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When I was a kid I couldn't wait for summer school holidays, and like every other kid I knew it was a time of simple fun and exploration. Too young to work it became a time of endless cycle of hot summer days spent largely at the local swimming pool, followed by sweltering nights in which you were unable to sleep because of the heat trapped within the house. Exacerbated by the inevitable sunburn which accompanied these type of days.
As I've mentioned in a recent blog, sunscreen was a luxury that we couldn't afford so we'd get sunburned everyday, peel, then burn again the next until eventually we turned a nice shade of coconut brown. And after the initial shock of the sunburn had subsided the biggest concern were two fold - sunstroke from being in the sun all day long and not eating or hydrating and secondly, those pesky bees that frequented the grassed area around the pool.
Strangely it would only take a couple of stings and I seemed to become immune to the after affects of a bee sting, especially once you got the "stinger" out it often didn't even itch or swell up so it took only minutes and you'd be back tearing around the pool.
The only other thing we really had to be careful of were the snakes, and for much of the spring and summer you'd have to keep a sharp eye out where ever you went, even in our backyard. The way I like to remember it was the we lived on a one acre block filled with fruit trees and snakes...
There was the time when dad, who wore mostly bib and brace overalls was coming in from the garden and as he walked toward the house, yes all 60 paces he felt a tug on the leg of his pants. Thinking that it was a piece of wire in the grass that he had stepped on and caught in his pant leg he tried to brush it away with his hand but when he made contact with the "wire" he realized that it was a rather large and angry copper head snake that had its fangs stuck in the seam of his overalls.
Now, dad wasn't one to panic, especially when it came to snakes...seriously he had no fear whatsoever. He turned on the snake and like lightening grabbed it behind its head and yanked it free of his pants in one fluid move.
Smiling, as though he was on a Sunday stroll walked to the backdoor where he called to us to come and see what he had. My younger brother James and I got as far as the fly wire screen at the back of our house and saw what he had in his hands. We felt no compulsion to get a closer look, in fact, as I recall we backed up a step or two from the fly wire door in horror.
All I remember is dad standing there with this "huge" (through our kids eyes) snake writhing endlessly in his hands telling us to be careful when we were out in the backyard and to watch where we stepped. No shit...OMG!
With that he strode off toward the back fence where he broke the snakes back with a single blow before stringing it up on the fence. His rationale was it was a warning to all other snakes to beware....yeah, not convinced that the snakes actually knew what dad was up to. Like most things that dad did, he was completely convinced that his method for doing things was the only way, and so given his confidence all we could do was believe him and follow his lead.
My big brush with a snake came when I was about 7 or 8 and was heading up the back steps toward the woodshed. On the final step for some reason I looked down, and there was a rather large tiger snake sunning itself a mere inches from the final step. As I recall my foot was on a trajectory to land about two inches from his head and already leaving the ground to step forward when I saw it and almost pooped my pants. Somehow I twisted and instead of stepping onto the step side stepped and took off running, all the while yelling to dad that there was a snake.
He was there in a flash, still with the shovel in his hand that he'd been turning the soil over in his garden with and with a single blow from the edge of the shovel severed the snakes head from his body, I was mesmerized as it thrashed and jetted blood everywhere in its final death throws just a few feet from where I stood. Dad slid the head onto his shovel, then picking up the still writhing body carried it to the back fence for its final resting place - yep, slung over the fence...as always. Seriously, this trick of stringing them didn't seem to stop the tons of snakes from making out backyard their playground now did it?
When it came to finding a front cover for my book, also entitled "Indelible Adventures" I knew exactly the photo I wanted to use. Yep, a great shot of my dad as a young man with a large snake around his need that he'd caught in the sugar cane fields with his bare hands.
Not surprisingly when I think of my dad the image of him and a snake often pop to mind...he was fearless!
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“Hanoi Posting”
This week's photos are still from the more than 1600 photos I took in New York last weekend. New York is amazing and coupled with five spectacular blue sky days it was a heavenly birthday present.
Enjoy!
TW
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As I've mentioned in a recent blog, sunscreen was a luxury that we couldn't afford so we'd get sunburned everyday, peel, then burn again the next until eventually we turned a nice shade of coconut brown. And after the initial shock of the sunburn had subsided the biggest concern were two fold - sunstroke from being in the sun all day long and not eating or hydrating and secondly, those pesky bees that frequented the grassed area around the pool.
Strangely it would only take a couple of stings and I seemed to become immune to the after affects of a bee sting, especially once you got the "stinger" out it often didn't even itch or swell up so it took only minutes and you'd be back tearing around the pool.
The only other thing we really had to be careful of were the snakes, and for much of the spring and summer you'd have to keep a sharp eye out where ever you went, even in our backyard. The way I like to remember it was the we lived on a one acre block filled with fruit trees and snakes...
There was the time when dad, who wore mostly bib and brace overalls was coming in from the garden and as he walked toward the house, yes all 60 paces he felt a tug on the leg of his pants. Thinking that it was a piece of wire in the grass that he had stepped on and caught in his pant leg he tried to brush it away with his hand but when he made contact with the "wire" he realized that it was a rather large and angry copper head snake that had its fangs stuck in the seam of his overalls.
Now, dad wasn't one to panic, especially when it came to snakes...seriously he had no fear whatsoever. He turned on the snake and like lightening grabbed it behind its head and yanked it free of his pants in one fluid move.
Smiling, as though he was on a Sunday stroll walked to the backdoor where he called to us to come and see what he had. My younger brother James and I got as far as the fly wire screen at the back of our house and saw what he had in his hands. We felt no compulsion to get a closer look, in fact, as I recall we backed up a step or two from the fly wire door in horror.
All I remember is dad standing there with this "huge" (through our kids eyes) snake writhing endlessly in his hands telling us to be careful when we were out in the backyard and to watch where we stepped. No shit...OMG!
With that he strode off toward the back fence where he broke the snakes back with a single blow before stringing it up on the fence. His rationale was it was a warning to all other snakes to beware....yeah, not convinced that the snakes actually knew what dad was up to. Like most things that dad did, he was completely convinced that his method for doing things was the only way, and so given his confidence all we could do was believe him and follow his lead.
My big brush with a snake came when I was about 7 or 8 and was heading up the back steps toward the woodshed. On the final step for some reason I looked down, and there was a rather large tiger snake sunning itself a mere inches from the final step. As I recall my foot was on a trajectory to land about two inches from his head and already leaving the ground to step forward when I saw it and almost pooped my pants. Somehow I twisted and instead of stepping onto the step side stepped and took off running, all the while yelling to dad that there was a snake.
He was there in a flash, still with the shovel in his hand that he'd been turning the soil over in his garden with and with a single blow from the edge of the shovel severed the snakes head from his body, I was mesmerized as it thrashed and jetted blood everywhere in its final death throws just a few feet from where I stood. Dad slid the head onto his shovel, then picking up the still writhing body carried it to the back fence for its final resting place - yep, slung over the fence...as always. Seriously, this trick of stringing them didn't seem to stop the tons of snakes from making out backyard their playground now did it?
When it came to finding a front cover for my book, also entitled "Indelible Adventures" I knew exactly the photo I wanted to use. Yep, a great shot of my dad as a young man with a large snake around his need that he'd caught in the sugar cane fields with his bare hands.
Not surprisingly when I think of my dad the image of him and a snake often pop to mind...he was fearless!
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“Hanoi Posting”
A series of fictional micro-stories by Terence Wallis
Episode 42: The Call
Lea was excited to talk to Bill and hear his voice, but when the receiver was picked up in Hanoi it was Vietnamese voice that answered in accented english. Lea asked for Bill but had been told that he wasn't in the office, she enquired as to when he'd be back but they weren't able to give a definitive answer. Dejectedly she hung up the receiver...
She felt disappointed that they hadn't spoken as she wanted to pass on her flight details so that all would be ready for her upcoming visit. Whenever she thought about going to Hanoi a wave of excitement coursed through her body, part butterflies and part fear.
But something deep inside gnawed away at her, was it self doubt about seeing Bill again, or was it something else... And by not being able to speak to him she felt like her equilibrium was off, if only she could hear his voice perhaps that would calm her she thought.
A couple of days later she tried calling the Hanoi desk again, but with the same result.
Lea's frustration began to boil, why wouldn't he speak to her she? Was he trying to avoid her she wondered, had he changed his mind?
Until now she'd been able to keep the tide of self doubt in check, but her inability to talk to him had opened the flood gate to her worst fears.
"Damn him" she sobbed as tears rolled down her face dripping onto her cotton nightgown...
Next week: Episode 43: Bargaining chip
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This week's photos are still from the more than 1600 photos I took in New York last weekend. New York is amazing and coupled with five spectacular blue sky days it was a heavenly birthday present.
TW
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| At the end of the High Line walk in the Meatpacking district on New York's west side |
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| Meatpacking district in monochrome - loved the lines |
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| The Love Street Coffee truck on the corner of Prince and Greene right outside Ralph Lauren in SoHo on a quiet Sunday morning |
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| Lots going on it this photo - taken in SoHo |
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| Looking south toward the World Trade Center in lower Manhattan from SoHo |
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| One of my favorites - cool composition, lines, colors and contrasts |
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| Breakfast photographer in the West Village |
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| Union Square bokeh! |
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| Family photo opportunity on the front lawns of the NYC Library |
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| Such an ornate light stand at Bryant Park |
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| Bryant Park on a beautiful Saturday afternoon |
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| Almost at Prince for my Sunday morning coffee and people watching session Dean & Deluca here I come! |
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| The New Years Eve ball in Time Square taken from the roof top bar at the Knickerbocker hotel adjacent to the square - the sunset light was perfect! |
