Through an odd serious of events, I am actually off of work until Thursday morning. :-/ I feel like I should be excited. I actually am kind of wondering what in the world I’m going to do with all the time. If I can’t make some money working for Chief’s other business, then I guess I’ll head into the National Park and wander around for a few days. The stars here are unreal. Big Bend is actually one of the top-rated destinations for star-watching in the nation. (Not surprising considering the nearest sizeable metropolis is over 200 miles away). I have to say, I love it here. It’s an odd community, comprised mostly of people retired or hiding from the law. It seems like everybody either smokes like a stack, or drinks too much. The “small town politics” I’ve been warned of, to me, appear to be nothing more than people making something out of nothing. I miss family and friends, and I wish everyday I could be in Colorado Springs. However, despite all of that, I love it here. You’ve never seen such a uniquely beautiful place. The smell of the desert after a light rainfall, the sound of a dozen birds exchanging songs, the distant mountains contrasting with the nearby buttes in the early morning sunshine, and the smooth brush of the warm wind on your face. Ah yes. Mountains will always be my home, but I love it here. The sunrises and sunsets can’t be beat. Almost every evening is nicer than the previous. Today was the exception. It was so warm yesterday that I slept with my door open. About midnight though, I was awakened by the wind. It was slamming by screen door! The bad weather didn’t stop until just a couple hours ago. However, I enjoyed the day. I spend the day cooking , cleaning, reading, and listening to music. I also drove up to the park got my pass receipt incase I end up going in through another entrance. I have a federal lands pass, so it’s free to go into the park.
I think I’ll enjoy the park this year, until my pass expires in November, then I’ll buy an annual pass of the neighboring park, Big Bend Ranch State Park. They have some pretty cool mountain bike trails I’m dying to try out. Also, they allow fires, unlike the national park. Both parks boast an extensive four wheel drive road matrix. Some of them look pretty fun. But I’ve got the national park pass now, so I’ll enjoy it. The Chisos Mountain range is contained entirely in the national park (the only park that can boast enclosing an entire mtn range). The Chisos are mountains, by any definition. They are obviously different than the Rockies, but they are still mountains. I’ve done the main hike to the south rim, which is an impressive 500ish foot cliff, overlooking the vast Chihuahuin desert. The weather in the high country (7000 ft) is still a bit unpredictable, maybe a bit chilly. Also, the Chisos basin is currently flooded with tourists. So I’ll likely stay away from that area. The desert has plenty to offer, and I’ve plenty to learn about it. Later on, in the summer months, when it’s 120 degrees down in town, that’s when I’ll retreat to the cooler temperatures of the high country.
I’ve been here a little over a month now. I still love my new mandolin! It’s such a joy to play. I went up a few Sundays ago to “the porch” and jammed for a few hours with the locals. It was great fun had by all. I learned some new songs. “The Porch” is the local hang out spot of Terlingua. As I was walking up, one local described it to me as “the pit of Terlngua”. Haha. It was very enjoyable. The one thing that detracted from the experience was all the stinking cigarette smoke. Everybody was smoking! What’s worse, everybody was smoking cheapo cigerettes. That smoke just gives me a headache. It was a good time though, for sure! I haven’t been back up there for 3 weeks now. For one reason or another, I just haven’t made it back up there. Hopefully I’ll get back up there tomorrow. Its kind of funny because now whenever I meet someone new, chances are fairly good they say “Hey you’re the Andy who plays the mandolin! I’ve heard you’re really good!” I even had one gentleman request that I play on his album he’s releasing this summer! Heh, crazy. I enjoy playing the mandolin, but I still manage to get frustrated at what I can’t seem to get. I suppose that’s good though. Gives me a goal.
I suppose you are wondering how the EMS /Firefighter job is going, huh? Well, it’s going well. I’ve been to Wildland Firefighting school, as well as a Pediatric Advanced Life Support class. I went to the PALS class more for the CE credits that anything, as any ALS is still outside my scope of practice as an EMT-B. This summer, however, I’ll be getting by EMT-Intermediate. At that point I’ll be allowed to do all sorts of ALS stuff. It’s pretty cool down here. Because of our remote local, our medical directors give us a lot of leash on our protocols. I can do as a Basic that a Paramedic in the city wouldn’t get to do. On the flip side, we don’t see a high call volume. In fact I’d call it a low call volume. I had probably half a dozen medical calls, two trauma calls, and two fire calls since I’ve been here. Not a whole lot. But each time I go out, I learn more. So far, I have had zero textbook calls. The real world is considerably different than the classroom world. It’s not a bad job though, I have to admit. I mean I don’t actually even work, as you’d normally think of it. I go into the station for 3 hours a day and do chores. I’m on call 24 hours a day for 4 days straight. So while I may spend the day around town, doing my own thing, I’ll get a call at midnight, and be all business. It’s happened. In fact, so far no calls have come at a “convenient” time. First call came while I was in the shower. Subsequent calls have come during meals, during meal times, and during sleep hours. I’ve yet to have a call while I’m already in uniform at the station, completely ready.
I’d like to pause at this time and say that Beethoven’s music is amazing. Among the most relaxing music I’ve listened to today.
I ordered my camera gear a few days ago, to replace the stuff I had stolen in October. I preordered the t2i, along with some prime lenses. I’ve missed my camera immensely since I’ve been down here, however I think it’s been good, because I’ve not stopped looking for pictures. Not having a camera, I still am able to think about how I’d capture and compose different scenes. Now that my camera is on backorder, though, I can hardly wait. I love photography. I’m ok with making money from it, but I’ve found that I’d rather it just be a simple outlet. There are people out there who are far better at it than I, and I am totally fin with just learning from them, and developing my own approach without the pressure of customer satisfaction.
I need a motorcycle. Actually that is only on of the “I needs” on my “I wanna” list. I find that no matter where I am in life, my “I wanna” list grows no shorter. While I believe a little discontentedness is good, to spur improvement. I really need to learn to be content, like it says in Philippians. I have some means to see the country I live in, I need to exhaust those. But a motorcycle is the one thing I really really really want. With a motorcycle comes another degree of liberty. Kind of like when you got your license and started driving by yourself, except better.
I’m not sure who all reads this, but I hope you have a good day! I better make my way into bed now. Thanks for the prayers! I need ‘em.
-Andy
Good times.
