Whip poor will hollow.(Holler)

[oneighty]

A little creek runs through it. The water
is clear and clean flowing gently down
into the muddy Tennesee River. Little
sunfish swim about just begging for
a fisherman to tease. They are well
fed and will not bite.

The Creek emptys into the river between
two high bluffs. The bluff on the right
is the one we boys leap off into the
river. It is about thirty feet high.

Further up the river the bluff gets
higher and higher. Some of the
bravest boys would "Cannon Ball'
off the high bluff. Most of them
would do that just one time.

Did any of you kids ever do that?

180

[trof]

1. Was there a rope?

There had to be a rope.
Tied way up on a tree on the bank.
We never knew who the death-defying daredevil was who climbed up there and tied the rope on. It had just always been there.
It had a big knot in the end.
If you were 10 years old or younger, the end was probably too high for you to reach.
You'd grab it and walk up the bank and then come running down, flying waaaay out over the river and then let go and do a big cannonball.
YeeHaa!
:hi:

[oneighty]

5. No rope Trof

Your feet had to be placed just so on the rocky outcrop and you had to leap to clear the overhangs. A very stupid fun thing.

180

[BrotherBuzz]

6. We never knew, either

Our rope swing was always there and the knots in that old chunk of Manila rope always changed. We never knew who hung the rope and we never questioned the rope gods, our only belief was that using that rope swing of questionable pedigree (WWI surplus?) was more daring then hanging it as we had no water below, nothing but a very steep hillside and air. It was a true thrill ride, arcing towards the heavens, that placed one closer to god than any church and reaffirms my belief that god looks after idiots and children. Boy, my hands are sweaty just thinking about it, but I'd do it again.

YeeHaa!

[oneighty]

8. No water??

Jeeze! We had a grapevine to swing on in the woods but it didn't take you anywher. The travel was even to short for the high pitched Tarzan yell (Scream) that very young boys have.

We were "Brachiating' on the vine. There, for years I have been waiting to use that word! See if it works! Got it?? Brachiating??

Ed

[BrotherBuzz]

9. Not Brachiating

I am living proof that I did not Brachiate but held firmly to that rope, but thanks for the new word. Our rope was perhaps forty feet long and swept out to the heavens that easily had a sixty foot drop down to the steep hillside below, a real E ticket ride in the eyes of a twelve-year-old. Heck, we didn't know the word Brachiating, and we didn't know the word inertia either, but we understood the concept that a fall swinging out would translate to being propelled out, and not just down. Thrilling. I would have enjoyed incorporating water (safety net) into this equation but the only water in my neighborhood was tidal, and not very deep at that.

[oneighty]

10. I heard that word

Brachiating..It has to do with the muscle Brachia located in the shoulder and its relationship to monkeys and other tree swinging bipeds.

Trivia. Still though, no water? Where is the tidal area you refer to?

180

[BrotherBuzz]

11. Land of hot tubs, peacock feathers, and John Walker Lindh

And the place that Bush I is not welcome - Marin County, California.

[Lars39]

7. Why use rope when grapevines are handy?

:)

[JitterbugPerfume]

2. Did you do it Ed?

I am betting that you did

you devil

[oneighty]

3. The high bluff?

No way. That was scary!

180

[JitterbugPerfume]

4. thats good

Iwould not want you to break your neck !!!