DAY 170
09.21.07
TREE 87
It has been one hot and dry summer with day after day of beautiful blue skies. But even better are the amazing sunsets that cast strong pinks, oranges, and reds through the haze. These last few evenings the sun has been setting around 7:30 and I have been choosing just prior to that time to drive to my destinations in Louisville. As I go over the Ohio River on the Sherman-Minton Bridge the brilliant sun sets just above the hills. Then as I drive down I-64 towards the Louisville skyline the pink sun is reflected off the buildings.
Well, on this Friday night I headed to Will’s place to pick him up. I rushed him out of his apartment to get to the tree before all the sunlight was gone. We walked hurriedly past the skate park to my waiting tree. I grabbed the thickly ridged trunk and crawled up to the first branch. Then I stepped up to where the trunk splits into four branches. Quickly I followed the one with my improvised marker made of rubber bands and an orange lighter. But as I worked my way up from limb to limb up to this leaning branch I found no marker in sight. 
I was sure no other person would have gotten to this point to take it down so it must have been an ornery squirrel or perhaps the rubber band just dried and snapped. It was a little disappointing because I really wanted that for my collection. But at least I got a good picture of it on my first climb. 
I continued past where the lighter used to hang and reached a new height that had a better view of the nearby interstate bridge and overpasses. I took a lot of time taking pictures of passing cars and the distant views. 
Then I grabbed a leaf, stuck it in my mouth and scrambled back down not wanting Will to have to wait too much longer. 
It was a good climb and a nice improvement on height. I’m also really liking the images I am getting in the evening with long exposures. 
Since I don’t have a tripod up in the trees I often just rest the camera against a limb for stability. But a slight sway from wind can screw that up.
9-21-08: When Will joined me to climb trees I am not sure what he did all the time, but when I did look down and catch a glimpse of him, he was usually fencing or fighting an imaginary opponent. When people are faced with a lack of things to do… they do some interesting things. I think if I were just standing around waiting for someone I would just think and crack my knuckles. Maybe bight my nails. All my worst bad habits come out when I’m bored. At least Will was trying to improve his abilities… stay sharp on his moves. What do you do when you are faced with nothing to do?
Yesterday I gathered up all my things I would need for my trip to Ohio this Monday. I loaded up my truck and headed to my parents. On the way I filled up the tank and then drove to EP Tom Sawyer State Park. The main parking lot was full of service vehicles and tents. Apparently this is where all the emergency workers for the Ike crisis and massive loss of electricity and downed trees are stationed. So I had to drive on to the back of the park by the BMX track. I got out and looked up at the tree tops. The goal is usually to find one of the tallest trees in the area. I saw one decently sized very near the track not 20 feet from the parking lot. 
It is a pin oak with a tall and straight trunk and many live branches with hundreds of dead twigs sticking off them. I walked right up and pulled myself into the lowest branches. Immediately those twigs began to grab at my clothes and poke into my skin. These trees are quite annoying. But they are strong and tall and I guess it is better to have too many limbs than not enough. I got up to the top and was split between the thin ends of a few branches. The sun was really low and the light was fading fast. I did my best in these bendy branches to get some clear images. 
As I was shooting I moved my footing to and from different spots on three branches. At one point on the middle of a move my foot twisted and got pinched inbetween a forked branch. It hurt a little and it was the bending pressure that I was putting on it that made it worse. I had to quickly grab the branch and pull it towards me and yank my foot out. Once free I was pretty ready to get out of this hazardous tree. I climbed down getting poked the entire way with my shirt and shorts getting pulled up as well. I dropped to the ground and walked away from the tree and back to my truck. Night was really setting in now and I was getting hungry. I got in my truck and drove towards 146. To get there I had to go down a small 2-lane road that was dark and surrounded by tall trees. My windshield was dirty and I couldn’t see very well with oncoming carlights shining at me so I started to use my windshield fluid. Then I suddenly saw a huge branch in my lane and three cars were in the oncoming lane. There was no where I could go and I just slammed the brakes and slid into the fallen limb with a bump. The other cars didn’t even slow down. I freaked out and rammed the stick into reverse and just hoped it was going to drive normally. I pulled around the limb and everything sounded fine. I drove to Little Caesars to get a pizza and checked my truck. One leaf was stuck in the bumper but that was it. Thankfully. That was stupid of me. Live and learn I guess.
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