edelweiss pirate

home to home

a few days ago I rolled into Florida to my parent’s house. as many of you know, my father is a pigeon racer and lives in a town in Florida where all the pigeon flyers from around the world retire to engage in some hardcore pigeon racing until they die. i’m not kidding. 

I happened to arrive right before the big race of the year - the Gulf Coast Classic. People come in from all over to be a part of the hubbub of this race and the community crackles with this event. most of these guys are pretty old (not all, but a majority are). I find it remarkable to see these old guys that, by all normal accounts, should be wasting away peacefully somewhere in some institution, all fired up by the competition at hand. they laugh, they argue, they speculate, they give each other shit… I hope I go out kicking like they are. 

I selfishly love it because I grew up with these guys and when I come to Florida I get to see all my uncles. i always say that anyone that takes up pigeon racing as a serious hobby has something maverick (if not mental) about them - I’ve always felt really lucky that these misfits are my immediate and extended family. 

so I was home for a couple of days and now I’m in the airport getting ready to go to my other home for a week, NYC. I’m going back to see some friends, take care of some odds and ends before coming back to Florida for a few weeks for the holidays. I intend to work in NYC in January and then be off traveling again in February or March. I can’t imagine not going back on the road again. 

today will be the first time that I’ll be in my apartment since I left in August. so much has changed and I’m wondering what it’s going to feel like to climb up my four flights of stairs, open the door and be back in my very, very small living room again. 

despite titling this post around the idea of “home”, I’m realizing as I write this that I’m not sure anywhere feels like home right now. but don’t misinterpret that as a realization filled with angst - lately I’m feeling pretty content wherever I lay my head. I just wonder how it will feel when I’m back in a space that I love, that is filled with my stuff and was my little haven and nerve center of my New York life. 

I think it will be good. And I think it will be good to leave again as well.