This was posted awhile ago by one Ryan Avery in the old guy section of Rokslide.
"Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in a pretty and well preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and loudly proclaiming "Wow! What a Ride!"
Randy
Huh. Guess me n Randy kinda have the same mindset. When the Dr asks if I remember hurting my neck and I answer. Yeah I was with my daughter on the side of a mountain. Showing her one of the most beautiful places I've ever seen and where her great grandparents homesteaded in 1952. A river stacked with 50 pound kings.
The ladder falling while I was building a meat pole. Standing on the very top with a chainsaw and the gosh darn ladder tips over. Imagine that.
Sliding down the side of a mountain so steep that you can't stop on a overloaded wheeler.
Heading out to a remote hunt with my beautiful wife and getting a late start in the rain. And flying around in a 185 trying to fly around squals because I have the wrong coordinates to a lake. Pilot lands n says he won't fly around looking for the correct little land anymore. Pick a spot. I give him a direction n yahoo find the lake. Get dropped off. It's starting to get dark. We have to get 2 miles north to the cabin across muskkeg n miniature willows. Get to the woods part, it's pitch black rain 45 degrees. I get hypothermic wife wakes me up we finally find cabin just before midnight.
The worst. After 40 some years of hanging out in Alaska bush sometimes you need to have a "you'll have that " moment. And when you're with your beautiful wife n something breaks. And having to look her in the eye n say, baby you're going to have to stay here while I go. Were miles from anywhere and she has foot issues n can't walk much. I'll be back. This is real ak bush, no phones nothing. And I have to make it happen. Probably near a half dozen times now and she still goes with me. Tough ak chick she is.
Crossing creeks. Swamping canoes. Going out on the ocean for 3-4 days at a time to make a meat run of salmon, halibut n such. Cruising around looking at glaciers n were the only ones around. Or running a little 14' river boat up remote little rivers n creeks salmon fishing amongst the bears, days at a time. And break downs. Got to be a forest fire fighter when I got here n spent the whole summer hanging out in the bush somewhere. Toured the state. Got to hang with biologists.
Hey, now we have a little log cabin in the middle of nowhere. To hang with family and friends.
I don't know Randy but he sounds OK. Maybe he'd like to come check it out sometime.
Somehow in life, It happened that our 2 kids n their families are our next door neighbors. We all hang out together.
We don't have much money. But my beautiful wife lets me by a beer or jug of whiskey. Or tractor, snogos, wheelers, boats n such. Just the basics. We're building our retirement home so that's a big project when you do it yourself.
We have moose in our yard daily now. But soon the cows will be heading out to find some privacy. We have a calf that won't leave our hay shed alone. Forced the doors apart last night and has charged a few times. Kinda ornery but hopefully it will move along. We just found a dead calf right next to our driveway. You'll have that.
Hey like my mom said. Don't have much money but am the richest person on earth.
I'm finally going to be able to get in n get my neck fused. Covid had things tied up so I told dr to prioritize need. And I still wanted to go moose hunting so surgery had to wait to. You'll have that. Well in a few weeks they will go in from the back n stabilize things. I already have a plate on the front of 3 of them. But somehow 5-6-7 still kinda broke apart.
Hey, I'll get to go out n look for moose antlers with our chessy. She is trained to find them. Nothing like watching a good dog hunt. Drive a 79 El Camino. 76 F-250 with a big engine.
Gotta get going, need to get some chocolate milk for our grandson. Just like I did for his mama n uncle. Every morning. Sooooo blessed.
I don't have a clue about how much money we have. Don't wear a watch or carry a phone. I just had a discussion with my beautiful wife asking her the year. Don't care, live for tomorrow. I can tell you when the sun rises n salmon will run again though.
Hey just me n how I get to live. Didn't just happen. A lifetime of wanting to just get out n explore the wild n everything in it. So maybe it depends on how you are just wired n were certainly all different. Just right, makes the world go round.
Most blessed man in the world