New Job=New Blog

Jobs are just work until you find something that doesn't feel like a chore.  I have worked in many places, worked with many different types of people, and just plain worked for work's sake.  I've stacked boxes in the trailer of a truck for a gigantic world shipping company,   programmed thousands of external hard-drives for the MAN,  tore off sheets of dirty bedrooms to put on new, white, 'clean' sheets for hotels, and washed so many dishes my cuticles are red and peeling constantly.

There has only been one job field have I consistently been attracted to:  food and beverage service.  I started working @ Elkins Resort as a dishwasher when I was 15.  This was the start of it all;  the camaraderie, drama, great food, alcohol, food fights, drugs, responsibility, social activities, and best of all: if you were good at it, you could get a job ANYWHERE.  I have held almost all job titles in a restaurant from North Idaho to Portland, OR, and I'm proud of it. 

However, there comes a time when one needs a little change.  I want to start making a living.  Actually SAVE some money, use my brains that my parents thankfully gave me, try a job that I trained for @ University for 7 years off and on(and graduated!),  and to try something different..at least for the summer.  I'll still bum the hell out of a ski hill in the winter time!

I  am currently sitting in a hotel room in between Mt. St. Helens and Mt. Rainier on Highway 12 in Washington.  I just finished my 4th day working just outside the Gifford Pinchot National Forest as a Foresty Technician.  It's great:  I wake up @ 7AM to make coffee and eat some cereal, pack some trail mix and an apple, and drive 10 miles to a tree stand.  I walk around in some pretty rugged terrain taking measurements of trees(I won't bore you with the details) for about 6 hours, and then head back to the hotel.  I think of it as I am literally getting paid to hike around in the wilderness. 

Adjusting to life on the road will be tough.  For the most part, I do most everything by myself.  I am here for another 2 weeks, and then I will be near Republic, WA until mid-October.  I already miss my lovely lady, my daughter, and my Sasha-poopy-dog.

So, with the new job, comes the new blog.  I entitled it Things I See In The Forest in that I will include musings and pictures of my experiences in the forest.  I figured it would keep me busy on the road, and give me a chance to share the experience with everyone else.  Here's a little guy I came upon today: