DAY 181
10.02.07
TREE 98
I left for Louisville just before 7. Hoping for a nice sunset, but I didn’t get one. I parked by Hogan’s Fountain then walked to where I remembered I had climbed. But there are a lot of beech trees in this area. I had to go by memory and a mental image of the picture I had taken on the first climb. That second day of July when Rachel was here and we climbed two trees. I picked the tree that I hoped was it. I felt kind of rushed since the sunlight was fading fast. But I figure, if this ain’t it, I’ll just climb till I find it. When I got to the trunk I remembered all the spiders last time. And this tree didn’t have any. I pulled myself up and climbed quickly and easily through the branches.
I remembered breaking a branch up high so I was looking for that, but didn’t see it. I also kept looking up for my green ribbon. Nothing. As I got to the top of the tree I did see something different in the fading light… a white ribbon.
Oh yeah! I had forgotten to switch to a different color on July 1st but remembered July 2nd. I had picked the correct tree. Once again my gut proves correct. I shouldn’t look for clues or follow logic, just go where I feel in my gut it’s right. I took some pictures then selected a leaf.
I was surprised to see not one discolored or ailing leaf. They were still healthy and green. I stuck one in my wallet then climbed down. The climbs have been quick lately as I’ve been on my way to other things. Unfortunately I didn’t improve on my climb or add a transfer to another tree. It was easy and the pictures difficult. I look forward to tomorrow’s tree.
10-4-08: I have been having so much trouble keeping up with my daily entries lately. So I will be doing three entries today… sorry to throw so much at you at once. But with moving and unpacking and Rachel visiting, I just haven’t found the time. Oh yeah, and I didn’t have internet for a while.
It is strange, though, how things have overlapped. What I mean is… in the above entry there is discussion of Rachel visiting on the first climb of the tree, and now she is visiting. More congruencies have shown and I will get to them in future entries.
On the 1st of October was my first day in my new house on Washington Street in Butchertown. I have 3 great trees in my yard. One maple, which I have climbed twice now, a holly, which I have climbed once, and a Ginkgo which I chose to climb Wednesday morning.
I usually save very convenient trees for really cold, rainy, or time crunched days. But I just couldn’t resist this tree. Plus, with these being my trees now I have a feeling I will be climb them many more times. I feel like I should warn my neighbors that I may often be spotted in trees and to not worry.
Anyway, I climbed onto the low branch pictured on the left side of the tree. I went up a few limbs then transferred over to the middle section. Not too far up from there is a scar from where a large branch used to be. It was blown down in the storm and left a big hole is the foliage.
Luckily that was the only damage in this tree. I have found that Ginkgo limbs are quite bendy and I don’t like to put too much weight out from the trunk. That bendiness can either help in high winds or hurt, but I haven’t figured out which is the case.
I climbed up higher and had some good views of the house.
Then looking around the neighborhood I could see the Butchertown Market building but not much else besides tree tops.
I sat for a while in the tree to wait for the mailman to pass by. I was wearing a very bright violet sweatshirt but was high enough to not be spotted. Once the coast was clear I climbed back down. I was tempted to climb onto the roof since one of the branches hangs over it, but I thought I would save that for another day.
What I can’t wait for is when the Ginkgo leaves turn yellow then fall all at once. It is like a special event where all the leaves on the tree fall in a day. Since my bedroom is the front room on the first floor I have a prime spot to view the event. I am very excited that the 3 trees at my house are all climbable. One may have poky leaves, but they are largely avoidable. Besides the poor insulation in the house… I am totally psyched to be living here.