Highgate

Monday

Swimming holes


Woke up today around 2pm, sweating and contorted into a pretzel, i felt like i got hit by a mack truck - i don't really know why, but i slept really funny, so i started the day off feeling like it wasn't going to be my day, So i decided i'd get out of the sinagog and head over to the new Coffee shop in the North end, next to Pandera (the new Bakery) get some coffee, do some blogging and work on the Pure Pop Website - i was just getting out of the shower when todd came in and we sat down and split an afternoon beer.

Todd wanted to go swimming at the marosy's - and since i only know marley sort of i was reluctant, but the idea of swimming got stuck in my head... maybe what i needed was so ice cold water in my face, so while we sat and smoked, i ran through my head where we could go. I don't like lake champlain cause it's dirty, and i don't know anyone else in burlington with a pool - then i remember that me and Sara paule used to go up to Bartlet falls just past her house in Starksboro in the summertime... that i could do, fast moving fresh mountain water seems clean and safe to me.
We decided on that, made a few calls and headed out - stopping on the way to pick up our friend Clark from the studio. I also got ahold of SP for the first time in a while, and luckily enough she was on her way to babysit her little brothers in Starksboro, so we decided we'd all go out swimming together, the three of us guys, sara paule and her two little brothers Miles and Spencer.

If any of you have ever been to Bartlet falls, you know how great it is, otherwise, let me sum it up - it's gorgeous. Shallow fast moving river, with stone bed (you'll want to wear water shoes) that grows deep to about 8 feet in places, one side is lined by a 20 foot rock ledge that kids always are jumping off much to my alarm, and on the other a gentle, but slippery slope rises out of the water, that acts as a perfect place to sun yourself or use as a little water slide back in. at the far end of the swimming area (cordoned off by visitors who've made a makeshift boarder out of stones in the past) out into the deeper water, is an amazing waterfall, with a cavern cut out behind it, fit for climbing into and re-enacting the waterfall scene from "The Last of the Mohicans" (todd, wasn't having any of it...) then diving through and into the deep cold water, if you come up to quick you'll get battered back down by the falls.

I'm also amazed at how empty it is, even on days like today there were only a couple other people there, and it felt like we had the whole river to ourselves.

The greatest part of the whole afternoon was definatly getting to hang out with my old bandmates Spencer and Miles, these two personalities are about as dynamicly opposed as two brothers can be, yet they work so well off each other - Miles, 11 is the brain, he's smart, and thoughtfull, we used to play video games together and talk thoughtfully about whatever he was on his mind, usually video games... In the old band, he played Trumpet and a little guitar

Spencer, the 9 year old is an animal, i've never met anyone that so perfectly embodies the out of control Id. You never know what he's gonna say or do, and today was no different, the first thing he said as we pulled in the drive in Todd's 84 Saab "You know... i gotta tell you, this car is a peice of Junk!" From there he pretended to swill vodka drunkenly (water) and at the end of the afternoon he had filled up his swimming shorts with 15 lbs of large stones, and tied them in with a peice of string, walking around hold them and laughing, gyrating and making childish sexual gestures. Hilarious. He was of course, the vocalist for the band.

Todd loves Spencer, and its not hard to tell why - he's basically everything Todd hopes to be; free, unfettered - self contained and unhindered - infact, he's everything i think any of us hope to be. But i can tell that Todd shares a special appreciation for little Spence, that's where these pictures came from.

So if you havn't been to Barlet Falls, check it out - but i'm not telling you where it is, it's not that hard to find anyway - but the less people know about it the better i'd say. Afterwords we went and got Cree-mee's - this is Summertime, no doubt about it, and just what i needed to shake out whatever had gotten into me in my sleep...

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

damn i miss vermont...
-srb

Anonymous said...

me too.

mec