Sometimes one
thing leads to another and you find yourself somewhere you never imagined you’d
be. Recently I’ve found myself in one of those places; back home, living at
mom’s house, waiting tables.
The last time I
was living a similar life was nearly 4 years ago after college. Since then I’ve been on a nonstop
adventure, from Mt. Hood to Boulder, Vail, Chamonix to Paris, California,
yachting in New England, Utah and beyond. This summer seemed it would be just
as the last several had been – back to Hood to ski all summer on my endless
winter crusade. From my last few blog entries, that plan obviously never came to
fruition. Onward to the high seas I went instead, working on a mega yacht,
serving the mega wealthy cruising Newport to Maine for the summer.
Again, one thing
leads to another… My time on Sailing Yacht Islandia was numbered, and
eventually it was time to close that chapter and move on to something new. Here
is where I am perched, in-between adventures, trying to enjoy and make the best
of any and all experiences in which I’m involved.
If anything, I
am leading a life that’s pulled way down to earth, like everyone else who only
skis during the northern hemisphere’s traditional winter months. Not skiing all
summer reminds me of how lucky I’ve been, how much I absolutely love skiing,
and that my hometown doesn’t really suck this time of year.
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| Psyched to shred some lake |
Lake George, New York is a summer destination where people flock, and I’m lucky enough to call
it home. The situation I’ve figured out so far couldn’t have worked out any
more perfectly, which somehow is the way it often goes in my life. Although
rarely do I know exactly where I’ll be or what I’ll be doing from season to
season, as my dad says, “you always seem to come up smelling roses.” I just laugh
that off to a positive attitude, luck, knowing cool people and finding or
creating opportunities, yet this time around it was the last thing I wanted to
hear from Dad. This time I felt that I’d lost control of my destiny and was
forced to backtrack to the refuge of mom’s house.
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| Paddling through Dunham Bay Marsh, an outlet of Lake George |
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| Paradise Bay, Lake George... its truly paradise in here |
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| Ride to Lake George with my mom |
As the days
started to tick away, I knew I needed to figure something out quickly to resuscitate
my bank account. As it turns out, a busy lakeside restaurant is situated
directly across the street from my mom’s new house on Glen Lake. Said busy
restaurant, The Docksider, needed help, so in I stepped to hit the ground
running.
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| The Docksider, my place of employment and where I put in to go paddle. |
After all the
travels and experiences I’ve encountered since the end of the 2013 ski season,
my car and most of my belongings are still sitting where I left them back in
Salt Lake. Given my lack of transportation, working at a restaurant across the
street is an ideal situation. Although waiting tables is something I (half
heartedly) told myself I’d never do again after earning a college degree, it’s
certainly a lucrative means to an end. The location of my mom’s house also
lends itself to the easiest access for paddle boarding. I’ve since gone out
virtually every day or evening and paddled around the 2 miles of Glen Lake.
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| Letting my bro take a spin on the board |
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| Sunrise paddle with my mom |
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| Sunrise session - mom caught the moment |
The silver
lining of my summer was difficult to see at first, but as the simple days pass,
I must remember how lucky and blessed I am to be able to fall back on my kind
and generous family. Not everyone is so lucky and I must make the best of the
time I have here. If nothing else, at least I get to hug my mom everyday. J
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| Frying up the bass we caught on Lake George |
