Good-Bye Guanaja

So I’m back in Pensacola, probably permanently. That was fun. Why's it over? For now, let’s just say that you can even get burned-out in a paradise like Guanaja. The man and woman I was working for are without a doubt two of the best people on the planet. It was an honor to work for them. But the time had come to leave.

That decision was not an easy one. I had made many friends, both local and gringo. Not only that, the people of Guanaja had come to rely on having the helicopter available for medical emergencies. So I feel a little badly leaving everyone in the lurch like that.

But it’s not like the helicopter won’t ever be available anymore. The Boss is down there pretty much half of the time. He’s also a helicopter pilot and will be available for medevac flights if/when they come up. So with any luck, my presence should hardly be missed.

So much stuff happened that never made it into the blog. I wrote as much as I could, but even if I’d written full-time I would not have been able to cover it all. And you know me: why use two words when two-thousand will do. My writing has never been known for its sparseness of words or economy.

Immediate plans are to take the summer off – go to the beach and just chill; a Seinfeldian “Summer of Bob” if you will. I like working on cars, and there’s a rusting 1985 VW Camper in the driveway just begging for some bodywork and an engine-swap. (Did you know that late-model VW engines bolt right up to the old-model transmissions? Can you say, “More power!”) Maybe I’ll buy a motorcycle...okay, another motorcycle. The two in cold storage are too old and rare to ride everyday. Plus, I miss my (fire-engine red) Harley Sportster, the best damn motorcycle I ever owned. Man, that thing was fun!

The trouble with the intended “Summer of Bob” is that the job offers have already started coming in, drat the luck. Aviation is weird like that. I may have to take one of them. Also, I would like to do some flight instructing. My friends have been bugging me to get my Flight Instructor Rating for some time. Now looks like a good time. So my vacation might not last long.

It was a wonderful, interesting experience, and I was glad to be part of what we were doing down there. Guanaja is a unique, special place. But you know what? It’s good to be home.