family – One for the Road

The Foreman 400 Rides Again

This month is already flying by and as I take my morning and evening walks between editing film I have noticed the coolness in the breeze and the smell of Fall in the air. The annual Halloween Party is just a few weeks away and more importantly it is camping season. My favorite time of the year. Now, to get you caught up the ATV had an issue and would not start. Mostly this could be because of me working in Dallas for a year and she was not run nearly at all. And this is a ’98 Honda Foreman 400. The same ATV my father bought brand new when I was a kid. I have so many awesome memories on this thing. I can recall a time back in the day when we were still in Alabama and we were riding this trail called “Powerline” the trail that follows the powerlines that ran for miles. Me and my little Suzuki 160 and my dad on his brand new Foreman 400. I can vividly remember this trail that started off pretty wide and slowly became narrow and more narrow until you reached a spot that your four wheeler could barely squeeze through. Once you were able to get through that though there was this big creek, nearly a river. It was beautiful, something out of a Bob Ross painting. We drove through this river and pushed through to the other side on the Foreman. At that moment I felt like we had crossed an ocean and me and my dad were explorers in an undiscovered forest. I was just a little kid then and the Foreman was a massive beast to me. Fast Forward twenty eight years later and I am upgrading it.

I had cranked it once since I had been back but the editing work was taking all day and I started getting in the hole of staying in my room working all day. I went out to move it and she wouldn’t crank and my heart sank. I could feel how bad she wanted to run in the woods and the fact that she couldn’t even crank made me feel so guilty. It was my fault. If I really cared I would have come out and cranked it everyday and I would have done a test drive every weekend and just keep her clean and beautiful but I hadn’t. My priorities had gone astray so to speak. The first shop I called gave me a long winded speech about how because the Foreman was from 1998 that they could not get any new parts. Then he dropped the fact that if I didn’t drop a deposit that they would not even look at it to tell me what is wrong with it. So that shop wouldn’t work, which was disappointing because I had used this place before, but alas never again. Then I found a place near me and immediately he told me to bring it down and guaranteed he could fix it. A few days later he did and then I pulled the trigger on updates and most importantly the winch I had gotten a year ago. We had used Adam’s and it made me want mine installed even more. That and a laundry list of issues that the previously mentioned shop never caught, or more likely never looked or even cared. This ATV is going to be like brand new. I am already planning the trip to Croom and I am praying that I get a call soon telling me to just come pick it up.

Some people may think that this is an overreaction to something trifle, or perhaps a huge waste of money, and though I did still pay less than I would have for a brand new four wheeler I can still understand why some people may feel this way. The fact is that you may not be wrong but you are also not entirely right. This petrol powered toy doesn’t really serve a huge purpose beyond just making me happy. I do use it to clean up my yard and during hurricanes it is a huge help, but these are tiny moments in my life. Realistically this ATVs main purpose is to bring me joy, make camping films, and bring happiness to my life. With that being said it is hard for me to say how important it truly is to me. Life is very short and often takes more than it gives so it is important to truly live happy and to be alive and present in life. I am blessed that a lot of gear and my ATV have a special story and that they were loved long before they were under my care, leaving them beautiful for me to enjoy. This writer thinks this could be the true secret to a long and healthy life and if not it is a sure good spot to start looking. Thank you so much for reading, God bless y’all and don’t forget to go outside.

Editing Days in a Dallas Apartment

It has been nearly a week I believe since I have gone outside except for the occasional taco. We are getting very close to the end of this project and therefore coming to a conclusion in the filming which means I have to now start seeking an “ending”. Something to really sum up the film of this huge adventure, this David vs. Goliath of long odds.

The arrival in Dallas came immediately after New Years. Driving the sixteen hundred plus miles from my hometown in South Florida to Dallas Texas was an awesome ride. Cruising past Pensacola, Through Mobile Bay, past Louisiana, and finally arriving in Dallas, Texas. After being taken in by the breathe taking skyline and being shown to the apartment that would be home for the next eight months I took in one immediate fact. That the roads in Dallas must have been drawn by someone who had taken too much Adderall. Winding through one way streets and immense hoards of the homeless wandering around downtown almost like something out of an old zombie movie. Though this place has begin to grow on me. The friends I have made here have been some of the most amazing people I have ever met.

It is hard to believe that we are already in May and going through that month faster than anyone could have expected. I have gone ahead and purchased tickets to go to Japan with Adam and Chris. The trip we have been talking about for a couple of years is actually on the way. This November eleventh this adventure will begin just as this current one comes to a close. As I sit here now working through all the footage I have filmed for the last 5 months it is dawning on me that I will have to say goodbye to Dallas soon as well and I believe that I had forgotten what it was like to love something or someplace and then let it go. For me, personally, that’s the hardest part, the letting go. I always wish I can bring all the awesome people I meet with me, but they have their own adventures to embark upon and thus we must enjoy our time on the trail together, we all have a different camping spot we are hiking to in life so be kind, love, care for, and enjoy the other people you find on the trail. God bless you my friends, until next time.

Getting Lost in the Dallas World Aquarium

It was a cold and rainy day in Dallas when I made my way twenty minutes from the apartment I am currently staying in to the Dallas World Aquarium. The parking was a bit difficult but once I navigated the craziness of Dallas’ streets and parked I was surprised that the line getting into this aquarium stretched around the building, literally. Snaking its way through the alley and then finally reaching the entrance I was really surprised by how nice this place was. Just the entry itself was already impressive giving the feeling that you are walking into a jungle. Around you bamboos are roped together making homes for toucans and other brightly coloured and beautiful tropical birds. Their native calls filling the halls as we all lined up eagerly to enter. I was already getting excited and I knew it was not just me because Leonor was also getting really eager to see what was there to discover here.

When we made it past the cashier where we paid to get in we immediately see by the stairs taking you to the first level were a family of baby penguins. Just hanging out, three of them looking at us through the glass as we admired their beauty. One of them darting through the water. Those National Geographic shows are not joking, let me tell you, these birds are as fast as sports cars when they are underwater. I started going up the large spiral staircase and all of a sudden I found myself in a South American jungle. Complete with waterfalls, tropical birds, and even a tiny deer which I am sure was not a deer but looked like a deer if you shot it with that laser from “Honey I Shrunk the Kids”, what a great movie. If you haven’t seen it you have to give it a try.

Making our way through the jungle passing the waterfall looking down several stories into the heart of this portion of the aquarium we could see a large pool at the bottom with two enormous crocodiles in one area. At the top monkeys played and laughed alongside birds resting and singing in the trees. Making our way through a fog past the waterfall we approach several tanks containing brightly coloured poison dart frogs. Colours unimaginably bright: gold, turquoise, bright blue, and more. Crawling around on their leaves inside their tanks, sometimes taking a moment to see because they are about the size of a half dollar, give or take. We then passed by something that holds a very special place in my nightmares. As a boy growing up in a small town in Venezuela when my father was working there as a contractor were the stories about the anacondas. Huge snakes that have been known to eat large prey like deer, cattle, and even people. When I was hiking with my family in Canaima (may have spelt that wrong) the main thing the guide made cautioned us to be aware of the anaconda as they wait under the water and snatch their victims squeezing them to death.

Now, here before me this enormous snake, that almost looks too huge to possibly be real. Truly a monster of the jungle, an apex predator, now resting in this tank in Dallas looking back at me. Wandering past the tank we made our way down to the next floor. We were now seeing colourful fish, sunfish, clown fish, and a “Dora” fish. Then we got to Shark Tunnel that held many different sharks including the most peculiar shark that seemed to have a large saw blade for a nose sticking out of his. What was most unnerving about this shark was the mouth and how oddly human it looked. It definitely made you more uncomfortable the longer you looked at it.

We eventually wandered into an area where a huge eagle with a very large Arrium with very tall tree it was going from branch to branch from. Open to the outside air the eagle seemed happy to feel the cool breeze and almost performed when it saw people out of excitement. Another animal that almost played with the people watching was the sea otter that was the size of a large dog. Such a beautiful animal and so playful just swam past anyone who would get close splashing around to get more attention. Truly the puppy dog of the water. We went past the eagle and saw another very large enclosure with a small cat. An ocelot pacing and waiting to get fed maybe. Honestly it really reminded me of my cat, Rocket, how he would pace back and forth while I got his food out and got it ready for him.

Finally getting to the final floors we got to the penguin outdoor exhibit. The penguin is definitely one of my favourite animals and the fact that we can get so close to them was really an awesome experience. There was maybe six of them or so huddled around another waterfall just relaxing. It was really awesome being able to see so many different animals and to see them sometimes with no barrier and really enjoy their beauty. There was so much more that we saw that day that it would be more like a book if I tried tell you it all. What I can tell you is that the Dallas World Aquarium is definitely a place that you should visit and if you love nature, the ocean, and all the amazing creatures that reside in it or near it, then this a place you will want to see. I highly recommend.