DAY 352
03.21.08
TREE 185
Today was Good Friday… and it was pretty good.
The sun was shining and my dad went for a joy ride in his convertible Camaro. I waited to climb till after school let out so I could park in the Oldham County High School lot.
It was about 4:30 when I left. I walked across 393 and towards the tree by the large steel building.
Last time I climbed this tree it was dark and rainy. Today I could see the details of the tree and grip its dry bark and I was ready to climb higher than last time.
At the base I looked up at the first few branches and gauged my entry. These limbs weren’t 100% healthy but definitely strong enough to hold my weight. I jumped up and pulled myself up. I got my feet on another branch and got up on them. The bark of this tree is really thick with lots of deep grooves running up and down. Towards the bottom of the tree there is a lot of topical growth. Green moss-like patches, whitish-blue circles with frilly edges, yellow spots, and brown areas all on top of the smooth, grey bark.
It made for quite a beautiful sight. As I began to climb up a lot of that growth faded away to plain bark.
I went limb to limb without difficulty and reached my ribbon. But I decided to leave it tied and climb higher up. I looked up at the leader branches I had to chose from. My options were limited to one which was luckily right where I was standing. The climb up the limb was a little more difficult. There were just a few smaller branches to use to get up and they got smaller and fewer as I went up leaving me lower than I wanted to be. But I was still about fifteen feet higher than the ribbon.
I took out my camera and took pictures.
The wind was really starting to pick up. I put my camera away and decided to climb back to my ribbon where it would be more comfortable.
As I slid down this branch I saw a black and red insect. This warm weather must be bringing the bugs back out. That will be something I have to adjust to.
Back at the ribbon I grabbed a newly grown twig and tore the ribbon off.
I climbed a few feet lower to where three major branches split off. It looked like the perfect seat. I settled in the natural chair and enjoyed the warm sun and cool breeze,
then I began to think about this project. I only have two more weeks left to complete my year. What to do next? It makes me a little nervous. This project has been so great and I’ve just grown so accustomed to climbing everyday. Will I be able to stop? If I don’t climb one day, will I go into withdrawal, or get depressed? I realize now that I need to continue to make work on a daily basis. If I am scared of the coming end of this project, and the unknown of new projects, it means it’s important to me. I can’t shy away from it, but embrace the fear and turn its energy into new work.
After my little pep talk my butt was pretty sore and I decided to climb the rest of the way down. On the last limb I stopped and took some pictures of the colorful bark. Then I dropped down and walked back to my truck.
That was a very special tree. The ones where I sit and reflect, or think about important things… well, they become memorable and important to me. They are integral to certain realizations. Plus, it was a good climb with a height improvement.
3-25-09: Obviously I couldn’t stop climbing after one. The end of year 2 approached and I am still uncertain about year 3. Will I stop… I am not sure I can. If I do continue, though, it will be different. My blog is definitely not going to continue daily. If I post it will short, not confusing, and only about especially awesome climbs. Possibly more project oriented. We’ll see.
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March 21st 2009. Saturday and the Strong Beer Night at the Nachbar. Norman threw all the steins for the event and he had given me one a few weeks ago when I was at the unloading of the kiln. I got a call that Norman was heading that way so I packed my mug and hopped on my bike to head to the bar. As I went I looked for a tree to climb.
I was on Barret Avenue near the hospital
and I saw a tree covered in white blossoms.
I turned and rode by it. At first I thought I wanted to ride on to find another tree. Then as I started to ride away I
was pulled back. I should listen to my urges and I initially was drawn in. So I turned around and locked my bike up near the tree. I walked up to the base of the tree and studied it as I waited for a woman walking on the sidewalk to go by. When the coast was clear I started climbing. It was quite a difficult entry. I could step up onto the lowest branch, but from there it was a puzzle. There were so many small limbs in the way and hard to maneuver around. The next largest branch wasn’t in reach and I wasn’t sure how I was going to shimmy to it. I eventually figured something out and pulled myself up and on to my feet. From there it was a little easier but I still had my messanger bag over my shoulder and it was getting caught occasionally.
I came to my high point
and the sun was bright and low on the horizon.
The strong light was catching the white blossoms and they shined.
I took a lot of pictures of the pretty blossoms all around me.
I knew I was drawn to this tree for a reason.
Then, wanting to get to the bar, I started to climb back down.
It wasn’t too bad and I slid down the bottom of the trunk rather than dealing with the tricky maneuver I had done to get up. I was on the ground and covered in twig and blossom debris. I padded myself off, took a few more shots then unlocked my bike and went on my way.
Thank you for not including the boring movie.
You grow more facial hair than me. I still have a stubborn little segment above the right side of my upper lip that will not provide much hair. I need fertilizer.
I am currently wearing facial hair in the style of Kobe Bryant and many others. I think I look better with facial hair and my fiancee agrees.
You seem to favor not wearing any and I agree with you. 🙂
The flower pictures were a gorgeous surprise. It made me realize that I find something desolate about your pictures in aggregate. Maybe desolate is the wrong word. Dark, bare…of course, I have been looking at Winter pictures. I am not sure if this opinion remains the same when you depict verdant trees.
Kudos and props for two years of hard work. Fantastic. I just told the principal programmer here about your livejournal and he expressed interest in seeing your livejournal at another time. He’s great.