Month: August 2026

August 4, 2026 – Like Wildfire, Life Will Come Again

August 4, 2026 /

Here in the Pacific Northwest, it seems like wildfire is everywhere. My son was a camp counselor that was evacuated due to the Grasshopper Complex fire last week. It was certainly out of an abundance of caution and nobody (at the camp) was in danger. For the firefighter, the resident and even the parent, it is stressful as well as a ton of work

This parallels into my last couple of months. I suspended AltF4.co because I was simply at my end with creative ability. I didn’t have the mental capacity to work and plan and move and organize. This is winding down just like the fire season eventually does. The weather will change, the rain will come and the new season will spawn new life.

To be one hundred percent honest, fire in the ecosystem is essential for health. That is directly in contrast to what we humans want in the name of order and progress. Without cleansing the old, weak, dead and invasive the landscape as we know it will never be what we currently know it to be.

For me, I had a wildfire in my life and moving has been a major structural change. It will likely take years for my landscape to get back to what it was. I am still trying to get boxes into the right place and even when I do, I find I still have to dig and sort and scratch to find what I am looking for. Nevertheless, this fire was necessary for my landscape to be healthy again.

As I look and think about my future here, I have a major project planned. That would be the conversion of a shed into a shop. This is full finish work of electrical, insulation, flooring, lighting, cabinets, etc. I am excited to get started on this because this is what motivates me. I am much more excited to build than I am to actually operate. I can’t help who I am.

Like life after a wildfire, things emerge very slowly. First come the pioneering species. They will provide the environment for the main species to grow before fire takes them out again and the cycle renews. Don’t expect that this means I am publishing five days a weeks again out of the gate, but I am starting to see that I am emerging from this moving event. This time off has given me more perspective and life experience.

August 2, 2026 – Main Street Oral History

August 2, 2026 /

This is a special edition of the podcast. We are coming to finally close on our house, selling it to new owners this week. I wanted to make sure that the history that I knew it was documented and passed on. Yes, there are some facts but it is largely about how this house was part of our lives and how we changed the house as a result. One hour is not enough time to cover over twenty years of life.

As I listened to the playback, I realized that there were a couple of mistakes or omissions. I am OK with that as this is always an imperfect effort but the gist is there. What I want to convey the most is that this was a place of life, giving and growth. I won’t lie that I got a little choked up at the end. It is the closing of a chapter, the longest place we ever lived, the place where our kids were born and grew up and left.

Once the house is no longer ours, I have no right to comment or critique the decisions that others make. I do want to say that the house was an integral part of Altf4.co; arguably the most important element. I do hope that the love we gave and vice versa goes forward for generations to come. Good luck to the new family, may you be blessed as we have.