DAY 222
11.12.07
TREE 146
A crumby day. Wet, grey, cold, very typical Portland weather. And I had a lot to do today. Dropped stuff off at Goodwill, packed boxes, sold scrap metal, then Norman and Jennifer came back with a Yukon SUV. This made it possible to take my drum set, bass, and amp to a music store to sell all in one trip. Norman also sold my oxy-acetylene tank. I made some money today but not really as much as I wanted. I took a big loss on some items. But anyway, before Norman and Jennifer returned, Rachel, Abbey, and I took a walk in the park.
I wanted to climb a huge evergreen by the tennis courts.
I climbed one yesterday but it didn’t have the height of some of these others. I chose to climb one where there were knobby bumps I could use to reach the first lowest limb. I climbed very carefully since the rain had turned these mossy limbs into incredibly slippery surfaces.
I held very tightly and didn’t mind the sap sticking to my hands. I thought it might help to keep me from slipping. I just kept climbing up these wonderfully spaced limbs. I love how they grow so evenly each year. I felt like I was climbing for a long time. The branches gradually started to get smaller and soon I was very near the top.
I got a good stance and got out my camera. I was way up there and couldn’t see Rachel or Abbey below me. But I could see for miles out into the greyness.
I took lots of pictures and in the process of looking around found a little toy parachute man stuck up in my tree a couple limbs over. [Seen in picture at top of entry] I tried to get a good shot of it but it was difficult. I didn’t have a lot of room to move around. Being so high up was great. I’m definitely opening myself up to the idea of climbing more evergreens. Sap really isn’t that bad. This was really a great climb and going down was good too. I tried to use the slipping to my advantage. It made the grey day worth it.
11-12-08: That scan of the needles minus the needles was unfortunate. I scanned all these in March of this year, quite a while after I climbed this tree. It spent a lot of time in my journal and by the time I got it on the scanner there were only those two needles left.
Also, I wish I would have remembered or kept how much I bought all that scrap metal for so I could see how much of a profit I made. When I bought all the steel and copper it was just starting to go up in price. I do think I made a profit. I sold a small amount of copper and made almost $100. I am pretty sure I didn’t pay nearly that much for it. I also bought a stainless steel miniature cannon at a thrift store for $5 and sold it for scrap for over $25. If I had sold my pool table I would have really come home with some profit. Then again, it would be so nice to have that pool table. Sometimes a wad of cash in your hand, even a lot, doesn’t seem equivalent to the item your selling.
Yesterday was also a crumby day here in Louisville. When I decided to go outside to climb the rain had slowed to a sprinkle. I walked out the back door of my house and North on Cabel Street towards the river. On the East side of the road, down towards where it dead ends at Adams Street, there is a collection of trash: old couch, cigarette boxes, beer cans, tires, and actual garbage bags full of who knows what. (Look in the center of the photo by the road)
It sits at the bottom of a small hill that leads up to a corrugated fence. On the hill are a bunch of small trees and some large. Mostly hackberry trees. I was saving this spot for a rainy day just like yesterday. I had on my red rain coat and was ready to get wet and dirty. I crawled up the slope using small tree trunks to helpmy way. I reached the top and looked around for which tree to pick. The largest ones were just a little too big and branches too far apart to be accessible in the slippery conditions. Just next to one of those large trees was a smaller, but decent sized hackberry with plenty of branches for the climbing. I knew it was mine when I saw it. I walked over and started up. Soon my hands were wet, dirty, and numb from the cold. It didn’t even seem that cold but hands are pretty susceptible when they are wet and exposed to the wind. As I got higher I could finally see over the fence. What I saw was a field of cars.
I am not sure if this is just a junk yard or the police impound lot. I know that is nearby, but I believe that is further East off Frankfort Ave.
I climbed as high as I could go and cleaned off my hands to get out my camera. Just before I started to shoot I saw two men walking towards me between the cars. I thought, "Crap! They’ve seen me, I’ll have to explain myself and I am sure they won’t care and just tell me to get down." I watched them as they approached then realized they weren’t looking at me. They were looking at the cars. Had they even seen me? I am not hidden by any leaves and I am wearing bright red. Then like that, they turned and left the lot. They never saw me, or they did and didn’t care. I am thinking it’s the former. I was happy about that. I took my pictures without feeling like I was going to bother anyone. I got some nice shots and really like the pictures that come out when the sun is covered by the clouds.
The colors become so rich and the rain makes everything darker and shinier.
Comments are closed.