ADIRONDACK DREAMER

I found myself standing ... alone in a large grassy field,

I was 12, a skinny 76 pounds and was staring at the clouds above. They were big fluffy, but really really high, maybe thunder heads? and I thought I heard a voice,

Looking harder, I could see the hawks sailing, with wings almost motionless, gliding back and forth. how I wish I could glide like that, what must the mountains look like from up, there, or the trees, would they be like a carpet of green. And there was a small dot as well, and those voices, the dot was getting bigger, and the voices louder, I raised my hand against the sun, so I could see that growing whit dot. then

WaaaAP,

I came to ..  looking  at the feet, ...of my baseball team mates,  there next to me was the base ball and they were shaking their heads saying "Day dreaming again huh Tom?"

It was a more common occurrence than you'd think, ...

When I was a toddler I grew up alone, ... with my dog and best friend Prince. Although he was an "imaginary dog" ... we'd wandered around looking for adventure, and accidentally break things when climbing tables, and I'd get in trouble because no one else could see my invisible dog. 

Christmas nativity shepherd... I’d wander away and fill my pockets of my robe with precious stones and bugs ..….

I guess that's why my Dad sent me away to a boys camp between the shores of New York's lake Champlain and the Adirondack mountains for 8 weeks, There were 300 boys and lots of fun. They taught Leadership and their motto was "the other fellow first".  From the Morning Cannon we'd run and play all sorts of sports, basketball, volleyball, and of course baseball. That was just in the mornings, in the afternoons we'd have archery, tennis, and other individual sports. but on the way back from the fields I loved to stop by  a small log cabin with a white birch bark log sign making an A for ADVENTURE. It was were all of the Adventure gear was kept. i loved to volunteer to stack the canoe paddles, 

It had big shelves with big cook pots, wall pegs with backpacks with lots of pockets I could just imagine filling them with my flashlight an camp knife, and I'd help shake out and clean the tents and refold them. But I'd lost the chance this year to go on a trip, because I was a year to young, and although I have passed my camping and canoe tests, I'd have to wait till next year. It was a great summer and now it was the end of summer and there were  team championships, basketball & soccer in the mornings, crazy loud lunches with 300 boys, and then individual sports like archery, tennis and of course Baseball where it was the easiest to drift off.

which probably explains the day dreaming. 

But after a full day, the campfire, and the bugle playing a sad slow taps I hit the hay, 

AND HAD THE MOST VIVID DREAM!!

I thought that someone was asking me if I wanted to go canoeing, I grinned and nodded yes, then felt myself floating in a sea of blankets, back and forth and up and down.

Then there was a wash of red light, it was scary, it seemed to be coming from a big neon cross, there were double doors like a hospital and feet and dark shapes pounding up the stairs, it was not good, it was scary and I turned away.

But now there was a pounding, but different, I was on a bench, cushioned, and there was dark wooden slats, like a deck all around me, there was churning water running out behind me, and it seemed ominous being suspended above dark darkness studded with star reflections.

Now there was a rock, more like a gray granite island that I had to climb, and going up and up , now a long flight of stairs,  and then though a trap door into blinding light! It was filled with music,  and dancing legs, and it was to bright, and to loud!! 

I covered my ears, and then all was quite,

And dark, so so quiet, and cold, there was a rocking, a gentle back and forth,  and a moon shone on the black black water around me. The shadows of sharp tall pines reached up and there were little white circles and swirls in the black water.

Then I was looking into a pot of coco swirling around because of a poor mouse swimming and swimming around and around with just his beady little eyes and his tail on the surface,  I felt bad for him, I saw my had reach, but I didn't want to,  then he scampered up my arm and over my head. Over me there were logs, crushing big logs, I reached out to scratch at them, 

Then I heard scratching on a tin cup and saw a fat fat raccoon with his boney little hands holding it and licking it. I wanted to ask him a question,  but couldn't remember what it was , and he just kept staring at me through his black masked face.

But he was calm, and  I was surrounded by a sea of sleeping bags, so I turned over and all went dark.

xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

That next morning I must have slept in.  I didn't hear the bugle, or a breakfast cannon but it was bright. I opened my eyes and saw a big fat leader sitting next to me with a cup of coco. 

• He said that there had been a serious accident....

• And they had to drive someone to the hospital...

• And they wanted ME to be the replacement paddler because they knew how much I wanted to paddle, really really wanted to… so they picked me up but I never woke up.

I sat up, I was on the edge of a lean-too,  and there was a fireplace with a pot, and boys with cups around it, and a river with 12 canoes!! They waved and smiled holding their cups and standing around the fire, 

• They Wanted me to be there, 

• Now, with Sudden Realization, 

• I knew I WASN'T alone in my dream for An Adventure.
  

I wanted to jump & Shout and I yelled

Don't drink the coco, it had a mouse in it!!