Time Off

I really shouldn't call it "time off". "Not on the boat" might be a better description. When I'm at home there really isn't "time off". Catching up on paying the bills, catching up on the yard work, catching up on all of the family things that have happened while I was at work, etc. Of course, there is also the foray into some slap-stick carpentry work as well.
You would think all of those things would take up just about all of my free time. And you would be right. But I have one remaining activity that I like to dabble in when I'm on my "time off". I like to play Semi-Pro Firefighter as well.

Ladder 1. "Big Sexy" as she is affectionately called.

This last time home was no exception. I got to build stuff.

My latest project.

Tried to get my tax returns somewhat organized. Watched my beloved New England Patriots win the Super Bowl. Probably scarring my children for life with my over exuberant celebration at the end of the game.

Yeah, I was excited.

Managed to wrestle out the tall ladder to get the last remaining Christmas lights off the peak of the house, etc. But the highlight of my "time off" had to come on an early, crisp Saturday morning.

Someone had decided that their house wasn't tenable anymore. The exact reasoning is unbeknown to me. All I do know is that they donated their house to my fire department in order to use it for training. Normally, anything fun, exciting, noteworthy, etc. that happens at home happens when I'm at work. Birth of my son, my daughter getting her appendix out, birthdays, anniversaries, that sort of thing. This usually rings true for fun and exciting fire department related things as well. In the last 2 years we have had at least 4 different opportunities to do live burns in donated structures. I have been home for exactly one of them.

Engine 2. Black over red, the best combination out there.

Make that two. The planets aligned, the stars shone brightly, and I was actually around for a training burn.
The following videos are of us honing our craft and refining our skills.
Did I mention that firefighting is a ridiculous amount of fun?

Did I also mention that I do it for free?
My wife says that 'technically' it's not a job because I don't get paid.

At least I get paid to work on boats. So I got that going for me. Which is nice.