Time to Head South
After working the summer season in Alaska I enjoyed six weeks at home in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. The U.P. is fantastic in spring, summer, and fall, but winter here is no place for a tropical kind of guy. I prefer short pants instead of Carhartts, flip-flops instead of heavy boots, suntan oil instead of heating oil, and rather than trudging through freshly fallen snow - beach sand.
This will be my third consecutive winter in Southeast Asia. It is not particularly my favorite part of the world but one that I can afford by working just a few months a year. My line of work as a helicopter field mechanic enables me to pretty much pick and choose where and when I work - and for how long. I'm proud of the fact that I have averaged less than six months of work each year since graduating from high school in 1969. I've long-realized that I can always get my money back but will never get my time back. The aftermath of the Vietnam War launched the beginning of the civilian helicopter industry. This trip will take me back to where it all began ...
