There is something about the Fall season that gets my creative juices flowing. I suppose it's that inward journey as we hunker down for the inevitable onslaught of winter. That said, I feel the need to write something, so here is another memory:
I grew up in an old farmhouse in an area that was at that time, very rural. When I was about 7 years old the city embarked on a massive road construction project that spanned miles, and some of that work was right in front of our house. What fun it was to see earth movers cutting swaths of dirt for what would become a major inlet towards the city of Milwaukee. Huge piles of dirt were created leaving us a fantastic place to climb and play.
One winter, my brother, the inventor of cool things to a 7 year old, had hatched a plan. The road in front of our house was still under construction and open only to local traffic. As luck would have it we had a huge ice storm that glazed the road with sheer ice. What does he do? He grabs his sled and constructs a makeshift sail using a wood pole and plastic sheeting taken from none other than the construction site in front our house.
The story goes that he sailed down that road for several miles and at a terrific speed. I was not there to witness it but I have no doubt that what he said is true. Hearing about his great adventure I say to him--can I try? He obliged. It was windy and bitter cold that day, I was dressed not unlike Randy the tick in A Christmas Story. I had another piece of equipment to help fend off the cold, and that was a scuba divers facemask. LOL. What a sight that must have been, very much like my wedding photo that Gamera just posted to my Icarus thread.
I climbed onboard my brothers fantastic craft and away I went. Let me tell you, that thing moved, so much so, I had to cut the journey short because as good as this medieval vessel was, it had no brakes. It was using your feet--which did not work well on slick ice, or jump off for your dear life.