Sunday, August 14, 2011

Taut Rope

This taut rope helps secure the Portland fireboat, the MV City of Portland IV, to its dock. I don't search it out; mischief finds me. After watching many a Hopalong Cassidy and Range Rider western on TV, my brother and I often tried out learned skills on each other. One was rope tying. We'd tie each other up to chairs, tables or anything we'd recently seen the cowboys attempt. One time, we used my little sister's small rocking chair and timed each other on how fast we could escape. He went first and somehow I escaped rather easily. Well, at least that's the version I'm relating today. My memory does get foggy at times. Now it was my turn. I used various twists and turns, tight knots and a wrapping technique that was sure to baffle even the hardest of 'criminals'. He tried and tried, but all my knots did the deed. Then I thought, why not add some drama and rock the chair... fast! It was moving so fast that it went over backwards, sending 'brother dearest' to his backside in tears. What was that I heard? The sound of my parents driving up the driveway? I scurried fast to at least release my brother from his knotty grip, but all the knots held tight. What to do? There was only one, honest thing to do; the thing that most older brothers would do when found in such a dubious position. I ran for my life! I ran and hid in my closet! Long story short. Dad was not happy. I saw his strap. I was in tears. Turn the page. As I have always said, I don't go looking for it; mischief finds me! Ouch!
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33 comments:

  1. LowellAugust 14, 2011 at 7:59 AM

    Ah, you poor boy! You were just roped into this adventure, weren't you? Sheesh!

    And I have no idea what 100% cowgirl means. Especially as opposed to say, 50%. People are funny!

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  2. PerthDailyPhotoAugust 14, 2011 at 8:39 AM

    BEST.. STORY.. EVER..!!!!

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  3. Luis GomezAugust 14, 2011 at 8:47 AM

    Excellent! Shot and story are wonderful.

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  4. GunnAugust 14, 2011 at 9:04 AM

    so simple and so nice.
    I like the composition!

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  5. DinaAugust 14, 2011 at 9:14 AM

    Your story makes me almost glad my two big brothers were too big and busy to play with me.

    I grew up with Hopalong too but who was Ranger Rider? Maybe he didn't make it over to Chicago TV.

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  6. Tanya BreeseAugust 14, 2011 at 9:21 AM

    ha, i can imagine what you boys put your poor mother through! mischief and boys, it's like peanut butter and jelly!

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  7. john bainAugust 14, 2011 at 9:25 AM

    Hopalong Cassidy, The Lone Ranger, Roy Rogers, Gene Autry. They all made it to England. Ranger Rider? He must have stayed home on the range.

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  8. BirdmanAugust 14, 2011 at 9:44 AM

    Whoops! He was the Range Rider. Probably my favorite.
    http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Range_Rider

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  9. Small City ScenesAugust 14, 2011 at 9:45 AM

    Love the story. Didn't we all have such fun back in those innocent times.

    I remember making stilts too and walking on tin cans.

    As for the salsa---I don't like it too hot either. MB

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  10. BirdmanAugust 14, 2011 at 9:50 AM

    Ha! Walking on tin cans. I had forgotten that 'adventure'. Ha!

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  11. Regina KAugust 14, 2011 at 9:53 AM

    Great story Having grown up with 3 brothers, I think you sound like a typical boy. Funny how boys behave, I can already see these typical exploration in my almost 2 year old grandson.

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  12. HalcyonAugust 14, 2011 at 10:05 AM

    Wonderful story. Those kinds of games are part of the fun of growing up with siblings. My goodness... the things we used to do to each other!

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  13. UnknownAugust 14, 2011 at 10:06 AM

    Birdman, all your photos are attractive to my eye -- yellow pipes and fire escapes and Trader Joe bags are great cultural icons and just plain interesting.
    There were five of us causing mischief and it was my mother's wooden spoon we most often saw coming at us as the bed-turned-trampoline collapsed.....

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  14. LynetteAugust 14, 2011 at 10:10 AM

    Great post. It makes me wonder what tales Lamont (older) and Leland (younger) would tell me, if they got started and suffered from loose lips, which they do now and then. I am certain that I would enjoy them, after-the-fact.

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  15. UnknownAugust 14, 2011 at 10:23 AM

    Those things were happening all the time when we were younger.
    And parents were never happy.
    Costas

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  16. Mrs. NortonAugust 14, 2011 at 10:33 AM

    I have no doubt if your little sister had been around, she would have come to your brother's rescue! And, after rescuing him, she would have probably made him a peanut butter and jelly sandwich!!

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  17. AnonymousAugust 14, 2011 at 11:09 AM

    Haha. Did you try pleading innocent?

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  18. SharonAugust 14, 2011 at 11:09 AM

    Birdman, you were quite the busy boy when you were a kid!

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  19. SebabAugust 14, 2011 at 11:29 AM

    That was fun! When I was a child tho I was the older one, my younger brothers were more mischievous than me and so my parents believed that I was a good boy. I could easily make up a story and make them believe that my younger brothers were at fault.

    You are a story teller, you should have used some of your skills when your parents came. I guess they came too quick and didn't give you much room to make up a story :D

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  20. RandyAugust 14, 2011 at 11:56 AM

    Sounds almost like my. My mom was always chasing me with the belt and she should have known, her mom was always chasing her. Funny stories, got to love them.

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  21. VPAugust 14, 2011 at 11:57 AM

    Love the picture, we were never good at tying knots!

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  22. Folkways Note BookAugust 14, 2011 at 12:05 PM

    Birdman -- somehow this scenario you relate reminds me of a "Little Rascals," episode I watched as a child. My dad had a strap too -- but my mom had a long wide wooden ruler that was almost as bad. They really only had to use it a couple times as I stopped my mischief as soon as they exposed it before me. Enjoyed your post. Love the photo. -- barbara

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  23. cieldequimperAugust 14, 2011 at 12:53 PM

    So when ARE you publishing your memoirs? I think it'd be a bestseller.

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  24. Banjo52August 14, 2011 at 12:54 PM

    I enjoyed the story, but I also think the photo is interesting enough to stand on its own--texture and color. Heavy rope is right up with wood as a subject that pulls me in.

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  25. Doug HickokAugust 14, 2011 at 1:22 PM

    You tell stories that most people can relate too, in some way or another. I like your photographic compositions too, things people see everyday, but probably don't notice for more than a moment.

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  26. JackAugust 14, 2011 at 1:52 PM

    Very funny story today, Birdman. I was the second of two, and the older one was a sister, so I don't relate to this. But, I might steal the story and tell it as if it DID happen to me.

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  27. Marchin O'Neachtain emphaticallyAugust 14, 2011 at 2:54 PM

    Now that everyone has had a good laugh at my expense, I want everyone to know that I survived Birdman's little experience. As I recall, he tipped the chair, not backwards, but frontwards and I could not use my hands to break the fall. All I could do was break the fall with my head. This was not fun. I still wake up at 3AM trying to break my fall....well sort of. Anyway, I have made it through life with Birdman near and instead of getting tied up with a rope, many times he throws me a lifeline.

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  28. KateAugust 14, 2011 at 3:21 PM

    Ah, a lifeline seems so much more civilized! Well, you two survived one another!

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  29. Bob CroweAugust 14, 2011 at 10:02 PM

    You are moving closer and closer to claiming the title of the Samuel Clemens of CDB. Geez, my brother and I never did anything like that but we had the big city to distract us.

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  30. Betsy Banks AdamsAugust 14, 2011 at 10:37 PM

    Love your story.... You were ALL BOY weren't you?????? I am a girl --but had alot of tomboy in me. I loved Hopalong also ---and used to go to the local theater as a young gal and see all of the cowboy movies on Saturday... Then we'd play Cowboys and Indians for hours and hours...
    Betsy

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  31. TexWisGirlAugust 14, 2011 at 11:50 PM

    too funny!

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  32. Chrissy BrandAugust 15, 2011 at 5:59 AM

    Great photo and an amusing tale

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  33. UnknownAugust 15, 2011 at 7:50 AM

    Great detail! Love the colours.

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