(view of aerosmith)
last night i got roped into driving my brother, nephew and niece to the quarry to go swimming... the quarry that the cops patrol because, due to numerous accidents, you aren't allowed to swim there.
my brother is an adrenaline junkie, i am a chicken. but after about 20 minutes, i started to relax and figured that no one was going to roust us out of there (the fact that there were a bunch of high school kids who'd been there all day helped, too).
the quarry is where granite used to be mined, but with the popularity of concrete, the quarries were forced to shut down in the early 20th century. eventually a natural spring opened up, flooding the area 20 feet deep and it became the hot spot for swimming.
it's a bit crazy, all the different places you can jump from and the different heights of the cliffs. the kids had a great time. jess and i stayed over by the rope swing, where the 10 foot jump is. derek and alex went over to the 30 foot cliff known as aerosmith, so dubbed because someone had spray painted the band's logo on the ledge back in the 70's.
by about 8:00, i was ready to go (the mosquitos were eating me alive) and i think the kids were ready, but my brother wanted us all to go over and check out "the 60", a 60 foot jump into a skinny, water-filled ravine. "we're just going over to look at it", my brother says. famous last words. with in seconds of us arriving, my brother jumps.
my brother is an adrenaline junkie, i am a chicken. but after about 20 minutes, i started to relax and figured that no one was going to roust us out of there (the fact that there were a bunch of high school kids who'd been there all day helped, too).
the quarry is where granite used to be mined, but with the popularity of concrete, the quarries were forced to shut down in the early 20th century. eventually a natural spring opened up, flooding the area 20 feet deep and it became the hot spot for swimming.
it's a bit crazy, all the different places you can jump from and the different heights of the cliffs. the kids had a great time. jess and i stayed over by the rope swing, where the 10 foot jump is. derek and alex went over to the 30 foot cliff known as aerosmith, so dubbed because someone had spray painted the band's logo on the ledge back in the 70's.
by about 8:00, i was ready to go (the mosquitos were eating me alive) and i think the kids were ready, but my brother wanted us all to go over and check out "the 60", a 60 foot jump into a skinny, water-filled ravine. "we're just going over to look at it", my brother says. famous last words. with in seconds of us arriving, my brother jumps.
two words describe my brother - dumb and ass (put them together and what have you got?).
okay, yes he's jumped this before...when he was in his late teens! he is now 36, with back and shoulder problems from a motorcycle accident, as well as years of construction work and being a commercial plumber.
so he hits the water, rises to the surface and repeats about 10 times, "don't jump from there". uh...didn't plan on jumping anyway. it was at this poin that i knew he was hurt, but he didn't let on...not until after we'd dropped the kids off, he said that his arm felt like it was broken but he knew it wasn't because he could still move it.
Did he want to go to the emergency room? of course not. no no. that would just have been the smart decision. thank god his wife was home; if anyone could get him to go to the emergency room, it would be her. i have to call him today to find out how his arm is.
so that was my adventure last night. thank you for listening to (reading about) my "older brother is an idiot" rant and do check out the pictures. despite the crazy end to the adventure, the beginning and middle of it were fun, and the pictures are cool!
so that was my adventure last night. thank you for listening to (reading about) my "older brother is an idiot" rant and do check out the pictures. despite the crazy end to the adventure, the beginning and middle of it were fun, and the pictures are cool!
1 comment:
Wonderful photo! the place looks great despite the mosquitos :)
bjs
paula
Post a Comment