Summer has always been a bit of the Doldrums for me. I fall into a pattern of avoiding the heat, and my body, conditioned to sleep when it's dark out, struggles to get more than 5 to 6 hours a night of sleep when around the summer solstice, the light lingers until around eleven and comes back before 5. My days blend together, punctuated by jumping into the stream that defines the small valley under the treehouses or standing under a nearby waterfall. Guests, who usually avoid the 8 months of rain and gray, come out in force. It's a much-needed break from the relative seclusion of my normal life but makes getting work done difficult. This summer, my brother Tim, not to be confused with the dog Tim, got married in August at the Cinder Cone. It was a beautiful celebration and went off without a hitch. Road trips are a lot less appealing to me in the summer, with most areas overrun with tourists and burn bans, making my beloved campfires impossible.
This summer, I laid low and spent a bunch of time in the studio, listening to audiobooks and tinkering. We filmed two short films in the studio for High Wizard. After taking a near two-year break from stop motion, it feels great to be making stuff again after burning myself out during Covid making commercials. I also prepared for hunting season. Over the next two months, I have an elk hunt planned in Southern Colorado, a blacktail deer hunt near my house, and a cow elk hunt in Wyoming. My goal is to get enough meat from these hunts to live off until next hunting season and have some surplus to give to friends and family. In preparation for these hunts, I spent a good portion of the summer tinkering in the shop, handloading ammo.
Without AC, the studio's concrete slab keeps the place cool, and I cycled through countless VHS's while messing with micrometers and cleaning brass. While I stood in my shop tinkering with a reloading press, I watched classics like Lawrence of Arabia and The Godfather and threw in the occasional 80s action movie with Arnold. I fantasized about a distant future where the temperatures required attire other than gym shorts.
Now, the days are shortening, my sleep is back to normal, and today it's supposed to rain. Tomorrow, I'm getting three cords of firewood delivered. Soon enough, the first frost will be here, and I will be out elk hunting. Next week I leave on my first road trip of the fall, and this last week I'll cherish temperatures in the 70s, like the last few mouthfuls of a milkshake.
they certainly keep me treading water each summer
Great post - it's nice to see mention of the summer doldrums . . . I thought I was the only one.