Back from vacation, back from break, and getting ready to head up to the office to deal with the backlog of work. I was able to extend my vacation for a few extra days (thanks to the generosity of our athletic directors!) and used the extra time to visit with my parents in Mexico; a great trip and a chance to charge the batteries with sunlight. Coming back to Portland feels like coming home in an environmental sense; the cool, wet air feels just right.
We are all products of our environments. The picture above is of a Mexican Blue Heron. The same species is hugely common on the Willamette; we regularly row past a huge rookery on Ross Island. The Oregon Herons are larger, fatter, bluer. The Mexican Herons are skinny, scruffy, nervous. There's much more competition for food in their environment and they're adapted to thrive.
We are at T-minus 14 days to the start of the spring season. Over the next two weeks I need to adapt myself and our circumstances so that we're ready to thrive in our training and practice environment from the beginning of the season through the end. Vacation is over; it's time to get back to work.
