"Getting Away From It All" in the Great White North

Memorial Day Weekend 2005

As many Americans do, my Memorial Day Weekend celebration this year consisted of a personal time of reflection and gratitude for those who paid the ultimate price for the freedom that I enjoy. Then, I enjoyed that freedom by "getting away from it all"!

This year I joined some friends at St. Croix State Park, which is about 1.5 hours North of the Twin Cities for a few days of "primitive camping".

Some of you that know me are either laughing uncontrollably or you're wondering if I have a twin that enjoys camping 'cause ya know I don't...' Well, as they say, "sometimes you can teach an old dog a new trick".

My camp mates were Matt Henry, Adam Walker, and Tim Watkins from my church. As usual, we represented a very "diverse group" in life experiences, age, religious and political beliefs, and camping skill levels. Guess who the newbie was? Amazingly, our backgrounds led to some great conversations as we hiked, fished, cooked, ate like hogs, and struggled to make our REI camping equipment work the way it was supposed to. Maggie also got to use her outdoor survival training and superior sense of smell to get into everything imaginable. It must be a gift...

These are some of the learnings from the weekend for me:

• Ticks are vicious and have a death wish for YOUR blood supply. You can only win a war when you recognize that you are in one. This is a war!
• Mosquito's are here early this year. The rumors are true!
• Everything taste better swimming in grease on the grill.
• Matt will have a horse within a year. You can see the chemistry already. Do people have showers to get horse stuff?
• You can play Texas Hold'em with sunflower seeds as chips. We proved it.
• A Frisbee works as a cutting board if the need arises.
• If I ever need to see a urologist, Adam will be my doctor.
• Victor's Christmas List Item #1: A French Press coffee pot!
• I need to learn the 3 guitar jazz chords that Tim knows. It could be the key that unleashes my currently undiscovered musical talent!
• Maggie is just as much fun in the middle of a state park as she is in the middle of my living room.
• As with most things, there is the pleasure and the pain of eating the durian fruit.
• Sipping Jameson and smoking cigars on a star filled night in MN with friends is almost as much fun as laying on South Beach feeling the ocean breeze in your face -- Almost.

Most importantly, I realized the need to "get away from it all" more often. There's got to be a balance between enjoying life and having a satisfying career. This weekend I got closer to finding it. Thanks to all my friends that participated -- Mission Accomplished!