Building a fort in the woods.

[Eamonn 61]

Some years back I made a promise to myself that I was never going to complain about the summer heat.

I love summer.

Even at the 2005 Jambo when it did get hot, I did a good job of not complaining.

I enjoy spring.

As Rory and I go out each day I look for signs of new life, keeping a watchful eye on the wild daffodils. I'm the only person I know who counts robins.

One day last summer one of the freshly cut hay Fields was covered in butterflies, thousands and thousands of them. That same field one day last week had 346 robins.

Rory at the start of his walk is fairly energetic and does chase them, but after the first twenty minutes he must think it's a waste of time. He was checking out the drainage ditches the other day and flushed out a ring necked Grouse. I don't know if the grouse knows it or not? But the red fox has made her den only about half a mile away. I was really pleased to see the grouse as its the first I've seen in the 18 years we have lived here. We have wild turkeys and snow geese visit every now and then.

Much as I enjoy spring, I tend to want it to move on and get out of the way to make room for summer. I hate the way it seems to want to tease me.

On Monday it was 80 degrees. I walked around the sail boats in the yard making mental notes of what I was going to do first. In my minds eye I could see our Scouts having fun just messing about on the water. I swear I could hear them laughing and having fun. Today it's snowing the high is 36 degrees with a wind chill in the teens. Looking out through the doors that lead to the deck, I see a couple of groundhogs who are trying to make the best of it. The robins seem to be having a hard time with the frozen ground.

Rory and I tend to take the same walk most days.

Just before we turn to make our way back home is a small wooded area. It divides our property from the property owned by the local Byzantine Church. The Priest is a very nice man, but the old boy who tends the gardens doesn't seem to like Rory. I think because Rory will visit him when he is working and being a retriever will retrieve things that didn't need retrieved, things like the old boys gloves or flower pots. I have to admit to at times finding it funny. In fact when I talked to the priest about it he laughed and gave Rory an on going absolution. I think maybe he thought it was better than finding an 85 pound dog in the confessional?

I don't know who owns the woods.

I know I don't do anything to care of them and it seems that the church is happy to let them be.

For about a week I had noticed that someone had been in the woods. There was evidence of a fire pit and half burnt wood. So I wasn't very surprised the other Sunday to find a couple of young Lads in the woods.

They were working their tails off building a fort/shelter.

Rory works on the assumption that everyone loves him, so he went to say hello. The boys who were about 14 seemed to sense that he wasn't going to hurt them.

I stopped and talked with them.

They seemed surprised that I didn't tell them to go away, but gave them some tips on how to build the fort.As we were talking I heard the drum-roll of the local Red-Headed Woodpecker, so I took them to his tree. We looked for the resident long eared owl, but he must have been taking a nap.

I'm sure when I left these Lads they must have thought I was a strange old fellow who talked funny and had a good looking dog.

As Rory and I walked home, I couldn't help remember that when I was about their age Steve Bolton and myself built our little fort in the woods. We somehow managed to catch a rabbit! Which we tried to cook!! Burnt on one side and raw on the other. We sat around telling each other how good it was, but when we got the chance got rid of it when the other wasn't looking.

I remember feeling that we were like Tom Sawyer or Robinson Crusoe.

Seems to me that us old people moan and groan about "Todays Kids" and video games.

I don't know where in their imagination these Lads had gone? Maybe Daniel Boone? After all he was from Pennsylvania.

I couldn't help wishing I was about 35 years younger and out there with them building a fort in the woods.

Ea.

 

[gwd-scouter 11]

Thankfully, there are still children among us who know how to use their imaginations and just let themselves be kids in the great outdoors. We have several young boys and girls in our neighborhood, my younger son is the oldest among them and is something of the ring leader. They have "forts" going up on several people's property. We live in a subdivision, but our area is heavily wooded with nothing behind us except a winding rocky creek that gets some pretty impressive white water in heavy rains, lots of trees and grasses, and wildlife. Plus, our road ends in a circle so there is very little traffic.

 

It is marvelous to sit on the back porch and listen to the sounds of children at play.

[Eamonn 61]

gwd-scouter

About this time of the year we see a lot of empty seats in the club, all the golfers have taken off to your neck of the woods.

Every year they invite me, but while I do own a set of clubs, the truth is that I just don't enjoy playing.

A few years back we were setting up for our District Golf outing.

A very good friend of mine who is a Doctor sponsors the event. It was at the Youghiogheny Country Club. As we went from hole to hole placing the cards that local business had bought to sponsor the hole, he would stop and look out over the view and then tell me that this indeed was God's country.

He is a super nice man. His family escaped from Cuba. His Dad worked two jobs to see him through school. They lived in Florida.

I looked over the view across the fairways and the greens and sure enough it was nice.

But I think being a young Lad playing in the woods is more like God's country?

 

Daniel Boone is quoted as saying I have never been lost, but I will admit to being confused for several weeks."

The day of that outing I couldn't find the Club!! So I pushed the blue button (I always think of Ringo in Yellow Submarine!!) for Onstar. This was my first Onstar experience!!

It was like talking to God. All of a sudden out of no where this voice filled the car! I had our DE with me and for some reason we started whispering to each other -I have no idea why?

I asked the voice for directions to the Youghiogheny Country Club.

We were running a little late, because we were lost and maybe I wasn't in the best of moods!

The voice came back asking "How do you spell Youghiogheny?"

I snapped back "If I could spell the darn thing I could find it!"

So much for being "Cheerful"

Ea.

 

[gwd-scouter 11]

Yes, our little town gets quite busy this time of year. I was driving around yesterday afternoon and wondering to myself why there was so much traffic. Then I had the 'aha' moment. We're only 50 miles from Augusta!

[ASM915 90]

Eamonn,

I love your stories. I wish I could express myself as well as you. Have you ever thought of publishing you experiences and stories in a memoir? I think many people would get great pleasure from you. Your stories remind me of Thoreau, Muir and others. Please keep the stories coming.