DAY 357 – Daily Climb

DAY 357

03.26.08

TREE 187

I waited through the day to climb. I figured by 7:15pm, everyone at the Oldham County High School track would be gone. I was way wrong. I sat there in my truck watching these kids finish up track practice. I think there were other practices going on as well in other places. At 7:15!? My track practices never went anywhere near that late. That would interfere with dinner time. Did they go home after school and then come back for practice? Was this a really unofficial looking track meet with no uniforms? Mostly I was frustrated because I felt I couldn’t climb with all these parents and coaches around. So I turned around and left. I just went back home to wait longer… screw having any sunlight.

I got back home and ate some dinner with my dad. I piddled around and then looked outside. Rain was falling and it was dark. I thought, if they are still there they are stupid. So as I drove up the hill on 393 towards the school I could see huge stadium lights on.

Goddammit!! Maybe I can sneak around the shadows. I pulled in and there were cars all over. Luckily, though, they weren’t at the track. Everyone was in the next field over watching a baseball game. I got out and walked to the back corner of the field pretending to watch the game. Some people were watching from their cars to stay out of the rain. As I watched I kind of got into it.

Not the game really, but this one kid on second base. The 3rd base coach was yelling at him to get ready to run. He barked orders at him constantly and used his first name after every one. It sounded really condescending. This ass of a coach was really confusing and impatient with him. Any slight delay in following his shitty orders would result in some comment like, "How do you expect to learn how to play this game if you don’t do what I tell you, Kyle?" I wanted to go over there and kick his fat ass. The kid, Kyle, got so mixed up with his direction, not to mention he was yelling so the pitcher and shortstop could hear everything, he got tagged out. The inning was over. At that point I had had enough and went into the track and walked to my tree.

The bark was slightly wet form the sprinkling rain but not too bad. I just climbed up straight to my ribbon.

Last time I tried to climb all over this tree. This time I just went up and down.

But at the the top I took pictures.

I was actually happy I was forced to wait till dark. The bright giant lights made for some nice pictures.

Then I stayed up there just shortly to enjoy the cool night. I climbed back down, walked out and left. There was no way I wanted to hear that coach’s voice again.

3-31-09: Just rereading this again makes me mad at that coach. The kid was open and receptive, wanted to have fun, and the coach just confused him and got him tagged out and then he blamed the kid. Poor Kyle. You’ll get yours someday.

—

March 26th 2009. Thursday. BBC Taproom night. I got on my bike and headed towards the Great Lawn at the Waterfront.

I knew the trees there are small, but I figured I’d find something interesting or perhaps climb a few. There is a grid of trees by the fountains. The trees there got destroyed by the ice storm and some lost all their limbs. It was too depressing to stick around so I biked on and went past Joe’s Crab Shack

and spotted an oak next to a parking garage.

It had a squirrel’s nest towards the top and the sun was shining right on it. I locked my bike on the lamp post just below the tree on the side walk and hopped up on the grass slope to the base of the tree. the limbs were low and thick. It was going to be a tough, snaking climb with a lot of snags. I waited for a break in the traffic and then started to climb.

I slithered through managing to make progress without too many poking limbs grabbing me.

I worked my way up slowly to the nest and took a seat.

I looked closely at the nest and swore I saw a toupee or wig in the mix of leaves, twigs, and trash. I tried to take a picture of it but the sun just behind it on the horizon was too bright.

I took other pictures of my view

then started to think about climbing down when I saw movement in my periphery. I looked up and the squirrel whose house I was lording over was watching me.

Frantically, he would run up and down the high limbs, jumping to and fro trying to figure out what to do about me.

I quickly grabbed my camera and shot and shot hoping this little guy wouldn’t get the courage to attack.

He looked so concerned and confused.

After enough pictures I figured I shouldn’t torture anymore and started to climb down. I slithered back down catching a few more snags than I had going up. I dropped to the ground and looked back up in the tree to spot the squirrel. He was gone, either in the nest or off to another tree. I apologized then unlocked my bike and sped off to the BBC.

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