DAY 332
03.01.08
TREE 159
When I woke this morning I felt that my time here in Cincinnati was over. I wanted to go home. So I packed and left Bob and Marilyn’s around 9am. I got back home and I was faced with nothing but time. I have no job and no prospects. At least today was dry. I could look forward to a slippery free climb. And on days like today, that is all I really plan for… my tree climb. Right out my parents’ front door,
twenty or so feet down the walk, is my sycamore on the left.
I went out and, unlike last time with the rain and the ladder, I was determined to run up the trunk and grab the first limb that grows vertically against the trunk. I tried a couple of times and heard a BEE-BEEP! I knew that sound. It’s a bad sound. BATTERY DEPLETED. I pulled my camera out and sure enough, it had been left on or bumped on. Either way it was out of juice. So I went back inside and put it on the charger and waited.
Attempt #2: BATTERY CHARGED. I was ready to go. I threw off my hoody and began to run up the trunk. Miss after miss, slight adjustments and more miserable attempts. I hit my knee, I came so close, I slipped… everything but success. When this happens I put all that frustration into commitment. I have to go at that branch holding nothing back, fully prepared and expecting to get it. It is then that I usually do get it. And I did.
From there I wound around the trunk from skinny little branch to bendy little limb. All deceptively sure and strong. The white, chalky powder from the bark began to spot up my brown cords and navy shirt. I also noticed all the dead and hanging limbs in the tree. I remembered thinking that last time I should have knocked those down for my parents. So I did this time. Kicking and pulling, shaking and throwing limbs to the ground as I climbed. I was making quite a mess on the driveway.
Then I reached the split in the trunk where my ribbon awaited.
I pulled it down and took pictures.
I saw a turkey vulture
and neighborhood kids fake fighting with imaginary power blasts.
I finished shooting and took a seat in the crotch of the split. It was comfortable and smooth like a horse saddle. I watched the sky and observed the kids playing. I wondered if they saw me, would they think I was cool? Or just an old strange guy. Would my beard have an affect on their decision? Then I stopped caring and just sat, relaxed and loving this spot. A spot I should visit again. It is a seat I could read on without getting extremely uncomfortable. Then I began to climb down and finish the brush clearing I started.
My mom drove up from the grocery store when I was just 15 feet from the ground. I worried she would see all the limbs on the driveway and think I fell, knocking them down as I crashed to the concrete. So I made my presence known immediately. She thanked me for the free tree work and was happy to see I was almost down. I jumped, cleaned up my mess and was done. I patted the white dust from my clothes and went inside.
3-12-09: Kids are so much better to deal with than adults. They don’t judge as harsh, they are easily impressed with things, and they get excited about the same stuff I do. I loved teaching art to kids back in Seattle. I never felt uncomfortable or shy around them. In a room full of kids I could get up in front of them and be confident. I can’t do the same in front of adults. Which is why I think I cared if those kids thought I was cool. I still don’t feel like an adult myself. I feel like it would help me to get over this hang up I have with dealing with "adults" but then again, maybe it’s an asset to my work.
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Finally I’ve reached my climbs in March. March 1st 2009 to be exact. My last full day in Boston. And the snow did fall. James lives in an area called the Back Bay. We walked over to the edge of the Charles near his place and I found a collection of white birch trees. I have not seen any of this type of tree in Kentucky so I was very eager to climb one.
I found a good one with a shimmy-able trunk
and high branches with a path to the top.
James seemed doubtful that I could climb it but he had never seen me shimmy yet. I asked him to film me and up I went.
Then I glanced around at the top. I had no camera but I wanted to capture my view. So I took out my phone and took a few images.
When I was done I asked James to take a video of my climb down.
On the ground I felt great. Another new type of tree, a white birch against the white snow. It was beautiful. I was starting to get sad that this vacation was going to end.