DAY 127
08.09.07
TREE 41Having looked ahead to see when this reclimb would occur I told Norman and we planned dinner. I got to his place about 4:30 with pasta and beer and he was nowhere to be found. I called his parent’s and his mom told me to come on over to their place. I walked through the woods getting very hot. Norman was finishing his handy work and I went to climb a tree. To compare, I was not drunk, nor was it dark this time, so when I climbed up I was surprised at some of the difficulty. Some parts weren’t too crazy but they took either good grips with no footholds, or questionable ones on small limbs. Either climbing drunk makes me braver and better, or I just don’t care or remember the hard parts. Anyway, the split trunk made it nice for options and towards the top, the limbs were bigger and stronger… and closer together. I got to my blue marker and went a little higher. A few breezes came through and really got the tree moving. Not fast, but it had a good tilt and I think my body weight helped. A beautiful view of the lake and good refreshing breezes on this incredibly hot time of the summer. After I climbed down Norman and I made an amazing meal after soaking in the lake. Then we got wet eating on the deck in a light rain. A wonderful night and good company.
The house hidden between the tree is Norman’s parents place.
8-11-08: Back from St. Louis on a nice trip with Drew and MaryLiz. Ready to blog…On a side story to this climb from last year…. I had on my sunglasses as I walked to the Silva’s place. When I went to climb I took them off and hung them from a branch of a small tree nearby. When I finished climbing I just walked away and forgot the sunglasses. I told Norman the next day and he went to look for them but couldn’t find them. I was worried they got lost, or fell, or eaten (mmm plastic) but I just didn’t have time to get out there to look for them. I think about 2 weeks and a big thunderstorm later I finally got out there to look. I was preparing myself for disappointment since Norm couldn’t find them and the storm was strong and windy. But when I got to the tree I hung them from, they were there like no time had passed. I was thankful, but then I wondered where the hell Norman was looking.
Alrighty… Friday’s climb. I had made plans to meet my mom at 11 am at a bicycle shop. She wanted to buy me a helmet since I was not going to buy one myself. So, I obliged and we first went to Bicycle Sport. They only had 4 styles and all seemed ridiculously big. Aren’t bike helmets just ridiculous? Not satisfied with the selection we left and went to the Schwinn place. They had a better selection and I found one that worked. Once I realized they had sizes, that helped. This is what I got:
http://www.bellbikehelmets.com/view360/furio-busi/furio-busi_500420pmz.html
a Bell Furio in blue that matches my bike. Plus I got a little rearview mirror thing that attaches to the helmet. Father Paul was insistent that I get one. And, it actually helps a ton. I feel much safer, thanks! But this also means I am now going to go much farther than I have been. I am now determined to bike to Buckner, where my parents live. going 42 in Oldham County is going to be interesting.So, after getting my helmet and lunch at Havana Rhumba I headed to Seneca Park. Oh… first I want to add that I saw Mr. Whitehouse, my highschool art teacher at Havana Rhumba. We caught up a little bit and he asked if I was still climbing trees. He laughed a lot about me climbing trees. He then asked if I was planning on going to grad school. I said yes and he asked if I was planning on continuing to do the installation and tree climbing stuff. After telling him I was he seemed disappointed. I guess he feels that he helped me become a pretty good drawer and painter and that I am wasting my talents on “weird” art. Don’t worry, Whitehouse, I still draw some. And I paint too, just mostly walls and decks for money. I can cut edges with the best of ’em though.
So, I climbed a tree at Seneca Park. I honestly don’t have much to say about it. I went up, took pictures and then came down. I will say that it has been damn nice lately. Mid to high eighties and getting down to high fifties at night. I love it. It’s been the nicest August weather I have ever experienced. Let’s hope it stays this way. Some pictures of the climb:
That cloud from the second picture granted a few seconds of reprieve from the harsh brightness of the sunlight. The result was the above picture which retains a lot of midtone detail. I love it when the light conditions are just that way.
Then I went back to the apartment to get ready for the weekend trip to St. Louis. We drove straight there then checked into the Westin Hotel just next to the Cardinal Stadium. It was really nice.
The bathrooms were particularly nice. (the photos are from the Westin website, not my own) As someone who doesn’t necessarily shower daily, I made sure to do it there with the double shower head, good pressure, and endless hot water. Ahhhh.To hear about the rest of the trip… check entries DAY 128 and DAY 129.
Climbing a tree everyday
