Beginnings: The Windfall

Nightscape Odyssey:

The Beginnings of an Adventure

Nightscapes

The Windfall

A windfall is a sudden, usually unexpected, influx of wealth. Winning-the-lottery windfalls are rare; smaller, but still welcome, are the employee bonus, an inheritance, or a lucky run at the casino. People react in different ways to the experience of unexpected wealth or "found money". It tells something about a person. The easy-come, easy-go gambler versus the frugal saver who salts it away for an indefinite future.

I have experienced a windfall. It wasn't a windfall of money, but of time. A new company benefit, designed to attract and keep employees in a climate of dot-com destined departures was announced. It seemed like an inexpensive benefit to advertise: long-term employees of five years or more could take a one-time additional 3-week period, a sabbatical, of "disconnect time-off (DTO)". Combined with conventional vacation time, one could be absent for six weeks! But it would never happen. What California company had employees that stayed that long anyhow?

But I wasn't a California employee. I had held on for over twelve years in stoic Scandinavian style at a Minnesota company, a company whose final flicker of success caught the attention of, and was acquired by, a Silicon Valley company desperate for people to help it grow, and eager to retain them. It was unexpected, and I now had the dilemma of how to spend it.

Because one can't bank time. Even if the benefit didn't have the use-it-or-lose-it clause for the calendar year, my own life-clock keeps ticking. In my middle-age years, I sensed that there are things I could do now that would become more difficult to do later. Or maybe I would lose the desire to do them. That may or may not be a loss, but I don't relish the thought of someday recognizing that the right time to do something had come and gone.

But what? How does one best spend time that must be spent?

How does one best spend time that must be spent?

I had had the unfortunate experience of beginner's luck.

My wife Vicki encouraged me. She advised that at the end of this period I should be able to point to, or state what I had done in this sabbatical so that I would always feel that it had been distinctly and purposefully, if not wisely, used.

This isn't everyone's choice. Just like the gambling winnings and found money, different people make different choices. I noted that other of my coworkers, saddled with the same dilemma, chose widely varying ways to use the time. Those that traveled heavily in their jobs stayed home, content to relax in a way they yearned for while on the road. Those that didn't, signed up for exotic cruises and bicycling adventures.

Vicki had watched me strive in my off-hours to learn the arcane skills in taking astrophotographs. Although simple in principle, pictures of the night sky are difficult to make in practice. She had seen me experience the thousand things that go wrong in this peculiar hobby. Starting with the tortuous wait for conditions that are beyond control, such as clear weather on a moonless night, and then learning by trial and error to use a telescope, camera, and dozens of pieces of various support equipment, in the dark, only to discover yet another factor that must be mastered before a good picture of a galaxy or nebula can be obtained, Vicki knew that this would be the right way to spend my unusual gift of time.

I had had the unfortunate experience of beginner's luck. Some early astrophoto efforts had yielded attractive results, and I had spent the years since trying to replicate them. Now I could focus entirely on this purpose. I could stay up all night every night, practicing, testing, trying, learning, and not worry about reporting to work the next morning!

I had also discovered that nighttime landscapes, with their distinctive long exposure startrail patterns make stunning pictures, but only if the foreground is right. And what better foregrounds are there than the trees, mountains, and lakes of our western states, states known for their big skies, skies that are not cloudy all day?

A plan was made. I would go on the road, taking my astrophoto equipment with me, seeking out the dark skies and mystique of the western landscape to make pictures. I would start before the new moon, the best time for this type of activity. When the moon starts to become full again, astrophotography becomes difficult. But this would be an excellent time to join with my family to enjoy the mountain scenery and the hiking and exploring that comes with every camping trip.

My wife and son would fly out to join me in Seattle and we'd explore Washington and Oregon until their return flight two weeks later. The moon would be waning again and I would find my way home following whichever direction seemed to hold the clearest weather, resuming my astrophotography sessions.

This was a plan that promised to meet the criterion that Vicki posed. I'd be able to forever describe how I had spent my windfall.

Nightscapes Nightscape Odyssey chapter index page index
previous page
next page

Copyright 2001-Sep-15
Thor Olson

The Windfall
A windfall is a sudden, usually unexpected, influx of wealth. Winning-the-lottery windfalls are rare; smaller, but still welcome, are the employee bonus, an inheritance, or a lucky run at the casino. People react in different ways to the experience of unexpected wealth or "found money". It tells something about a person. The easy-come, easy-go gambler versus the frugal saver who salts it away for an indefinite future. I have experienced a windfall. It wasn't a windfall of money, but of time. A new company benefit, designed to attract and keep employees in a climate of dot-com destined departures was announced. It seemed like an inexpensive benefit to advertise: long-term employees of five years or more could take a one-time additional 3-week period, a sabbatical, of "disconnect time-off (DTO)". Combined with conventional vacation time, one could be absent for six weeks! But it would never happen. What California company had employees that stayed that long anyhow? But I wasn't a California employee. I had held on for over twelve years in stoic Scandinavian style at a Minnesota company, a company whose final flicker of success caught the attention of, and was acquired by, a Silicon Valley company desperate for people to help it grow, and eager to retain them. It was unexpected, and I now had the dilemma of how to spend it. Because one can't bank time. Even if the benefit didn't have the use-it-or-lose-it clause for the calendar year, my own life-clock keeps ticking. In my middle-age years, I sensed that there are things I could do now that would become more difficult to do later. Or maybe I would lose the desire to do them. That may or may not be a loss, but I don't relish the thought of someday recognizing that the right time to do something had come and gone. But what? How does one best spend time that must be spent?		How does one best spend time that must be spent?
I had had the unfortunate experience of beginner's luck.	My wife Vicki encouraged me. She advised that at the end of this period I should be able to point to, or state what I had done in this sabbatical so that I would always feel that it had been distinctly and purposefully, if not wisely, used. This isn't everyone's choice. Just like the gambling winnings and found money, different people make different choices. I noted that other of my coworkers, saddled with the same dilemma, chose widely varying ways to use the time. Those that traveled heavily in their jobs stayed home, content to relax in a way they yearned for while on the road. Those that didn't, signed up for exotic cruises and bicycling adventures. Vicki had watched me strive in my off-hours to learn the arcane skills in taking astrophotographs. Although simple in principle, pictures of the night sky are difficult to make in practice. She had seen me experience the thousand things that go wrong in this peculiar hobby. Starting with the tortuous wait for conditions that are beyond control, such as clear weather on a moonless night, and then learning by trial and error to use a telescope, camera, and dozens of pieces of various support equipment, in the dark, only to discover yet another factor that must be mastered before a good picture of a galaxy or nebula can be obtained, Vicki knew that this would be the right way to spend my unusual gift of time. I had had the unfortunate experience of beginner's luck. Some early astrophoto efforts had yielded attractive results, and I had spent the years since trying to replicate them. Now I could focus entirely on this purpose. I could stay up all night every night, practicing, testing, trying, learning, and not worry about reporting to work the next morning! I had also discovered that nighttime landscapes, with their distinctive long exposure startrail patterns make stunning pictures, but only if the foreground is right. And what better foregrounds are there than the trees, mountains, and lakes of our western states, states known for their big skies, skies that are not cloudy all day?
A plan was made. I would go on the road, taking my astrophoto equipment with me, seeking out the dark skies and mystique of the western landscape to make pictures. I would start before the new moon, the best time for this type of activity. When the moon starts to become full again, astrophotography becomes difficult. But this would be an excellent time to join with my family to enjoy the mountain scenery and the hiking and exploring that comes with every camping trip. My wife and son would fly out to join me in Seattle and we'd explore Washington and Oregon until their return flight two weeks later. The moon would be waning again and I would find my way home following whichever direction seemed to hold the clearest weather, resuming my astrophotography sessions. This was a plan that promised to meet the criterion that Vicki posed. I'd be able to forever describe how I had spent my windfall.

Nightscape Odyssey:

The Beginnings of an Adventure

How does one best spend time that must be spent?

I had had the unfortunate experience of beginner's luck.