I have a good friend back in upstate New York named Bill Yeoman. Bill’s a fellow photographer, and he also happened to be a volunteer patrol ranger for the Black Rock Forest.
Bill introduced me to Black Rock, and we would take Bill’s Jeep and make frequent trips into the forest to photograph some of the most beautiful nature I’ve ever experienced.
Every now and then a big, yellow school bus would bring a load of city kids, say from Manhattan, to experience the forest. Sound carries a great distance in the woods, and when these kids arrived and unloaded and began to chatter and laugh and yell you could hear them from a long way away.
One day Bill had parked his Jeep and we had walked some distance away from it, taking photographs as we went. We were anywhere from half a mile to a mile away from the area where Bill had parked when we suddenly heard the yells and squeals of kids coming from the parking area. Bill and I looked at each other and rolled our eyes–the quiet sanctuary of the forest had been invaded by noise.
We finished photographing the particular area we had hiked to and began the walk back to the Jeep. Bill and I had developed the habit of leaving the legs of our tripods fully extended, closing them together and hoisting them up onto our shoulders, like you sometimes will carry a rifle or a shotgun. That way if we saw something we wanted to stop and photograph we didn’t have to waste time by extending each section of the tripod’s legs.
We were carrying our tripods that way as we rounded a curve in the road, which lead uphill to the parking area, and we caught sight of the big yellow bus and the rowdy group of teenagers, who were making about as much noise as a busload of raucous chimps.
We closed about half the distance between us and the group when suddenly the kids caught sight of us and they instantly became totally quiet! I mean, you could have heard a pin drop in that forest!
Bill and I looked at each other, shrugged, and kept on walking uphill toward the parking area. As we got closer we noticed two very odd things: all of the kids were staring at us wide-eyed, and some had mouths agape; and their teacher was almost doubled over with laughter.
She began to approach us and she could hardly talk for laughing, and all the while the kids remained transfixed and silent.
When she got to us she explained that she had been telling the kids a tall tale about two old crazy hermit brothers that were reputed to live in the forest, hunting for game with their rifles and shotguns, fishing in the lakes, and either living in caves or some dilapidated shack deep within the woods. The old hermit brothers were shabby in appearance, sported scruffy beards, and were both a little whacko, and carried their guns with them wherever they went! Let’s hope we don’t run into them!
And about that time Bill and I emerged from the forest, both of us shabbily dressed, sporting scruffy beards, and carrying on our shoulders what could have been mistaken to be, from a short distance, rifles or shotguns!
The teacher resumed her laughter as she told us how the timing of our emergence from the woods couldn’t have been scripted to be any better. We joined in the laughter as well, bade her good day, and walked past the group of kids, who were still as quiet as church mice and were regarding us with distinctly wary expressions.
It’s an experience that I will treasure for all of the rest of my days, and it’s a story that I love to retell.
We all need a little break from the seriousness of life. I hope you’ve enjoyed this one.
--------------
Biker tip: Two things a biker should never be without: A Leatherman multi-tool, and a Victorinox Swiss Army knife (I recommend the Super Tinker). They will pull your fat out of the fire many times, both when you’re on the road and when you’re not.
--------------
Next week’s post: John is off into the aether, chasing ghosts, racking up miles, and shooting photos. It's anyone's guess as to when he will return to this blog, if ever. Stay tuned?
As always, your comments and questions are welcomed and appreciated.
Visit my web site at: http://www.johnrussell.net/
Interested in psychic John Russell for a media project or TV series? Send an inquiry to my producer, Jim Mullen, at: info@mullenmedia.net. Visit his web site at: http://www.mullenmedia.net/
Copyright 2009 by John Russell, all rights reserved.
Bill introduced me to Black Rock, and we would take Bill’s Jeep and make frequent trips into the forest to photograph some of the most beautiful nature I’ve ever experienced.
Every now and then a big, yellow school bus would bring a load of city kids, say from Manhattan, to experience the forest. Sound carries a great distance in the woods, and when these kids arrived and unloaded and began to chatter and laugh and yell you could hear them from a long way away.
One day Bill had parked his Jeep and we had walked some distance away from it, taking photographs as we went. We were anywhere from half a mile to a mile away from the area where Bill had parked when we suddenly heard the yells and squeals of kids coming from the parking area. Bill and I looked at each other and rolled our eyes–the quiet sanctuary of the forest had been invaded by noise.
We finished photographing the particular area we had hiked to and began the walk back to the Jeep. Bill and I had developed the habit of leaving the legs of our tripods fully extended, closing them together and hoisting them up onto our shoulders, like you sometimes will carry a rifle or a shotgun. That way if we saw something we wanted to stop and photograph we didn’t have to waste time by extending each section of the tripod’s legs.
We were carrying our tripods that way as we rounded a curve in the road, which lead uphill to the parking area, and we caught sight of the big yellow bus and the rowdy group of teenagers, who were making about as much noise as a busload of raucous chimps.
We closed about half the distance between us and the group when suddenly the kids caught sight of us and they instantly became totally quiet! I mean, you could have heard a pin drop in that forest!
Bill and I looked at each other, shrugged, and kept on walking uphill toward the parking area. As we got closer we noticed two very odd things: all of the kids were staring at us wide-eyed, and some had mouths agape; and their teacher was almost doubled over with laughter.
She began to approach us and she could hardly talk for laughing, and all the while the kids remained transfixed and silent.
When she got to us she explained that she had been telling the kids a tall tale about two old crazy hermit brothers that were reputed to live in the forest, hunting for game with their rifles and shotguns, fishing in the lakes, and either living in caves or some dilapidated shack deep within the woods. The old hermit brothers were shabby in appearance, sported scruffy beards, and were both a little whacko, and carried their guns with them wherever they went! Let’s hope we don’t run into them!
And about that time Bill and I emerged from the forest, both of us shabbily dressed, sporting scruffy beards, and carrying on our shoulders what could have been mistaken to be, from a short distance, rifles or shotguns!
The teacher resumed her laughter as she told us how the timing of our emergence from the woods couldn’t have been scripted to be any better. We joined in the laughter as well, bade her good day, and walked past the group of kids, who were still as quiet as church mice and were regarding us with distinctly wary expressions.
It’s an experience that I will treasure for all of the rest of my days, and it’s a story that I love to retell.
We all need a little break from the seriousness of life. I hope you’ve enjoyed this one.
--------------
Biker tip: Two things a biker should never be without: A Leatherman multi-tool, and a Victorinox Swiss Army knife (I recommend the Super Tinker). They will pull your fat out of the fire many times, both when you’re on the road and when you’re not.
--------------
Next week’s post: John is off into the aether, chasing ghosts, racking up miles, and shooting photos. It's anyone's guess as to when he will return to this blog, if ever. Stay tuned?
As always, your comments and questions are welcomed and appreciated.
Visit my web site at: http://www.johnrussell.net/
Interested in psychic John Russell for a media project or TV series? Send an inquiry to my producer, Jim Mullen, at: info@mullenmedia.net. Visit his web site at: http://www.mullenmedia.net/
Copyright 2009 by John Russell, all rights reserved.
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