thought of missing my daily schedule.  And my husband runs pretty much the same way.

Just this last Labor Day weekend my hubby and I made a last minute decision to take a camping trip.  Well, I made the decision and he somewhat reluctantly agreed. After all my better half had work to do, a routine to follow, and his plans didn’t include a lot of time away from home or much in the way of socializing! And this little excursion would most certainly require both.  A couple of our friends planned to go camping in the Steens Mountains and invited us to join them. We had both heard about the Steens but had never been.  The mountain is a 30-mile-long fault-block peak with incredible views and a spectacular landscape, but it would be a six plus hour drive from our house.  That’s a long way to go for a couple of nights; and for two people who have grown accustomed to a pretty darn scheduled life it had the makings of pushing us out there just a bit.

Before we had kids the two of us embarked on a great many adventures.  Any given weekend we might take off for the coast, head up to the mountains, backpack, canoe, camp, ski, whatever tripped our trigger. Nowadays we are clearly more rooted and considerably more boring. Our responsibilities seem larger and sometimes it can be difficult, even stressful, to consider aborting those everyday jobs, even if it is just for a few days.

Nevertheless we took the plunge. We abandoned our home and our chores and ventured forth.  And we had a wonderful time. Of course we enjoyed the company of our friends. We laughed and ate and drank (try a little Peppar Vodka next time your hanging with your buddies!) and told stories.  One of the guys even broke out his guitar and we sang songs around the campfire. On top of all that we found ourselves enrapt with the landscape of southern Oregon and the Steens.  The rock formations, the huge gorges created nearly a million years ago by glacial movement through basalt rock, the wildlife, and the history of the area were all fascinating.  We met and talked with people from all over, my husband rode his motorcycle up and down the mountain, and I had the opportunity to ride in and drive our friend’s vintage WWII Willy’s Jeep.

It’s easy to fall into a rut.  One day you’re young and adventurous and anxious to experience anything, but then the daily grind sets in and you become settled. The act of stepping outside of your comfort zone becomes more and more difficult and you find that you can talk yourself out of anything.  But gosh that really can get tedious. Life is full of experiences and opportunities.  Instead of talking yourself out of things you may want to try talking yourself into things.  Adventures and the chance to create new memories are always up for the taking.   The next time you’re given the choice to remain comfortable or push yourself, opt for the push.  Say yes.  Life is just short to just say no too often.

 

 

It’s Not a Vacation Unless You Add Some Adventure

The more I travel the more I’ve learned – a vacation just isn’t a vacation unless you mix it with a bit of adventure and a small amount of mishap. An excursion off of the road most travelled, a stop in a little known inn, a visit with a couple who doesn’t speak your language, a small misfortune here and there (I lost the only set of keys to a rental car one time – in Croatia!), even a sleepover on the floor in a European airport (yes we did that two years ago) – it’s all good and it all certainly makes the trip more memorable and in my experience, much more enjoyable.

A few weeks ago my husband and I had the opportunity to travel with nearly fifty ski patrollers to Europe for a ski trip.  We hooked up with several of the most excellent skiers in our group and spent an incredible several days creating one adventure after another. The mishaps that befell our small band of skiers, and the various excursions we embarked upon were not only memorable to us, but worth telling to you all.  And, just in case you’re one of those members – I have changed the names to protect the innocent (or maybe it’s the guilty?).

Taking a Break in Parsenn

The tone of the group was set on our first day in Davos, Switzerland. After our leader scored a great deal on tickets we all headed up the tram for a brief introduction to the area by the local ski patrol.  We lost our first member before we even hit the lift. “Nancy” went in to use the bathroom, missed the tram, and we didn’t see her again until dinner that evening. At the top of the lift our second mishap occurred. My husband, who took German in Junior High School, walked into and used the women’s restroom.  He discovered his mistake when a couple of women entered while he was standing at the toilet; stall wide open, taking care of business.  Later my husband and I made a sorry attempt to ride the T-Bar.  I’m 5’ 1” he’s 5’ 11” – the bar does not hit our backsides with any kind of equilibrium!  We made a T-Bar riding plan after that.  The final error from our little band of ne’er do-wells occurred on a visit to the Davos Avalanche Institute later that afternoon. It was during a presentation about snow crystals when a buddy of ours (we’ll call him Randy) dropped and broke their one and only model of that particular kind of crystal formation. Needless to say a good night’s sleep was in order for all of us.

Day number two rolled around. We all filled our bellies with morning goodies and jumped on the bus to head up to the ski area known as Parsenn. The group we ventured off with were, like us, not much for skiing the groomed runs.  Luckily in Europe – you’re responsible for yourself and you ski where you want. We spent the day seeking powder, untracked area, steep chutes, and anything out of the ordinary.  By lunchtime we’d lost “Nancy” again, and we’d lost “Randy” – who we quickly learned was easy to lose.

Choosing a Route

That afternoon our now slightly smaller group had one adventure after the other as we skied more or less without a map and found ourselves in some wonderful out of the way territory.  Sadly the last mishap of the day occurred when “Matt” lost his wedding ring in the snow bank behind a train station in a place called Wolfgang. I’m curious to know how that conversation turned out with his wife, who was back in the states tending to business as usual. We had no luck retrieving the ring, and in the end we all decided that come spring some poor young couple who can’t afford their own symbol of love will find it, making their life together a happily-ever-after.

The following days were full of more adventures and additional slip-ups. At one point “Randy” lost his pole down a serious vertical run where it lodged itself into a rather large area of rocks.  It was rescued, however, by our group photographer “Max”. On day four “Steve” dropped his glove out of the gondola. Thankfully, being the ever-prepared patroller I am (ha!), I had a non-latex medical glove in my backpack. He skied the next hour or so with his hand covered in blue, until he retrieved the lost glove from the drop site. And at the end of that day? Our wedding ring guy, “Matt”, took off from the top of a chair, hit a hole in the snow, and did one of the most spectacular tumbles of the trip. More than likely he partially dislocated his hip, but being the guy he is, “Matt” declined help from the ski patrol, painfully made his way down to the bar, worked his hip back and forth with a series of deep-knee bends and stretches, and managed to pop it back in.  I guarantee you – I would have taken the sled ride!

Spectacular Views

Those are just a few of our stories, or at least the tales I can share for now. Vacations should include adventure, and it is okay if they include a little difficulty now and then.  The miscellaneous escapades and occasional bouts of calamity truly do provide some great moments to remember, and some excellent laughs to share among your traveling companions when you get together weeks, months, or even years down the road.

To all of my Ski Flight pals – thanks for the friendships, and of course for the memories!!