Chasing Ideals

Me and the lads(Wiesiek and young boyos) decided to head off on the weekend for a wet and wild experience. How fitting those words turned out to be. An hour and a half's drive from here there is a picturesque little village called Rekovnica with river, lake and forest accessories for all to enjoy. Wiesiek (or V-8 juice as my father calls him) used to spend his summers in this village as a nipper and knows the locals the way I know the soggy end of a pre-cooked loaf. We arrived in the quaint Rekovnica late Saturday with enough supply for a month or single night depending on your nationality. A drive through the bustling village (six or seven houses as the crow flies) and a few stops in order to utter grunts at the known locals and we arrived at our destinado (sounds smooth eh). A large farmhouse 'twas, where Wiesiek had oft spent his youthful summers no doubt picking daisies and belting out ol' Polish folk tunes with gusto. The inhabiting family were old chums and so the chat came in breathless and extended duration and was topped off with much toothless grinning and offers of straight-from-the-cow milk. The fam said of course we could pitch our fabric-and-pegs on their plot by the lake and so we were off with the young farmer leading the charge. Down grass roads and through fences we went to our mag spot where we were shown wood and swimming bay and offered a small boat for some on lake adventure.

Within a few of the best our tent was up and the lot of us gathered wood for a gargantuan fire. That first eve was spent swilling down soup and such before retiring to beddy-byes with Wiesieck and I sleeping in the car leaving the four young lads to their history of extreme flatulence in the tent. Late the next morn, after intense stretching to offset the affect of sleeping on car seats, hours of gorgeful eating again commenced about the fire. 'Twas early afternoon before any alternate activity was attempted and those included cutting wood to make bows and arrows, running briskly through the nearby cornfields, and capping it off with a short swim in the lake. For myself 'twas a chance to relive the beauty of my countryside childhood and the freedom and activity of such existence. I have not oft thought of it but know that this is one reason for the joy in my dwelling in this place that my heart has always been for the country and the exploration of open space.

We returned to our fire and further gorging before I was invited by Tymek to a lake venture aboard our host's boat. In two of the days earlier ventures this boat had proved to be more than a bit shaky but we were undeterred and after trudging through the customary sludge we were off with only a mild amount of whiplash causing near falls. A swift adjustment was made in putting me at the oars after our realization that me in the back meant rapid capsizement. I was forced to row backwards as my tree length legs allowed for no other way and all the while Tymek behind me informed me that we were taking on water though I saw no evidence and was attempting only to stabalize our vessel amidst repeated major shadows of capsizement. With the grace of a sailing rhinoceros I attempted the chase of a group of swans only to have nautical disaster strike myself and my companion. Within short distance of the swans a minimal movement of my legs and the oars caused an extreme shift of the boat and Tymek and I found ourselves being hurled out. As my head flew swiftly toward water I heard behind me "I knew this would happen" and then the plunge came. The boat somehow swallowed a major gulp of the blue-green wobbly stuff and began a rapid descent. I attempted to hold it to prevent its heading for bottom but the weight was beyond these twig limbs. I turned to find Tymek holding the boat's floating seat and the oars strewn some distance away. Moments later the laughter came for the sheer absurdity of being shipwrecked amidst small lake with nearby swans gazing on and young fellow next to me clinging vigorously to a floating seat. Realizing the boats ownership I made two futile attempts at recovery only to discover shite colored water, five meter depth, and complete lack of boat. I then told Tymek I would swim ashore for help to haul out our vessel but after swimming half the distance in my wet t-shirt I was knackered and simply called out from there to our on shore companions. Wiesieck called back that there was no way we could haul it out from that depth so back I swam to little Tymek on his makeshift dingy. Together we swam to the lakeside, me with the oars and he with seat, laughing all the way and me nearly drowning in weariness from the laughter. We then trudged again through two foot deep sludge by the shore side all the way around to our camp. Nearing the end the sludge was so thick and wearying to traverse but we had remembrances of the mention of leeches and it was as if I took a cattle prod swiftly from behind as I attempted running the last of the way. Ashore amidst further chuckling we worried of telling our hosts but when all was packed and we returned to them 'twas no more issue than paying most of its cost and leaving that ground with an experience to tell to the future outpouring of our loins (sorry for that).

One last adventure on our path home was the decision to view spectacular pasture and valley near the home of a previous host of the lads. We awed at the valley only to at one point end up tire deep in soggiest muck. It took excessive pushing, excessive use of straw about the tires, and a few long and drawn-outs directed to heaven before me and the young lads could get the tires out from their respective mud dwellings. Not in the least a loss however as the journey out was capped with the rapid slamming on of the brakes for the sake of a fine collection of ripe nuts. 'Twas like the days of my youth picking ripe nuts from their berches and wild apples of the extremely sour variety. Just one of those juicy apples was enough to give David's face the imploded look for a lengthy period. Pockets and shirts full of nuts later we were off homeward back to the grind of building the new structure by what are now ancient means.

Take a look at the pics up from our weekend away. Hopefully future posts will not be so long in coming but I know that I have said that before.