Nothing is really happening on the cabin front. I wish I could say otherwise. Well… maybe not nothing. Another part arrived for the sawmill yesterday. With this and a few more adjustments to the wiring and alternator it should be fully functional. Just in time for the guy who knows how to run it to leave on a run to Seattle to pick up a trailer for his boss. I’m hoping I can arrange to have him pick up subflooring that has become scarce up here. It might be cheaper down there too.

So besides some maybe progress toward having progress on the cabin, I am in the middle of the first real week of my shuttle driver job. I’ve brought a dozen people up the hill and most of them back down. I’ve been working out what routines make sense to keep track of what I’m doing and who I’m picking up and where I’m taking them. And I’m getting better at the where and what when it comes to supplies that I need to pick up. So far I’ve tackled a couple of long lists. The only place that hasn’t worked quite as expected is Costco, and that’s only because the payment card I was given is a MC which Costco does not accept. We’ve made it work so far.

Today was fun because I picked up eight people who I brought up earlier in the week. Riding back into town I didn’t have to carry the conversation. They were all chatting about their experiences and how it did or didn’t live up to their expectations. I only had to ask questions a couple of times to keep the conversation going.

Six of the eight were going back in to the same hotel. The remaining two wanted to see the Santa Claus House in North Pole. We had just enough time to get there, let them explore for ten minutes, and get back to the airport in time for their flight. They didn’t have time for shopping, but I think it made their trip! Already I can see that this kind of thing is going to be more fun than anything I ever did driving transit. I get to be a small part of people’s escape and I get to make it just a little bit better. I think a few months of this will go a long way towards healing my sanity after Trimet.

My only concern is what it will be like in the snow. My drive in to work will be easy. It’s mostly flat. I just have to allow extra time. My drive up to Basecamp involves an 1100 ft gain in elevation. Most of that is up and down and up again. And curves. I know they are so much better about keeping the roads clear up here. Often you’ll see bare pavement. But there are a few places that I can see being tricky when it’s slick. I’ve been told that once the temp drops to 15° or lower tires can grip. I just want to feel it. There’s a difference between knowing the idea that it’ll be okay and living the idea that it’ll be okay. But there’s no point in worrying too early so I try to let it go.

Winter is getting closer. The green is slipping quickly into gold. You can feel the weather shifting. We all know it won’t be long. I just hope everything is ready by the time it comes.