Being on the riverbank in a thick canopy of trees, the woods are rich with birds. I’ve seen two humming birds. The first I watched for nearly a minute which is by far the longest I’ve ever gotten to watch one. The second hovered one foot from my face outside my dining room window. It was only for about ten seconds, but magical none the less.
A city truck drove through the campground cleaning out fire pits. They drove right up to my bus. I was glad to be a registered guest. That would have freaked me out before.
I was about half way through my stay. My water tanks were about half used up, so I unhooked and drove the bus to the dumping station. I didn’t want to run out, or have to do it over the busy holiday weekend.
My high school sweet heart, Katie Otting, who I dated from about sixteen to nineteen years old stopped by for a visit. I hadn’t seen her for fifteen years. She looked relatively the same, older, but still the same face I had known so well. It was wonderful to visit with her. We chatted for several hours. It was comfortable and felt normal. We could have gone on and on forever, but she had to go.
I grabbed a cereal bowl and headed into the woods barefoot to find the mulberry tree. I had only seen the one tree, but as I tried to find it I searched for more. I noticed the original one because there were berries on the ground, so I scanned the ground as well as looking up for the berries in trees as I walked. There were no berries, but eventually I found the tree I had seen before. It seemed to be the only tree. I was able to grab one small branch and bend it down to get a few berries, but the rest were up too high and out of reach. The tree was much too small to consider climbing. I grabbed the trunck with both hands and shook it. Berries rained down. I crouched down searched through the leaves and twigs and gathered up all I could find. They were easy to spot because they were bright and shiny.
I was going to dig a maple sapling from the river bank, but when I got back to the bus, Jason, the kid from before, his dog Link and a friend were looking for me. I didn’t really want to see them ever again. Last night was fun, but towards the end it got weird, they kept wanting to go inside my bus. I don’t know these kids at all, but I do know they’re trouble. For all I know they were going to rob me. Now they’re back. They asked if I had a shot glass and if they could come inside and showed me a baby bottle of Jack Daniels. Suspiciously small, like it was their plan of entry, or something. Trying not to piss them off I played along, but kept them outside. I grabbed a shot glass and we sat at the picnic table. They offered me a shot and a Pepsi chaser. I took the shot like a man, without a chaser. They wanted to go inside and get high. I said no and said, “I can’t I’ve got a friend coming over”. They begged and pleaded and started accusing me of not respecting them. I stuck to my story. Then Jason started yelling “shut up” at the top of his lungs at an old guy who was pounding in tent stakes across the park. Apparently he had been pounding them too long. This needed to end. I texted a girl who I knew would text me right back. When my phone beeped I said, “Oh that’s it my buddies coming over, I have to take a shower quick and clean up”. They left. Needles to say I locked up tight that night and kept my ear to the window.
I stayed up late texting and emailing songs to my friend Trinity Sol, in New Hampshire. She’s lived in seclusion and understands being in the woods. We’re quickly becoming a kindred spirits.
A city truck drove through the campground cleaning out fire pits. They drove right up to my bus. I was glad to be a registered guest. That would have freaked me out before.
I was about half way through my stay. My water tanks were about half used up, so I unhooked and drove the bus to the dumping station. I didn’t want to run out, or have to do it over the busy holiday weekend.
My high school sweet heart, Katie Otting, who I dated from about sixteen to nineteen years old stopped by for a visit. I hadn’t seen her for fifteen years. She looked relatively the same, older, but still the same face I had known so well. It was wonderful to visit with her. We chatted for several hours. It was comfortable and felt normal. We could have gone on and on forever, but she had to go.
I grabbed a cereal bowl and headed into the woods barefoot to find the mulberry tree. I had only seen the one tree, but as I tried to find it I searched for more. I noticed the original one because there were berries on the ground, so I scanned the ground as well as looking up for the berries in trees as I walked. There were no berries, but eventually I found the tree I had seen before. It seemed to be the only tree. I was able to grab one small branch and bend it down to get a few berries, but the rest were up too high and out of reach. The tree was much too small to consider climbing. I grabbed the trunck with both hands and shook it. Berries rained down. I crouched down searched through the leaves and twigs and gathered up all I could find. They were easy to spot because they were bright and shiny.
I was going to dig a maple sapling from the river bank, but when I got back to the bus, Jason, the kid from before, his dog Link and a friend were looking for me. I didn’t really want to see them ever again. Last night was fun, but towards the end it got weird, they kept wanting to go inside my bus. I don’t know these kids at all, but I do know they’re trouble. For all I know they were going to rob me. Now they’re back. They asked if I had a shot glass and if they could come inside and showed me a baby bottle of Jack Daniels. Suspiciously small, like it was their plan of entry, or something. Trying not to piss them off I played along, but kept them outside. I grabbed a shot glass and we sat at the picnic table. They offered me a shot and a Pepsi chaser. I took the shot like a man, without a chaser. They wanted to go inside and get high. I said no and said, “I can’t I’ve got a friend coming over”. They begged and pleaded and started accusing me of not respecting them. I stuck to my story. Then Jason started yelling “shut up” at the top of his lungs at an old guy who was pounding in tent stakes across the park. Apparently he had been pounding them too long. This needed to end. I texted a girl who I knew would text me right back. When my phone beeped I said, “Oh that’s it my buddies coming over, I have to take a shower quick and clean up”. They left. Needles to say I locked up tight that night and kept my ear to the window.
I stayed up late texting and emailing songs to my friend Trinity Sol, in New Hampshire. She’s lived in seclusion and understands being in the woods. We’re quickly becoming a kindred spirits.
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