the gap
This is the time of year that I refer to as the gap. In between winter and summer. It is too cold to do anything fun but too warm to stay inside. This reminds me of an episode of my youth from when I was 14 years old and visiting some relatives in the foothills of the Rockies. I went there once a year usually the week that we were sprung from school. This was the spring of 1981 I got to bring my good friend Sven and my other friend whom I shall refer to as Goon. Goon you know who you are.
We were strolling around a creek debating about the meaning of life. I supposed it was to own a car. Sven said “no, that we were put here to have sex with members of the opposite sex and questionable moral values”. Goon said, “ You are both wrong we are here to fish.” Since Goon came up with the only meaning that we could partake of due to our limited funds, looks, and shortage of members of the opposite sex and questionable moral values, we went fishing.
This is where the gap came in. It was hot. By hot I mean upper 80s low 90s. We began to sweat and true to 14-year-old boys nature we stunk. Goon in particular smelled so bad that we made him sit downwind from the rest of us. Soon Sven said lets go swimming.
I mentioned that I did not have my bathing suit handy. They laughed at me saying, “ever heard of skinny dipping”
I had heard of skinny-dipping, I had not seen many people other than myself naked at this point in my life. I would not have minded seeing a members of the opposite sex and questionable moral values naked, I had no desire to see either Sven or Goon naked. Frankly, I did not wish to be seen naked by either of my two companions either I had only known them 12 years and did not particularly trust either of them where nudity was concerned.
We were sitting on the bank of the creek it was the kind of bank that had washed away under the bank where you could dangle your feet. To one side was a thorn apple thicket that extended for about 200 yards then it was another half mile to a bridge that followed a trail to my Aunt Mavis’s house.
Suddenly Goon shouted last one in is a rotten egg. They started stripping naked and running to the bank to jump in. I, the rotten egg, fumbled with my shoestrings in an effort to remain a rotten egg. As they began to run to the creek I took a moment to contemplate the water in the creek. Looking up at the snow capped peak I quickly calculated the by the rate of flow of the water in the creek I realized that less than 3 hours ago this water was snow. I further calculated that the temperature of this water could not be above 40 degrees Fahrenheit. As Goon hit the water his shrieks lasted only 2 seconds as his head went under the water. Sven did an excellent impersonation of Wile E Coyote trying to run on air, but finally gave in to gravity.
They tried to claw their way up he bank and finally gave up and drifted the 200 yards to the bank. Then they hiked to the bridge where I met them with their cloths. They got to the bridge before me.
Their reputation suffered from this episode. My aunt drove by and saw them. She assumed that they were wearing Pale blue leotards. I used this as another reason not to get naked around them.
Goon is still mad about it to this day. He said Nature did not get the memo that it was summer.
Snagley out.
