I mentioned I would be telling y'all the inspiration behind the tire swing that I just
had to include in my contribution to the July 2012 Blog Train.
Here's my story ...
To go shopping in Sonora from where we live in Copperopolis, we
must cross the bridge you see in the photo above.
Even though we have to travel a minimum of 20-30 minutes to shop retail stores(we do have a lovely full-service market in town) such as Walmart, Lowe's, Kohl's and a few others, we enjoy our drives immensely!
What is not to love about driving in less than minimal traffic
and ogling a breathtaking view along the way? Not a thing!
With summer in full swing,
no pun intended, on our return trip home from Sonora, it is not unusual to see cars parked bumper-to-bumper off the road just before the bridge. There is a trail that goes up the mountain and it also leads to a
very special tree! This tree has been used for as long as I've lived here (17 years), to accommodate a rope swing from what,
apparently, has been a very reliable and sturdy branch that hangs out over the water.
Might I say, instant refreshment on one of our
notoriously hot, triple-digit afternoons!
Yup! And people will climb out of the water and hike back up the hill to take the plunge
over-and-over again! Ah, to be
so young and carefree.
*smile*
When I was growing up, I loved inner tubes both in the water and hanging from a tree! Those were some fun times for sure and it is pretty common place to find tire swings in more rural areas aka country, such as where we live or even back in the day when swing sets were not a modern convenience in every backyard. I guess that would be
way back because my brother and I
did have a swing set in our backyard and that was in the 50s!
Photos taken by me using my Samsung Galaxy S2 mobile phone and processed
with an Android app from Google Play called BeFunky using the Vibrance effect.
I then created a collage from four photos using another wonderful app for Android,
PhotoGrid. Both apps used are free! Have I mentioned that I am hooked on
Instagram? That is an whole 'nuther story! *wink*
I'm sure y'all have noticed the, "No Jumping or Diving From the Bridge" sign as well, eh? Now, most of us have at some point in our lives come to the conclusion that it is human nature to do the exact opposite of what we've been told not to do. Case in point. How many times has someone said, "don't look!" and your immediate reaction is to ... what? Uh, huh. You look! I know I have and I am generally very good about following directions! *wink* There is just something that takes place in the human brain that has us doing the opposite when it comes to "No" and "Don't"! For the most part, we get better about controlling that urge to look as we get older. I think. Don't we? He, he ...
Well, you just know that lovely piece of concrete that connects us to the other side of the lake has been host to many a diver and/or jumper!
I have witnessed it with my
own eyes on
more than one occasion. Thank goodness I
never witnessed
my own children jumping, as my youngest son (twin turning 23 this month) has just informed me that he and,
most likely, all three of his brothers have,
indeed, taken the leap! Having been a single mother to two girls and four boys (mostly the boys), I will
adamantly state right here and now that I am thankful there were a few things I was oblivious to. I mean,
after all, didn't I teach them to use common sense and to obey the laws of the land?
*rolling eyes*
Specs for this collage are the same as above, but with better views of our beautiful
Lake Tulloch! This is North Shore where you will find Lake Tulloch Resort and
Drifter's Marina. Traveling west on Hwy 108 and tucked away in the outskirts of the
quaint town of Oakdale (home to a large Hershey's plant/store until just a few years ago
and yes, we toured the facilities a couple of times and left with our free candy bars!)
is South Shore, which houses Lake Tulloch RV Campgrounds and Marina. Lots of
history in this part of the Motherlode. We are also about a hour and half's drive
from Yosemite National Park. Robert and I hope to be taking another road trip soon, as
it has been nearly two years since venturing out in that direction. Here's hoping that
gas prices keep going down! *wink*
For those of you with grown children, what are some of the events that you might be thankful to have found out when they were older rather than at the actual time they occurred? Have you documented or scrapped those events? To those who have yet to have a family or whose family is still growing and/or young, what might you wish never to know, if anything at all?
Today, I leave you with a sweet (or should that be,
swinging!) little cluster featuring my favorite piece in my contribution to the
July Blog Train -
the tire swing!
I hope that you are enjoying your trip down the
July Blog Train track through
Scrapland thus far and are finding lots of treasures to help you preserve your summer memories!
Have an
amazing rest of the week
everyone and to
all of you here in the USA, may you have a fun, safe and celebratory
Fourth of July!
*Sorry, this link has expired*
If you happen to be out-and-about in Scrapland, come on back to visit me this Friday, July 6th, for a set of 3X4 coordinating journaling cards for your downloading pleasure!
Remember: It is scrap-happy hour 24/7 here in Scrapland!
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