Two of the nicest Kiwis you'll ever meet:

...and some Danish guy.

"And life and time ambles, saunters and dances on!"

i used to live in here:
now i live in here:
it's been a while since i wrote anything on this here web log. i think that's due to a few things. partly because i haven't been sure if i wanted to write anything more, partly because i didn't know what to write, and partly because i wanted to think about it all a bit before i wrote anything.

i'm currently in berkeley, california, where i have taken residence in the wonderful Staskawicz household. before arriving in berkeley, i spent a few nights in los angeles with a very nice and welcoming friend of a friend, Lauren, then a few nights in los olivos with Hayley and Rob.

los angeles the city wasn't exactly my cup of tea but in hindsight, i did have quite a bit of fun for just a two-night stay, catching a lakers game, meeting some old and new friends for some korean bbq, a lunch with Drew and some gossiping with Lauren and her roommates.
los olivos was up my alley. it was a welcome relief to wake up to birds chirping and brisk, fresh air outside. the small town of los olivos has some incredible scenery that Hayley and Rob were very kind to show to and explore with me. it was just what i needed after the long flight and los angeles.
i made quick friends with Calvin, the resident young feline. days were spent exploring and playing on campus, nights spent eating great food with great friends.
an organized hitch-hike later and i arrived in berkeley. thanks Lauren!

so here i am. what's next? good question.

my poss-move-to-city-list is somewhat large and contains a number of towns in amazing places that i have great friends in. i might move to one of them, get a job, etc, etc. i've also been entertaining the idea of working at a lodge or ranch in an extremely-fishing-accessible location. i reckon i'd meet some cool people and be outside a lot. and fish a lot.

when i was a senior in high school, our class advisers gave a speech to the whole class. one part of their speech took use of a few stones, gravel, sand and a jar. we all watched as our advisers put all the sand they had in the jar and then the gravel and then the bigger stones. the stones obviously didn't fit. they emptied the jar and began filling again, this time with the stones first, followed by the gravel and then the sand. the message was this: in the "jar" of life, there are so many things you can do, passions you will have. fill your jar with your big stones, your loves, your passions, first. i'm not sure if i completely agree with the jar analogy and finite intersts/passions/people, etc., but i've thought about this lately.

i love being outdoors, being in and on the water and seeing new places, with great friends. this is what i really enjoy doing. these are the big stones in my life right now. why would i put myself in a location where it is difficult to get at these big stones? in other words, why not put myself in a location where it's very easy to get at these big stones, very often? hence the fishing lodge ideas.

but. there are always two (if not more) sides to coins, aren't there? who says my "jar" is only so big? why can't i find some other big stones sooner or later that i want to get get ahold of as well? why not try something completely new and different? experience new things. move to a new city, make some new friends, do some new activities, unearth some new stones.

is it ignorant or debilitating to say that i don't enjoy some things or i don't want to do some things? i've never really been a fan of suburbia, but here i am, i'm still happy. sometimes i think i don't want to move to a city because it would take a two- or three-hour drive to get to a trout stream. is that all that bad? who knows what sorts of things i'd find in that city. things i've possibly never heard of, never seen. if i follow a single passion for so long, will i miss other opportunities, possibly other passions? maybe.

but that's probably the half-glass-empty look at it i suppose, eh? of course whenever you decide to do something, you're not doing something else. take a right and you're not going left. i guess the most important thing is to do. whatever it is, do it. experiences aren't good or bad, they're experiences.

and as life and time ambles, saunters and dances on, you can do whatever you want! you can do whatever you want! you can do whatever you want! you can do whatever you want!

hmmm. so. we'll see what happens!

" "

the plane leaves in a few hours. can't think of much to say right now, but i did make a playlist with some songs by some people who did have something to say about it all.
"I'm lost in the ozone again."
"Well these two dollar shoes,
Lord, they hurt my feet.
But that fifty cent liquor,
it could not be beat.
And I see no reason, reason to be sad."
"Keep your eyes on the road,
your hand upon the wheel."
"Well there's no stronger wind than the one that blows down a lonesome railroad line.
No prettier sight than looking back on a town you left behind.
There's nothing that's as real as the love that's in my mind."
"Home is where I want to be,
but I guess I'm already there."
"I'm a thousand miles from nowhere.
Time don't matter to me.
'Cause I'm a thousand miles from nowhere,
and there's no place I want to be."

"I came here lookin' for something,
I couldn't find anywhere else.
Hey, I'm not trying to be nobody,
I just want a chance to be myself.
I've spent a thousand miles of thumbin',
yes, I've worn blisters on my heels."
"Pity not the weary traveler,
he lives in his mind.
He is friend of wind and weather,
and from fire is born."
"I met some people,
I traveled around.
But home's always the best place to go."
"Though the miles lay long behind you,
you have still got miles to go.
How's love ever gonna find you?
If it ain't here, it's down the road."
"It's been about three weeks now,
since I laid in a bed.
No rest for my soul I need,
a little soul rest for my head."
"I'm livin' on a highway
and nobody stops for me.
So I keep on going,
my head down, my thoughts are kept to me."
"The road is fucking hard,
the road is fucking tough.
There's no question that,
it is rough, rough stuff.
It's the fucking road my friend,
but it's the only road I know."
"The semis roll through like stainless steel stallions,
Going hard, going fast, going wild.
Rollin' hard, rollin' fast, rollin' by."
"No matter which way the wind blows,
it's always cold when you're alone.
Ain't no candle in the window,
you got to find your own way home.
The rain ain't gonna hurt ya,
it's come to wash away your blues.
It's all up to you."
"I fell down in the desert baby, yea,
I had nothing but a piece of paper.
I had to write something down,
And I found myself alone.
Then I let go of everything,
Into another dimension."
"Empower me,
With righteous motivation.
Conditionally,
To respect and self-control.
Show me love,
And how to give to others.
Teach me by the things you do,
And the words you say."
"I don't know where I'm going.
Won't you follow me?"
"Grandma loved a sailer,
who sailed the frozen seas.
Grandpa was that wailer,
and he took me on his knee.
He said, 'Son I'm going crazy,
from living on the land.
Got to find my ship-mates,
and walk on foreign sands."
"I'm tired to the bone.
My back's against the wall.
I've been on my own,
so long I can't recall."
"I woke up in another strange place,
by a forty acre parking lot with every kind of sign.
I was talking to another strange face,
who was telling me he didn't have the time.
All I want is behind that mountain,
all I need is the other way.
All I am is a lost soul searching,
all I have is today."

"One lonely Beastie I be.
All by myself without nobody.
The sun is beating down on my baseball hat.
The air is getting hot, the beer is getting flat."
"The road goes on forever,
and the party never ends."

SHEEP RESCUE

while on the river the other day we came across a poor little sheep who had fallen into a hole into the ground. i saved him. then he almost ruined my day. see below.

i will also add that this is the second sheep Lucas and i have saved while on this trip!

Sheep Rescue from Jesse L. Robbins on Vimeo.

Tour de Silver Fox

The long awaited and much anticipated van video tour!

Tour de Silver Fox from Jesse L. Robbins on Vimeo.

ice sweat

greetings! just a quick whatup post. we're current in Fox Glacier. that's the town. we just went to the actual glacier though. as you might guess, the water coming from that glacier is rather cold. i put my hand in it, which, Lucas tells me, is the official way to "see" a glacier. he speaks from experience.

that fish up there is a blinding bright sea-run brown all of 7 pounds that Lucas took on a cicada pattern. his biggest kiwi fish to date. absolutely gorgeous.
we've been on the west coast for a while now and the scenery is wild. the rivers are like jungle waterways and it's amazing that they hold trout, but they do, and the trout are hungry for cicadas and blowflies.
we stayed in a hut that was dated 1905. it was a great spot. the bugs were bad. we've had several restless nights of stinging sandflies and buzzing mosquitos. what it is.
another absolutely gorgeous brown, this one taken on a parachute adams. first cast, thereof. just wait 'til you see the video of that. woowee!
hooked up!

here's a nice 5 pounder that took a blowfly that i carefully put in front of its nose.
while driving up the coast this afternoon we came to a beach and noticed a couple rock and stick structures that someone had built out of driftwood and beach rocks. we slowed then realized that a half mile stretch of road next to the beach was absolutely full of these little sculptures. i can't think of an adjective at the moment to describe it. i built three.
oh, and here's this giant moving piece of ice. i can't think of what it's called.
roll on!