Don’t know if I’ve mentioned it in this blog previously, but I’m a wind freak. Have been since I was very small – and when I say that, I mean to say that some of my earliest memories involve windy days in Shoreham, when I’d play a sort of game by trying to simultaneously hide from the wind and being out in it. One of my favorite places to attempt this was behind a bush that grew between the roots of a large elm tree in our front yard.
The rules of my game were never set in stone and I’ve never been able to adequately describe them to anyone, but I knew (and still knew) what they are; and I still play my game whenever I get the chance. The briefest possible explanation of the rules is this: you must be able to fully experience the wind, yet you must attempt to shield yourself from it. With very few exceptions, man-made structures cannot be used to accomplish the latter, although if the structure is more or less open to the wind, then it’s acceptable.
I write all this as a way of introducing the fact that a wind storm came across the lake last night just as I crawled into bed, and it was fantastic. My boathouse was literally shaking, the dinner bell in the main cabin was ringing so violently that it sounded like a fire engine, and it was apparent that Old Man Winter wished it to be known that he was on the way back from his enforced vacation and was none too happy about it.
I immediately opened all of the windows in the boathouse (the resultant paper storm was impressive), crawled back under my down comforter and spent my time wondering (in a most pleasant way) exactly what things I’d need to grab first should I determine that the boathouse was indeed going to collapse (answers: tuba, pants, iPod, phone). During extra large gusts, I’d attempt to make myself as small as possible under the comforter and when things died down a bit, I’d let the top half of my body come out and challenge the elements.
Just playing the same game in my doddering old age. And feeling like a little kid.
After 20 minutes of so, the wind died down, replaced by a soaking ran that lasted, I’m told, for a few hours. By the time it was over, at any rate, I was fast asleep.
What a great end to the day.
TWD