Icewind's Ramblings

It’s been a long time since I built my first deck when I was living in Atlanta so many years ago.  There have been others over the years but I haven’t worked on one for a long time now.  I guess it is like riding a bicycle; it just comes back to you.  Memory muscle must come into play as you start laying out the design; adjust things as wish list items get added and putting in a few upgrades to set it off.  As you can see my “Where’s the Flamingo International Tour, 2016” has taken a side track for the time being.  Placido Flamingo and I have enjoyed our time with friends here in Portland (Gresham) Oregon and have decided to stay a bit longer before continuing our journey.  Building this deck for my friends Jan and Nate have given me some time to think (about 120 man-hours), sort through some things and enjoy working with my hands once again.   It has been an extremely satisfying experience.   I enjoy working with wood and other products and like the attention to detail as

Being on the road, stopping to see friends along the way and lately putting in hard work building something with my own hands has given time once again for reflection, the seeking of my Zen place state of mind and looking at the last several years of my life and what the future may bring. One of my favorite books over the years has been   “Illusions – The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah”   by Richard Bach.    I have read and re-read it over 39 years now and it remains a sort of ‘Life Bible’ for me over the years.  Going back to different chapters in my life and re-thinking the different circumstances, actions, and outcomes to see where I can gain insight, clarity, and sometimes peace of mind. It is a simple book and an easy read with many “gems” on how one should live life and treat other people.    Bach is an aviator mainly writing flying stories over the years with life lessons his common theme.    One of his early well known books was ‘Jonathon Livingston Seagull’ w