Beware The Days After Christmas

So there I was...sitting in my car the day after Christmas in the middle of a snow storm in the middle of the Berkshires trying to figure out my next move.  The day had started with a hike around a reservoir with my longtime friend, John Chapin after he and his wife Jan were nice enough to put me up for the night in their home.  After much talk and enough exercise I headed to a previous place of employment to touch base with past coworkers since I was in the area.  At about 4pm I was off to the Berkshires, a two hour drive and one of my favorite small restaurants, Bob's Country Kitchen.  As I exited this establishment with a full belly and ready to relax I noticed the snowstorm was hitting its stride with winds whipping and visibility dropping.  I would stay the night at my brother's cottage on a lake close by with minimal heating but plenty of blankets and protection from the storm.  That is until I discovered that the key I had used for the last 20 years didn't work as someone had changed the lock.  Ever the adventurer, meaning I'm nuts, I set off into the storm headed for Rochester.  After several adrenalin rushes I arrived to 14" of snow and a snow plowed mound blocking the driveway at 4:30 in the morning.  Scared Kim half to death coming in the house since I was supposed to be in the Berkshires.  Two hours of sleep and I'm up clearing the driveway so Kim can get to work.
Several years ago, two days after Christmas, my buddy Garret calls in the evening asking if he could pick me up in a few hours to help him bring his new 43'  sailboat from New Hampshire to Connecticut.  Ever the adventurer, meaning I'm nuts, I agree and we drive through the night to arrive just before dawn to the boatyard.  We row out to his boat in the freezing water with a small dingy and slip our way into the ice covered boat.  Off we go using the small diesel engine into 10' rolling seas in the Atlantic Ocean.  There is nothing in the outside cockpit and helm station to protect us from the wind and sea water as it breaks over the bow of the boat.  We have rain gear covering layers of down clothing but the cold always wins.  When Garret would take the helm I would go down into the unheated cabin and hang my feet over the running diesel engine to thaw my toes.  It took three days to make it to Connecticut with one day lost because the fog was so thick coming through the Cape Cod Canal that we had to anchor and wait it out.  When I called my boss telling her I couldn't make it to work because I was caught in the fog she thought that was quite original and would work once.  Arriving home, a hot shower never felt so good.  
So after all these years, ever the adventurer, ever the nut.