Skip to main content

Still Digging Along, Singing A Song?

HM! Do you have a friend that constantly has a saying on his or her lips? For example, I'll spout out keep digging daily. SPOILER ALERT: I'm researching how to trademark that saying.

A co-worker / friend ran up on me on Monday to share that his hockey team that started with a 0-9 record, kept fighting, kept digging and now... at the top of the standings! I was impressed! I easily hand over congratulations, but not easily impressed.

I reflected on the hella amount of times, when my back's against the wall, the chips are down, the vise of stress crushing my soul, and yet, I stared down adversity in the face only to rip away victory from the jaws of defeat.

I lost count - it's that many!

If you're someone I call friend, then invariably we have had an adventure (or misadventure) or two or three, that we have encountered a pivotal moment of choice - to continue or to stop. With a tattoo and a company name to my name of keep digging, it would be hypocritical of me to stop.

So we kept digging.

What's your favorite 'keep digging' moment, thus far, with me? When I stood in front of you, and you knew that behind my chocolate brown eyes was a steely resolve for completion, for winning, for finishing on a good note.

I'll start to lead the way! Please comment below, or share with me, that moment in any way, shape or form you see fit.

You can continue to read below... or continue to scroll through your FB News Feed.

The following happened recently.

Anacortes, WA - Mt. Eerie. Being a good leader means to know when to be a good follower. Cindy Buckingham, my good friend, had planned a photographic adventure using my birthday as the banner to fly our flag under. So I merely fell in line, followed instructions, and didn't create a fuss. Ya know, one of your three options - lead, follow, or get the eff outta the way!

We're all dialed in: vacation days approved, out-of-office replies set, packed, cocked, locked and ready to rock. She fired up her Ford Explorer. With the needles up, the pedal down, we were headed outta town.

Hours later we arrive to the entrance to the road that crawls up to the summit of Mt. Erie. The road is closed! Apparently, double-checking the road conditions, trail conditions, and recent trip reports on the Washington Trails Association was missed on her checklist.

I reacted the way I always do - laughed!

She reacted like Clark W. Griswold in the movie, National Lampoon's Vacation, upon discovering that his thousand plus mile journey of horror to Wally World only to find it CLOSED. (see below)

As many of you know, I absolutely love pouting, temper tantrums, and otherwise, non-productive uses of my time (see other blog entry about my opinion on time) I climb out of the vehicle, move the damn sign, and hike up the road about a quarter of a mile.

Thinking, "How bad could it be anyways?"

Turns out, HELLA BAD! We couldn't traverse it. Balls!

HM. The objective for the summit of Mt. Eerie was sunrise photos... um, we're burning daylight - literally. NEW PLAN! [This is the critical moment of choice] I unfold the map of Anacortes, while scanning for another high point or view point for eastward photos.

I have now commandeered the OPERATION: RISE AND SHINE. Zero hour is upon us, and we're nowhere in position. She continue to grumble in the pilot's seat, while I barked out navigation instructions to Cap Sante.

I'm anxiously scanning the easterly sky, and the Cascade Mountains, no Sol yet, but it's relentlessly marching on as the Earth keeps spinning. Once we arrive to the top, I quickly jump out and survey the area. Right away, my eyes land on a ginormous rock formation that had no visual barriers. (see below)


I strap on my camera bag, and haul ass to set up! Perfect. Exactly what I was seeking. And from this vantage point, I created a 90-photo, composite, panoramic, high-dynamic photograph that is one of my best pieces to date, and one I'm proud of.

All possible because I kept digging instead of quitting.

This has been your C Note.

'los; out

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Let's Dance

The other week, I was driving to my 2 nd job at Malarky’s Sports Grill. Wednesday to be exact. I noticed a man standing at a bus sign waiting for a bus. I recognized the man right away. It was Kenny, The Dancing Wild Man of Factoria. It’d been a minute since I’ve seen him on the streets of Issaquah, I was growing concerned that something awful happened to him. I was thankful to find him once again, and within the same area I “met” him the first time… hilarious story. I remember distinctively. It was my first summer I spent in Issaquah. The sun was out, so relatively warm. I was bombing around in the Sapphire Sled [an arctic blue, 2004 Acura RSX Type S] with the windows down, the tunes up. I was stopped at the traffic light on the corner of Front Street and NW Gilman Blvd; the busiest intersection. From out-the-cuts, I heard someone screaming! I pull off my shades immediately. I whip my head around trying to seek out the source of the noise. I turn down the radio as I desper

Manic Monday, Terrible Tuesday, Wonderful Wednesday, Throwback Thursday, and Finally Friday

What a roller coaster week I have had! To start off the week was a manic Monday. After work on Monday , I did a WinCo run with WCP. Always entertaining. Tuesday was terrible. Started off by being tardy for work, so I treated myself to Tully's before posting up. And... in my experience, when you start off a day like that, any attempt to speed up or make up that half-step, half-tick, never happens. For inexplicable reason, you are now out-of-step with the Universe, and like fucking hell you're gonna make it back up. Never. Fails. I was late to meetings, I was late to a gym class I'm regularly early for, and the list goes on. In fact, I decided on that day instead of seeking out my dream girl of a svelte body, superior intelligence, endless energy, and with a litany of characteristics to make any fairy godmother proud I made the wide-sweeping declaration that I wanted this instead. A 2-ton, yoga pants wearing, 45 year old, bitter, divorcee that is one more named cat f

Cinematic Carlos - Seattle International Film Festival 2014

Last night started the 2nd year of my annual tradition (?) of screening several movies during the Seattle International Film Festival. I've known about for years, even a short stint in managing travel during the 2001 SIFF (that's even a longer story!) However, I had zero to little interest in it. I had no good reason either way. Last year, my dear friend, Cindy, invited me to be her movie buddy for SIFF. I accepted because I had no honestly good reason to refuse. We ran around the city tracking down movies that we wanted to watch, others were forgettable but that's the point! Some of these films will hit the mainstream. Most do not. Through the movies, misadventures, and mischief, we had a blast. So, it goes without saying, she invited me to repeat the feat. It continues to teach me: Despite how 'busy' you are - slow down and cherish the time with friends, family, and loved ones That as you grow older - invites should bear more weight than when you were y