SOMETHING NEW

in grateful response to two friends who noted that the white typeface on black background, while visually dramatic, is at times hard to read, i'm playing with different settings. hopefully my tiny but attentive audience will find this easier on the eyes. spread the word.

what a fine, almost-spring day! i went out for brunch and a long walk along the clark fork river with a friend -- sunny, temps in the 50s. there's still ice on the fringes of the river, but that didn't discourage half a dozen dedicated fly fishermen, nor an equal number of plain diehard kayakers playing at brennan's wave. brrr. i love kayaking, but not the cold water. which might explain why my most enjoyable kayaking trips have been in the southwest. ah, the san juan river ... in the words of my longtime whitewater, spelunking, hiking and someday flying buddy irene, a sweet little river.

which does nothing to detract from one of my life's dreams: to kayak the grand canyon. i would need to do some intensive retraining first, though. my eskimo roll, far from being bombproof, is so rusty as to be non-existent. but everyone needs a dream, right?

among my other dreams: to conduct a major symphony orchestra (rachmaninoff's second symphony, beethoven's seventh, a little mozart, a little debussy, a dash of bach). to spend several weeks on a space shuttle mission. to learn to fly private planes, helicopters, sailplanes, seaplanes, jets, anything with wings. to photograph certain creatures in the wild -- siberian or sumatran tigers, cheetahs, wolves, orcas, sharks, peregrine falcons, among others. to learn the art of tracking. to learn to operate a backhoe with proficiency. to become a published, widely read and well reviewed author. to fall madly, deeply, and thoroughly in love with the woman of my dreams. to spend several months each in: ireland, new zealand, kenya/tanganyika, spain, france, greece, the caribbean. to relearn the meaning of life, which we all once knew when we were small.

it isn't important that we realize all our dreams. it is vital that we think about them, decide what they are, and choose one or two to go after, no matter how long it takes. love may make the world go round, but so does hope.