November 11, 2004

why did I wait so long?

I've lived here in the Crackerbox for three years now, and ever since the day I moved in, I've wondered where a two-lane rut road goes from where it cuts away from the street at the back of the neighborhood and off into the woods. Today was a cool, cloudy fall day, and I felt like going for a walk. I loaded my derringer with rat-shot, clipped the pistol on my belt and went hiking off to see where that road went.

Bejus! It reminded me of the woods where I grew up as a boy. The "road," which really is just a set of tire ruts, seldom traveled by the looks of it (lots of fresh deer tracks on top of ancient tire tracks), snakes through the woods for about a half a mile before it dead-ends at what I believe is Little Ebineezer Creek. It turns into a footpath there and follows the creekbank quite a ways, farther than I wanted to walk. I did find several good fishing spots there, and that water looks like it might be thick with bream and crappie.

The woods are really open in places, with very little secondary growth among the trees. I saw numerous places that would make excellent campsites. I would love to take Quinton and Jack down there some evening and spend the night in a tent. It's really woodsy back there, and I'll bet a good ghost story around the campfire would have those boys trembling in their sleeping bags at night.

There's nothing back there but woods and creek. The land isn't posted and I saw no fences anywhere. I scared up a flock of turkey buzzards while I was walking around and they took to the trees with all kinds of squawking and gobbling, giving me the hairy eyeball. I wondered if they were dining or reclining when I disturbed them.

I walked out of there thinking that I don't need to drive to the woods to target shoot anymore. I've got a great range right there. I'm going back tomorrow if it's not raining. I'll see if I disturb any neighbors by walking down the street with a rifle in my hand.

I don't think I will.