Theric’s Big Adventure
Friday, March 24, 2000 ad
Yeah, and so American Lit ended. And I took off. As I was leaving the Academy, I looked at our big ole smoke stack and almost decided to finally climb it, but decided no, that it was just too windy for that sort of dangerbaby foolhardiness.
I went first to the Sarah Granger Kimball home; Sister Elsey gave me the tour. It was a very fine tour, but the most intristing thing I learned (which I plan on documenting) is that when Dr. Leroy Kimball began restoration, HE KNOCKED DOWN Hosea Stout’s home! He thought it wasn’t authentic! But they later found it was, and the only stone home built in old Nauvoo.
Crazy, Impetuous Dr LeRoy!
Then, on the advice of Gibby (who I passed on my way to Sarah Granger’s), I made my first real trip to the River right behind Sarah Granger’s. Wow. Great spot.
Then I started back. But not before a half hour (or so) of enjoying solitude, thought, rock-skipping, log-sitting and prayer. As I walked, Elder Johnson picked me up, then dropped me off at my destination, the quarry. What a great guy!
The quarry was nice, but whatever. I started up the River. I stopped here and there to look at streams and frogs and other things. At some picnic tables by a boat landing, I paused to write and look at the ducks. I love ducks. I love how they hit the water with their wings as they’re trying to take off.
As I packed up to leave, I flicked a scary-looking spider off my backpack and ate one of the two little Twix bars Sister Saunders gave me. I continued up the River.
The River is wide, massive, impressive. It is a great thing. I love the River. It’s up there with mountains and the ocean for things good to live by.
I continued up the River a long ways. I passed lonely stretches of silent trees and dead road, patches of summer homes—one of which apparently belongs to the Crooked Man and his Crooked Pets—kids playing with their friendly retriever and the lap-lap-lapping of the River on its shores. Finally I could see the bridge to Fort Madison not afar off when the road stopped going north, so I started up a rise to my right and began my trek inland. (The River is so big, moving away from it feels like moving inland.) I trekked through rundown farm buildings and rusted out trucks with weeds growing through their engine blocks. I saw the most dilapidated barbwire fences and a fearsome bull guarding his cows. He scared me. I’ve never been much of a cow fan, and here was a giant, virile beast separated from me by only a rusted wire that didn’t even reach his knees. Plus, what if he wanted to show off to the girls by goring a passerby? Not to mention that before I had noticed upon him, I had been swinging my coat ferociously to fend off the hordes of mosquitoes after my blood. Toro!
I walked a great deal before I started on the third, southbound side of my square. It was here that I started thumbing it. I proved to be no good at that. I’m glad though—I enjoyed myself more without a hitchhiked lift back to Nauvoo.
Three dogs along this road thought they were tough. I told them to stay on their side of the blamed road. They tested the line a couple times, but never completely disobeyed. I’m tougher.
I finally reached a nice paved and divided road which had to be the road home, but I couldn’t see the water tower nor nothin. I took it anyway.
Finally Nauvoo’s water tower and the spire of Sts Peter and Paul came into view. And even better, I found a newly dead robin on the shoulder. Little bald spot on his head. Hit and run apparently. I walked past it, then thought better. I emptied the small pocket of my backpack into the big pocket and put our friend red-breast therein. The game was on.
Continuing on, I finally again found city limits. Oh, and a cemetery. By this time, dinner had been over nearly an hour, so I thought, “Hey! Why not?” A good why not would’ve been the lack of light what with the sun long since down, but oh well. Lots of spiders on these tombstones....
From the cemetery it wasn’t much over a mile back home. But the missionaries’ concert was twenty minutes old at the Visitors Center so I headed there. It was fantastic! I really, really enjoyed it. Wish you could’ve been there. So sad that the Saunders leave tomorrow. So very sad....
Then I made it, finally, back to the academy. For dinner I had a couple bowls of raisen bran. Raisin is a word that simply cannot look spelled correctly in my handwriting. Raisan. Ptah.
In the dining area was Elder Walker’s newest arrowed creation, made just for us. We all get to sign it, then he’s going to lacquer it or something. What a generous thing to do! He’s a good man, Elder Walker.
After eating, I finally took the bird out of my bag and set about preparing it. My original thought was to let Shalayne have it to get back at Jennifer with. But no; instead I secured it between two of the papers we were scandalled with in our bathroom, both black construction. One said, “‘Ah, that’s right, boil it off...who needs that skin anyway?’—Lloydel” and the other, “*STAR*”. I left the “package” at the entrance to the girls’ hallway at the center stairwell.
Ideally, Emilee, Melissa and Wendy found it and took it to Melissa’s and Wendy’s room. (Ideal because Emilee, Wendy and Lindsi were the perpetrators of the infamous bathroom scandal the paper came from.) They supposed it was candy. It was not candy. They opened it and peered inside. They supposed it was lint. It was not lint. They dumped it out. It was roadkill robin. Yeah baby.
I guess all the screaming was highly audible on the guys’ floor too because Greg thought someone must’ve got engaged or something, and so came to investigate.
Sometime after this, I came up from the email lab and heard talk of a dead bird. So I ran to the middle stairwell, supposing it to be a better eavesdropping place. Instead I ran into Kate and Greg there. Kate had just thrown the bird away. They both appreciated it (although Kate thought it was disgusting), and Greg thought it was hilarious.
Emilee began down the stairs and Kate and Greg both told me to flee. I disappeared, Greg later said, just as Emilee appeared and checked down the way I’d left. Haha!
After that, it was scum until Lynsey called. Always a pleasure to speak with Lynsey. Lynsey, Lynsey, Lynsey. I love Lynsey! It was a marvelous, though unlong, conversation. I do so love her. Marriage will be good. Let’s get on with it already, eh?
As my eyes have just been closed for some minutes, I think maybe it’s time I signed off. Since I read Moroni 10 last night, what should I read now?
---eric
[illustration]
appr. time table:
3-345—SGK home
345-140—River
410—Quarry
410-430—Boat landing
430-5—Up the River
5-630—Countryside
650-7—Cemetery
720-915—Missionaries
Yeah, and that was my big adventure.
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Thanks for revisiting Nauvoo with me. I would love to hear your thoughts.