"Mason mama"

I came to a facility in the wilderness where I was supposed to train in survival skills. I followed a course that had me sneaking quietly around, behind, and through small fir trees in this sparsely wooded property. Apparently a primary goal was to not alert wildlife to my presence.

I finished up and headed out. I saw a woman from another special agency just arriving to take the course as I left. My exit route took me to a long indoor bridge with glass sides for looking out. It dipped towards the middle like a rope bridge. Looking out, I saw only a vast body of water and I recalled that the facility had been on a small remote island.

At the same time, I started thinking of the song "Take Me Home, Country Roads", and thought of Jenny Lewis singing it. I started to sing it like her. It seemed that the song was being dedicated to my wife, who lived on another, more populated island, yet had never really gone to the sea or left the island (thus, "stranger to blue water"). The line "mountain mama" was changed to "Mason mama" (Mason being pronounced "mass-un"), Mason being the name of her hometown.

(In my mental map, the facility island was in the southwest corner, the island/group of islands with Mason was towards south-center, and halfway up the map to the north started a landmass that covered most of the north half of the map, and may have been "West Virginia".)

Swim practice, desert rescue practice

Swim practice! First test - arm paddling across the pool (like Edgewood pool in Lake Ridge - other people swimming there too) while instructor lady on my back does the foot paddling. Passed with flying colors, "O" in the scorebook.

Second test - I'm not much at a pool anymore. A different instructor gives me directions to the tune of All We Have Is Now by The Flaming Lips (I make a side comment "I don't know if I'm gonna make it..." - like the song lyrics - which gets a smile) - told me to take off my overshirt - under that I'm wearing a plain white dress shirt - and a gold watch.

Anyway, I'm supposed to act like I'm in the desert and I run across someone (Min) and I'm supposed to check if he's okay. I check his pulse (it's racing) but anyway, he's talking so I go "You're breathing, you're alright," and I sit him upright. Then I'm supposed to carry him over my shoulder to the other end of the room... it's a struggle but I manage. So I'm pretty sure I aced that test too.