Chasing wild gees for profit.

Actually there are none. I could go on and on about going on and on but it wouldn't make a difference. Time to move forwards and and bring everyone up to date.

If you must know it all started in the future 5 years ago when {insert a made up fantastic story involving aliens and old man Van Tassel builder of the Integratron who came forwards in time to...} and that's how we did it.

Okay enough fairy tales. No longer doing tours I'm spending the summer in the SF Bay area to learn the art of Wild Goose Chasing. Not only is it an art, you can get paid for it.

Few know that my constant companions for the past 40 years have been border collies. They have worked beside me from engineering and industry to the trail. I've talked about Jin previously in the O'blogatory and most people know them as the smartest dogs in the world.

Border collies need to work. they are perfect for use in the removal of Canada Geese and wildfowl chasing dogs are in huge demand in the northern U.S and Canada where they have a problem with migratory Canada Geese. The same problem now exists in the low desert golf courses where the population of permanent geese is growing and migratory geese are ruining golf courses,park and greensward.

Like the border collie I need work too. Making a deal with a local golf course I started training Jin to remove geese in a safe, humane and acceptable manner. Plainly put it seems to be the only really effective method of getting rid of geese.

Of course we aren't always in training and I need to keep fit but there's not a lot of rock in the island I live on. In fact the closets rocks are climbing walls in some of the nearby communities so I've started to visit them.

And that brings me back to the original bent of this blog. Keeping your ass out of trouble when playing in the desert. Yet it doesn't just apply to the desert it also applies to the mountains, plains and cities. For example those of you who are rock climbers know how stringent our procedures and checks are. Hips and clips, right and tight then yank and tank. Translated, make sure your partners harness is on correctly and the rope is properly tied in. Gear inspection is just as important. We look for wear and tear on cam teeth and galling on 'biner gates and locks. Then if in doubt, throw it out.

It seems that our city cousins are a bit more complacent in these things. There is a definite lack of interest in survival or even in staying basically safe. People who work and play on the various rock walls in the area seem to be a complacent. Gear that passes the inspections of climbing wall staffer would certainly fail on real rock. Perhaps this comes from playing on an artificial rock wall and its being is deemed safer. Certainly it's not in my book. A fall from any height, wall or rock, is going to hurt if a piece of gear fails.

The point of all this BS? Simple, check your gear. Inspect everything and ask will it fail? If in doubt, throw it out. Then lets head for the rock.