Friday, February 20, 2009

Happy Birthday!


Can a person wish himself a happy birthday? Too late! I just did.

It is turning out to be a great day even though I did not sleep so well last night. I am sure you are all thinking that it was a case of 'one more sleep and it is my birthday'.

Well, that was not what this one was about. The real reason is not hard to guess for those who follow this blog. Of course, it was caching related.

Last night we were quietly watching Peter Mansbridge doing his National thing, including his interview with Harper and the always fascinating At Issue Panel. I don't think very highly of the CBC, or any TV station for that matter, but Peter is a class by himself, imho.

During a break I do what one is supposed to do: amble over to the WR. On my way back to PM I take a quick peek at the computer screen and exclaim...well, you can guess what I exclaimed...yes, that's right: 'O shoot!' Five new caches showing.

'Put your boots on, dear.'

Nary a protest nor the question 'Why'. Just body rushing through air...

Two minutes later (well, sorry okay, but we had to read the cache pages, download to GPS and Palm; put boots on, clothes too, so don't call us slow pokes, please) we are on our way and trying out the Turbo feature on our Jeep...it worked well!

Three minutes later we park. Fifty seconds later we have the cache in hand. Two minutes later we are back in the car, on our way to the next one, less than a km away.

Arriving, we see something like the grown-up version of the burning bush...a pine tree with light moving around inside it. Of course, that light belongs to no other than our fellow crazy night FTF hunter (last week he did one at 2am) TESKELLY.

'That you, Kelly?'
'Of course!'. (tone indicates: 'stupid question'...)
'You found it?'
'Course!' (tone unchanged...)
'We found the other one.'
'Okay. This is my second one.'
'Okay. Good for you. We won't bother then.'
'You guys want to sign this one?'
'No, we need to keep a few available for a day we can't go too far afield. We're off. Good night'.

So off we are, much more sedately through the quiet winter night.

'There were two other caches...'
'Yes, but they were tree climbing caches. Not tonight, or maybe not ever...'
'Oh. You turned chicken?'
'No, of course not, but it is nearly midnight!'
'It is midnight every night some time... Okay, lets go home and have another look at them.'

At home sanity returns to the mind that was temporarily lacking same.

Instead I send a email to another cacher and invite him to join me tomorrow at first light. No response. He is probably on the road trying for FTF's.

I go to bed. Wake up at three, a normal occurence, nothing to do with caching either...

There is a response email. A message from a very frustrated cacher who had missed all the action the previous night, very unusual for him.
I email back saying that I will be available for calls anytime after six. Go back to bed, set the alarm. Wake up at 4:30. Not an uncommon...well, you knew that already. Check email. Nothing. Of course not!

Go back to bed. Actually sleep a bit. Wake up at 5:50. Neutralize the alarm so the other half of goinggone will not wake up.

Shower. Coffee. Dial number of Les. Let it ring once. If he is awake he will hear it but hopefully it will not wake up his family. No response. Of course not!

Ten minutes later try again. Bingo!

'Meet you in Clayburn Village at 7.'

We get to the area. We cannot locate the cache. It is white so there is a chance we might but we don't. So we pick the most likely tree and up goes Les...way up until he spots it. I guess that means I have to say 'Bingo' again now I have started this thread.

He comes down safely. Off to number two. We park in a sleepy street and head for the trail, ladder under arm...Nobody phoned the police as far as we know.

At the tree we spot the cache. Same procedure repeats itself.

I am back home a little after 8 where a very surprised and still sleepy caching partner greets me, totally surprised that she never noticed anything until she woke up a few minutes ago, but not in the least feeling guilty...
But I have to give this to her: she was more interested in my adventures for the first few minutes than in the fact that she was looking at a birthday person who had just spent the 'one more sleep and it's my birthday' night rather sleeplessly...

But then she made up for that momentary lapse in the priority thing-ah-muh-jiggy...

3 comments:

Eddie said...

Happy Birthday Peter! Glad to see you don't let a little thing like a birthday stand in the way of your priorities! :)

Anonymous said...

hmm...Happy Bcaching Day! and so that's what the Clayburn Village one looks like, ok. We'll load up the ladder in a few hours. Thanks for the heads up, shots!

TESKELLY said...

Hey thanks for the mention. It is always fun running into you guy's at the FTF hunts. My birthday is on Wednesday the 25th. Wonder if I can skip work and go caching. Not likely so I will have to wait till the night time releases so I can join you again at another FTF hunt.