Friday, October 24, 2008

Flashback Friday...Go climb a tree

The tree climb on Sunday was a wake up call as to how serious I need to take this year's biggest loser. (I'll spare you the big butt shot).

Jamie and Ryan have an excellent tree to climb in their back yard, but I was stunned at how hard it was to get 44 year old limbs out on a limb compared to what I had in memory (probably 14 year old limbs).





Anyway it got me thinking of favorite trees.
I think this tree was already taken out by a tornado by the time I was old enough to climb trees.
My favorite one was in the side yard between Uncle Ralphs and our house.
It had smooth branches and in the fall it had prickly balls fall off it to the ground.
Where was your favorite tree?
Maybe Florida?
Or one that you just couldn't leave without bringing it home?
And kids don't try this at home...even if you still have 14 year old limbs.

Directions to here:
Is the black and white tree actually tied to something? I thought Dad only tied the Christmas tree to the wall, but apparently he tied outside trees too.

4 comments:

Big Papa said...

It does look like a cable coming off of the tree in the black & white photo, who knows what it might have been for. I remember at one time Uncle Wayne had rigged up a dog run on a cable but I don't think it would have been there. The limb that I'm on extended out over the burn barrel and had a tire swing on it that Uncle Wayne had made for us. For a while we had a sandbox under that tree and also a race track around it where we used to stand on the back of our tricycles and race around the tree and the sand box. As I sit here typing this all kinds of memories come to mind as to fun we had under that tree but I will end with the night that it blew over. This was also the night that the walnut trees in front of the station blew down. Our blue & white station wagon and my brand new bicycle were both under the tree when it went over. They cut the tree up and got it off the car and Dad kept it for us to drive with a big v in the roof over the right rear passenger seat. My bicycle was not hurt. I remember driving that car a few times right after I got my license before I bought my own car. I think Janet and Susie will probably remember driving that car also.
The sunflower is another whole story. I think that Dad had planted them that year in a small plot for pheasant cover. When he saw how tall they grew he suggested that I get the tallest one and take it to the fair to enter in the tallest sunflower contest. We dug it up and Elden hauled it to the fair for me in his Dad's Cadillac convertible. Other than Dad's grain truck it was the only vehicle that we could find that was long enough to carry it in without damaging it. We had the top down one end of it laying on the dash and the rest spread out across the back of the front seat and on back over the back seat and onto the trunk deck with some still hanging over the back. I don't remember for sure but I think it was 16' something long. I did win a prize with it. I think it was like $25. Man they don't make cars like that anymore, and boy Nancy sure knows how to pick pictures to get the old memory banks working.

Big Papa said...

I may have to correct my comments. After looking back at the black and white picture and the date on it I.m thinking that it may be David on the tree limb rather than me.

Cori said...

Who is that on the palm tree? what a great picture! I don't know if I have ONE favorite tree though...I remember giving names to them as a kid. Is that normal?

nancy said...

that's dave in the palm tree