The Summer Alphabet continues....
D = Diving I was swimming at the local pool and was paddling near the diving board. A group of kids were there lined-up to go off the board. “I can do a pencil,” said one youngster. I was intrigued. What is a pencil dive? I paddled back, treaded and watched for this feat of diving prowess. She stood on the board. Took a deep breath. Walked to the end of the board. Stretched out her arms and then placed them down straight to her side.......and......jumped in the water......Seriously?? Who knew that “dive” had a name? Shoot, I’ve been doing pencil dives my whole swimming career and never knew it.
The lure of the diving board at the community pool --- you thought about it for a year. This summer, this would be the moment when you would jump off the high dive at the Freeport Community Pool! You steeled your courage. Told your friends. Updated your will. The day arrived and you climbed the steps. Remembered to try and not look down. Although, one was noticeably scared, I never recalled anyone running and jumping off the board in an effort to just get it over with. Nope...like a walk on the plank (Go Bucs!) you plodded to the end and jumped.
Being raised in the country, the majority of my swimming time, as of that of my family, was spent in the Buffalo Creek. There was not much to jump off of so my brothers, bless them, invented a new game to play: Who can bring up the biggest rock?”
Contestants dove under the water and sought to find the biggest rock one could grab and carry to the surface, out of the creek, and place upon the shore. An additional challenge to the contest was the fact that the Buffalo Creek is not a clean-flowing, natural, mountain stream. It’s muddy and cloudy and I would rather not think about its source; thus, one relied on feel more than sight which can be particularly frightening.
Naturally, competitiveness kicked-in and the rocks being brought to shore grew dangerously huge and eventually lead to the next game played being Who can build the biggest dam?
E = Evening It is the subject of poems and songs --- the grace of a summer evening. The day concludes tinged in warm light; there is a softness and a peace. Be it at a ballgame, at a campsite, on a boat, or on your front porch enjoying a summer evening is one of the joys of the season.
F = Feet In summer, go bare. Feet, I mean. Or, if so inclined, “go all in with nothing but skin!” Bare feet in summer --- strolling in the morning grass still wet with dew, or on a warm sidewalk; wading in the creek; the softness of sand --- take off your socks and shoes, ditch your sandals and go barefootin’!
Wednesday, July 24, 2013
Monday, July 22, 2013
Summer ABC's --- The Remix
Previously, this little exercise got me going and was well-received. We are in the heat of summer and let us take a chance to list and listen. As always, do feel free to make your own summer alphabet:
A = Ahhhhh! The season of summer is the great exhale ---- ahhh.... It is the season of long, lazy, easy evenings on the front porch with a cold beverage and the baseball game on the radio. It is sitting on sand and listening to the waves; spending afternoons at the baseball game where there is no clock and the game can last hours. Summer is campfire rings and floating on the river....ahhh......
B = Bikes The mode of transportation in summer. There was always a place where the neighborhood kids would gather during the summer. One recognized the place by the number of bikes parked, dropped, and lying in front of the home. My ride was a sporty little 3-speed that even had a speedometer. In recent years under the leadership of my oldest brother we have embarked on “Bike the Burgh” which is a day-long bicycle ride along the trails and byways of our fair city. My brother is quite the biker and takes the time to research the route, making sure the hills are few and the stops-of-interest are spread out widely. A couple of weeks ago we did 32 miles (blessed be Aleve) with stops that included “Penn Brewery” and “Dave and Andy’s Ice Cream.” I tell you for beer and ice cream I’ll bike many miles!
C = Church Camp As a kid I never went. As a young adult, I was hired as Camp Program Staff and worked two summers as a camp counselor. Every week a new batch of kids would arrive and we spent our week assisting in either sports camp, adventure week, tennis camp, swimming camp....you get the idea. I enjoyed the experience --- hanging out with the other staff was a blast and Saturday evening staff nights out were memorable. The kids were, for the most part, well-behaved, rarely suffered from home-sickness and were quite entertaining and provided great sermon illustrations. Yep, it was during my tenure as a program staff counselor that I received the call to ministry. I also could identify a tiger lilly, helped children scale a 16 foot wall, sunk a raft at Ohiopyle, and learned that if you are doing a cook-out and bbq chicken is on the menu be sure to boil the chicken first or your cook-out will conclude at 11 pm. Lesson: Always opt for either hot-dogs or pizza mountain pies when doing a cook-out for 30 elementary age campers.
A = Ahhhhh! The season of summer is the great exhale ---- ahhh.... It is the season of long, lazy, easy evenings on the front porch with a cold beverage and the baseball game on the radio. It is sitting on sand and listening to the waves; spending afternoons at the baseball game where there is no clock and the game can last hours. Summer is campfire rings and floating on the river....ahhh......
B = Bikes The mode of transportation in summer. There was always a place where the neighborhood kids would gather during the summer. One recognized the place by the number of bikes parked, dropped, and lying in front of the home. My ride was a sporty little 3-speed that even had a speedometer. In recent years under the leadership of my oldest brother we have embarked on “Bike the Burgh” which is a day-long bicycle ride along the trails and byways of our fair city. My brother is quite the biker and takes the time to research the route, making sure the hills are few and the stops-of-interest are spread out widely. A couple of weeks ago we did 32 miles (blessed be Aleve) with stops that included “Penn Brewery” and “Dave and Andy’s Ice Cream.” I tell you for beer and ice cream I’ll bike many miles!
C = Church Camp As a kid I never went. As a young adult, I was hired as Camp Program Staff and worked two summers as a camp counselor. Every week a new batch of kids would arrive and we spent our week assisting in either sports camp, adventure week, tennis camp, swimming camp....you get the idea. I enjoyed the experience --- hanging out with the other staff was a blast and Saturday evening staff nights out were memorable. The kids were, for the most part, well-behaved, rarely suffered from home-sickness and were quite entertaining and provided great sermon illustrations. Yep, it was during my tenure as a program staff counselor that I received the call to ministry. I also could identify a tiger lilly, helped children scale a 16 foot wall, sunk a raft at Ohiopyle, and learned that if you are doing a cook-out and bbq chicken is on the menu be sure to boil the chicken first or your cook-out will conclude at 11 pm. Lesson: Always opt for either hot-dogs or pizza mountain pies when doing a cook-out for 30 elementary age campers.
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