Farthest north I've ever been

http://bit.ly/galbraithlake

Above the Arctic Circle.
Above the treeline.
We had temperatures of 70 degrees below zero Fahrenheit with wind chills of 110 degrees below zero in January 1987.
We slept in tents whenever the temperature dropped past 40 below.

Did you know that a hardened steel wrench will break if you drop it at 50 below?

This is Pump Station Four on the Alyeska (Alaska) Pipeline at Galbraith Lake.

happy hour haiku

drinking on friday
mojitos go down easy
then the morning comes

a haiku?

there's a place inside
that needs tenderness and love
it's a quiet place

sometimes easy to find
but sometimes it's miles away
all but forgotten

there are not many
but there are a few people
who have cradled it

held it, nurtured it
encouraged its awakening
shuddered with its pain

it's in all of us
when we look at one another
we see it or not

it's in how one looks
whether it is seen or not
perhaps it's a gift

truly, there's a choice
it's easy to close our eyes
sometimes even best

but we must take care
to make certain it's a choice
and not a habit

polish your mirror
share what you see with others
help them polish theirs

mates

in the year of her birth
my universe was split
until she could find me
i would never be whole

it's a dangerous energy
that can yield life or death
learning to let it flow
is our essence

sex, it's not just for breakfast anymore