40 Meters was quiet tonight. There was no contest activity and not much DX heard on the lower portion of the band. I did manage to work Emil, E71A from Bosnia-Herzegovina. He was about the only DX station that I was able to hear.
Further up the band, at around 7.055 MHz, I called CQ for a bit to be answered by Scott N3JJT, a fellow SKCC member. We had a nice rag chew. Scott was operating QRP portable from his campgrounds by a lake in Ohio. He was using a Yaesu FT-817 at 5 Watts to a dipole up about 15 feet. He had a nice 569 signal - 579 to 589 when QSB allowed.
Finding out that he was lakeside brought visions of Lake George to my brain. Our annual summer pilgrimage isn't that far off; and I have begun daydreaming about it a lot! Work has been an absolute bear the past two weeks, even more so than usual; and I find myself yearning for that week off more and more everyday.
I desperately need some time to turn my "responsibility gene" back to half throttle for a bit in order to recharge the internal batteries. A week of sun and blue skies (hopefully) by a placid lake, along with some quality time with my wife and children is what I am yearning for. No crises to solve, no problems to fix, no situations to handle, no corporate hoops to jump through - just some good family time, relaxation, a good book and some radio time (of course!). Just what the doctor should order!
I don't know what I would do without Amateur Radio. This pastime is such a wonderful and needed diversion from the hustle and bustle of everyday life. It helps clear my brain and keeps me balanced and allows me to keep from focusing too much on negative things. My grandfather once told me when I was very young that everyone needs a "passion" in their lives for something that's not family or work related. At the time, I didn't understand what he meant - I sure do now!
73 de Larry W2LJ
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