Thursday Sep 9, 1999

3:10p

     Well, compared to recent days these past few years, this has been a rather adventurous one.

     Decided to drive up to Sliding Rock #11 for a bit of a walkabout this morning after doing all the normal cow path things. Even took my walking staff along this time, seems like I forgot to the last time I went to one of the Power Places. There wasn't much new at the carpark, except all the Summer's trash some types leave behind. Reminded me of some animals that just have to mark their territory. But anyway.

     Went on down to the rock and water. It's really starting to show the dry spell we've had this Summer. The water was really low. I walked upstream just kinda headed up to the usually sitting spot. Noticed how really low the water was in some of the roundouts. Even the mineral stains on the rock was dried out. I dont remember ever seeing that before. I got up to the big boulder overhang, another one of them rocks I keep expecting to fall some day. There's usually enough water running to make it slippery to go any farther, but not this time.

     So I looked upstream to where the creek bends back into the woods. I had been up there once before when I climbed over the fill rocks that were put there when the road was cut through. Thought for a while and decided this might be my last time to venture up that way again. So I did.

     Nature wise it was water, rocks, trees, brush and such. And more trash even that far up. Saw a deep red flowering weed of some kind. It has small blossoms on it. I went on up the creek, finding my way among the stepping rocks from one side of it to the other. I climbed along one ledge, it was very high but I was already on that side and rather than cross the creek again I went on.

     I had noticed tire tracks back down on the main rock, though someone had drove a jeep up it. That wouldn't have been to difficult back there. But I saw more tracks up where I was then. I really don't know how anyone would have gotten that far up. Then I remembered the ATV's so maybe it was one of them.

     I crossed back over to the other side about then. It was a flat space next to the creek. There in the middle of it laid a billfold. It was just laying there, not like someone had dumped the contents out or anything. So I picked it up and looked through it. There was no money or credit cards, if anyone had found it before and there was any they just got them and left everything else. It belonged to a 19 year kid from Liberty. Thought some about when he might have lost it; maybe this past weekend since it was Labor day holiday. It's been so dry, couldn't tell anything about it having been wet.

     I looked upstream again to see how much farther I could go. It looked pretty easy so I went on. I carried the billfold along too. I got to another flat rock in the middle. It was turning to water and brush on the sides with nothing else easy to walk on. I did notice a cleared out area on the south side. I thought it was the old railroad bed when the Appalachian Lumber Company had one up there. But now that I think about it, that would have cut over to Eastatoe Valley back near Antioch Church. So that wasnt it.

     Anyway, I looked under the brush and saw that it was a natural ponding place. The runoff from that side would have pooled up there because the downstream side ran into a ridge. I did start to go over there, there were a pile of rocks for stepping on. I poked at them with my walking staff, it moved. Poked a little harder and it slid into the water. The others did the same too. Guess it was good not to go stepping on something that just looked ok. That was as far up the creek I went.

     I stood around on the flat rock some more. Then hunkered down and looked through the billfold more closely. Yeah, I know, curiousity got the better of me. But it's ok. I'm not telling what I found anyway.

     After that I stood around and looked around. Then did some of the Native American and Chinese rituals, mostly just twirling my walking staff and shaking it at Nature. Oh yeah, did the 3 and 4 taps on stone thing too, trying to drawn forth the Wizardkins. Anyway I was feeling good.

     The walk back down the creek was much the same as going up. Except for carring along the billfold. While on the far side of the creek I did make my way over to where the kids did the spray painting years ago. I thought I might as well make the most of being able to get to it. I stood there and touched the big rocks, closed my eyes and sensed the Zen of the experience, their Zen that is. It didnt work too well, not like it use too. Guess there's too many years between then and now for me.

     I walked on down to the big pond, but it wasn't so big this time. It's really dried up this Summer. There was more trash down there too. I actually thought about plannig a trip just to pick up what I could. Maybe I will someday. There was another spray paint job near the jumping off rock. I didn't think much of it till I looked at it again. It was about half way up, whoever did that one must have been hanging by a rope, or took a ladder down into that hole. There was much else to note except the erosion where they still do the hill climbs. One was really steep, how they kept from turning over I'll never figure out.

     I stopped at the truck and smoked a cig. Oh yeah, I had left them in the truck and I thought about smoking one when I was up the creek. But anyway, kind-a glad I didn't have them with me then.

     I walked up the road this time. There's not much to tell, just found a flower pot and the glove compartment out of a car. That made me think a bit, wondering why the reason was for that part of a car to be on the side of the road. Guess someone got mad about it being loose and just ripped it out and tossed it out. Made it a few hundred yards up the long hill then turned around and walked back down it.

     I had just gotten out of the car park and drove up to about where I turned around when walking. There wasn't nothing behind me when I pulled out onto the road, and I saw the two trucks come around the bend from the bridge after I was stepping up though the gears. I thought everything would be ok, I could keep ahead of them. But they just kept on closing in. The lead truck's turn signal came on, he was going to try to pass. Coming from the other direction near the top of the hill was a tracter rig. I knew he wouldn't make it. I just easied over onto the grass, it's good that there was extra room between the road and guard rail. I slowed down and let them go on, then pulled back out onto the road. I think the truck drivers slowed down some the rest of the way up the hill. But anyway, nothing bad happened, though I guess it could have if I hadn't gotten out of the way.

     I got back home and bathed. Washed my hair, again. Then got out the phone book to see if this kid's name was in it. It wasn't. Not even the surname, looked in Liberty, Easley, Pickens. The phone book is 3 years old too, I don't think they delivered one the past two years. So, tried seeing what there was on some of the people finder web sites. Still nothing. There were a couple people with the same first or second name, but they were in Mississippi. Maybe he moved here from there; or back again.

7:00p

     Well, it was about time for lunch in the story and now it's after supper. I guess I should make this for the Short Short Story section of the website. It's getting to be a really long Journal entry.

     So like I said, it was getting to be time to go to Mom's for lunch, like all the other days. It was much the regular routine there. Except ....

     I went out to walk around Mom's house, just to see how things were. I got to pulling runners off of the Whistery bush. I think they've started to grow like Kudzu now even though it's been as dry. I started breaking them off with my hands, then I went and got the hedge clippers. Started finding where they had grown onto some of the neighbor's bushes, shrubs and trees. I cut and pulled them down. Some look like they had been growing for a year too. I broke the hedge clippers trying to cut one of them. Went and got the pruning shears. Trimmed some more. Then I found one that ran up into one of their trees. It had been growing for a couple of years it seemed. Decided to go talk with the neighbors to let them know and make sure it was ok with them. They said it was. We talked a little about the dry weather and climbing vines. They were on their way out too. One of their daughters came over to take them up town. So anyway, I finished the vine cutting and pulling down. Then came back home. Bathed and washed my hair, again.

     I spent some more time thinking about how to get the kid's billfold back to him. Thought about taking to the county sheriff or highway department and let them find him. Or just write a letter to the address and let him know I had it and we'd make arrangements to return it. Or just driving down to Liberty and see if I could find the place myself. It was all a bit of uncertainity about what to do. Don't know what people would think about strangers driving up and knocking on doors these days. Don't know what and all is involved with turning in a lost billfold these days either. Must be government paperwork and red tape and other stuff.

     It's all just really sad. Use to be a time you'd just find something, hop in the car, knock on a stranger's door, "Hey, found your wallet up on the creek. Here it is. Later." That's much how this ended. I did type up a letter and addressed an envolope, thinking if I could find the place, I'd just drop the letter off at the Liberty post office.

     I had been hearing thunder before I left home. When I got up highway I could see the dark clouds down over Liberty. It always seems to rain when I really have to go somewhere, even in the dry seasons. So it was lightening, thundering and raining from about halfway to Liberty on down to the south of town. First real rain I've been in since May or June. Had to wait on some construction work along the way too. And there was another one of them drivers who like to comb their hair using your car mirror too. I pulled into a gas station to let her go by.

     I find the road and drive out it once, it's a cluster of houses and no numbers on the mailboxes. Turned around at a church at the end of the road and went back. There was a man going to his mailbox this time. I stopped and asked about the house number. He mentions something about a young lady moving out a few months ago, while point to a house. So I drive back into Liberty and stop at a grocery store to smoke things over. It wasn't raining as hard by then too. I thought again about just taking to the sheriff, or Liberty police since I was there. The house number I was looking for should have been on the opposite side from where that man was pointing. So I decided to go back to the road and try again.

     I was an old house with large trees around it, like it was one of the original houses on that road. There was a trailer out back of it too, along with several cars. I think the man must have been a mechanic or something. I had trouble making out the number on the house through the fence and limbs. But it was the right one.

     I get out and go through the gate, it was dripping big drops off the leaves, and onto the porch. I knock and a young lady opens the door, hesitately of course, and I asked if this is so-and-so's residence? She says yes. Does so-and-so live here? He's my son, he lives down there, pointing to a really small house. She looked more like she would have been an older sister. Well I explain that I was out on a walkabout off of SC11 and found his billfold and hand it to her. She said they'd get it back to him. Some time durning this a man comes to the door, he's her husband I guess. They thanked me as I left and that was about it. In fact he "Thank you sir" again as I walked back to the truck.

     Just as I was pulling out of their driveway, I saw a boy and his girl going into the small house. He turned to look at me but I didn't get a good look at them as I left, he may have been the one who lost the billfold, then maybe not. The house looked more like an over-sized playhouse for kids anyway. But I suppose that's what they were doing, playing house. Nineteen in the nineteen ninetys sure is a lot different than when I was nineteen. Even though they were hippie communes back then, I missed out on that too.

     It had stopped raining by then and when I got near Pickens I saw that it hadnt rained there at all. I drove on home and started this entry, but that's way back up there now. And you already know the rest.