“DOOOO
you wanna go on an adventure?”-me talking to my dog.
Abalone turned six the day after Jessica’s Forager
Feast and Birthday Bash, so we had to take our little four legged companion on
a little adventure. Abalone loves being spoiled, playing Frisbee, hunting,
going to the beach, her grandparents and uncles, but likely most of all she
loves swimming! So we geared up and after a birthday ritual bowl full of bacon
and eggs, we were off to a secret desert gem.
The hike in was nice through black sage, yucca and
cholla cactus, but when we found the shade under the alders and willows
creekside, we were in heaven. Abalone swam like an animal (ha) and did her best
to bite every bubble that past by her in the rapids. Chelsea practiced her yoga
on the granite boulders and true to my nature…I went and looked for a stick!
I’ll admit it, I
have a problem when it comes to rocks and sticks…but I have come to terms with
it.
At age four, I was bored one summer day and when I
heard my Dad say he was headed to work I got really bummed out. He saw I was
sad so he told me to follow him for a minute. Into the old drawer, under the
phonebook he pulled out two thick blue rubber bands that came standard around
the newspaper each week. He grabbed a scrap of leather from the bottom of the
rag bin and motioned for me to go with him outside. “we’ve gotta find the right
stick” he explained holding me up into an apple tree. “Does that one fit in
your hand?” he asked. I nodded and he put me down on the ground again pulling
out his trusty Swiss Army knife and opening the saw blade. I watched with
intent curiosity as he worked. He cut the leather into a rectangular strip and
punched two holes in it with the awl on the back of his knife, he cut the
rubber bands so they were long straps, and began to assemble the pieces. That’s
when I realized the method to his madness…it was BRILLIANT! The Y shaped stick
and scraps had just come together into a refined slingshot before my eyes.
Hunter chuckled and handed it over to me after
walloping an apple off the tree with a high velocity pebble. I was stoked! And
so began my fascination with upcycling. Dad went over the ground rules before
he took off for work explaining that with great power comes great
responsibility. He emphasized the use of backdrops, understanding trajectory,
making sure I was always shooting in a safe direction, and most of all that
this deadly implement was NOT a toy! I was no longer bored!
So the other day when I bought a three pack of boxer
shorts and found a thick blue rubber band wrapped around it, I smiled
deviously, set aside a scrap of leather, and today I was in search of a Y
stick. The materials came together effortlessly, and in a few minutes back at
the house we were ready. I snapped the band once to test the elasticity in the
bands and Abalone jumped up, licking her chops in anticipation, whining and
staring at the new source of unparalleled enjoyment (she really loves shooting
as well).
We set outside and the whole family enjoyed
walloping cans until the sun went down.
Happy birthday Abalone!
Waste not, want not. Enjoy the little things each
day brings, and always strive to keep the old ways alive!
-Kevin Smith
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