Campfires and Cleats: October 2017

Tuesday, October 31, 2017

Rest ~ 31 Days of Adirondack Memories < #write31days >

Welcome to day 31,
the END of
the #write31days challenge
and my
"31 Days of Adirondack Memories" series!!

THANK YOU for sticking with me for a month of
poetry and reflection on
our summers in the most magical place
on Earth!

Today's theme~~
Rest

There is a rickety redwood picnic table. There are bare, sandy feet. There are stacks of books and board games. And up on Route 9, there is the comforting fixture of our American flag waving, though largely unnoticed. There is homemade potato salad and a plate stacked with slices of tomato and cucumber. There are fishing rods leaning by the cabin door; haphazard piles of sandals and flip flops alongside.

Today there was dock jumping and row boating and mussel hunting. Then as the sun dipped low behind the mountains ringing Schroon, after a day all too fleeting, there is the whisper-y fragrance of citronella and hickory barbeque and the familiar July crescendo of cicadas.

There is the Big Dipper and Cassiopeia, easily spied overhead night after night in the vast, velvety blankness. There is someone randomly asking, “Can anyone spot the Pleiades?” and “Who’s up for a game of Trivial Pursuit?”

And most vividly, there are hushed, happy voices, familiar lilts and inflections, saying nothing of huge importance, but enveloping me in safe-ness. Just as I hope that we are creating a haven that shrouds our kids in much the same...the safety, the memories, the goodness.

2008

My 31 Days of Adirondack Memories

for the #write31days challenge:

Day 3 Create

Day 6 ~ Story

Day 22 ~ Light

Day 29 ~ Follow

Day 30 ~ Refine

I'll be penning the October challenge as I do the

Five Minute Friday challenges, writing for 5 off each day's prompt

Incidentally, The Five Minute Friday Book is available for purchase!

~~ I'm honored that one of my stories is included within~~

By the way, if your kids are fans of hands-on science and

The Magic School Bus, check out this amazing subscription box deal !!

The $10/ month offering is good through the end of October.

Thank you for spending some of your precious time today

here at my home on the web!

Have you signed up to receive my posts in your email inbox?

If not, just click here to

subscribe to Campfires and Cleats by email

quickly and easily so we can be in touch regularly!

You might wish to follow on Facebook as well.....

If you are shopping at amazon and Target.

or shopping for Halloween costumes,

why not consider clicking through my link?

In this way, I will receive a small commission on the purchase.....

at no cost to you.

THANK YOU!

Until next time,

~Chris

BTW, I'm offering photo services and customized

photo packages for your blog or business!
< Subscribers receive a deep discount! >

Monday, October 30, 2017

Refine ~ 31 Days of Adirondack Memories < #write31days >

Welcome to day 30 of my

"31 Days of Adirondack Memories" series

for the #write31days challenge!

Today's theme~~
REFINE

Friendships form and cement.
A few staccato laughs,
but mainly hushed conversations over marshmallow roasting.
All the while, the aroma of pine, cinder and promise
weaves itself into our hair and sweatshirts,
ending a perfect August day.

Months later, crowds have thinned and temperatures, plummeted.

A few crimson and rust leaves dot the maple trees.
Most splatter, though, in nature’s heaps on the ground.
Canoes and rowboats are stacked behind cabins.
Docks and floats, safely stowed, too.
Waiting for the calendar to once again, point to summer.

To us, this is refined luxury...the ultimate

My 31 Days of Adirondack Memories

for the #write31days challenge:

Day 3 Create

Day 6 ~ Story

Day 22 ~ Light

Day 29 ~ Follow

I'll be penning the October challenge as I do the

Five Minute Friday challenges, writing for 5 off each day's prompt

Incidentally, The Five Minute Friday Book is available for purchase!

~~ I'm honored that one of my stories is included within~~

By the way, if your kids are fans of hands-on science and

The Magic School Bus, check out this amazing subscription box deal !!

The $10/ month offering is good through the end of October.

Thank you for spending some of your precious time today

here at my home on the web!

Have you signed up to receive my posts in your email inbox?

If not, just click here to

subscribe to Campfires and Cleats by email

quickly and easily so we can be in touch regularly!

You might wish to follow on Facebook as well.....

If you are shopping at amazon and Target.

or shopping for Halloween costumes,

why not consider clicking through my link?

In this way, I will receive a small commission on the purchase.....

at no cost to you.

THANK YOU!

Until next time,

~Chris

BTW, I'm offering photo services and customized

photo packages for your blog or business!
< Subscribers receive a deep discount! >

Sunday, October 29, 2017

Follow ~ 31 Days of Adirondack Memories < #write31days >

Welcome to day 29 of my

"31 Days of Adirondack Memories" series

for the #write31days challenge!

Today's theme~~
Follow

Foggy mist breathing and rolling toward shoreline as dawn awakens our corner of the world. Mauve and coral fingers reach from the east, brightening the morning. Illuminating the water lilies curving skyward, the majestic mountains.

The ever present, rhythmic swell of cicadas. The sun dappled sandy beach. The towering old growth pines - they landmark our haven in the Adirondacks. And have, for decades.

By dusk , calm settles over the camp, kids’ giggles and splashes reigned in after a day of memory making. As day draws to a close, a regal Old Glory is carefully taken from flagpole up by route 9, where the constant swoosh of cars, the downshifting of trucks, wanes.

Shadows lengthen from our island in lake’s center, stretching to shore. Scattered lights pop on, spilling glowing yellow stripes across lake’s surface. Patterns dance and flow onto the sand. Campfires are spotted around lake’s perimeter. Flames shooting; sparks snapping.

Connect ~ 31 Days of Adirondack Memories < #write31days >

Welcome to day 28 of my

"31 Days of Adirondack Memories" series

for the #write31days challenge!

Today's theme~~
Connect

Sun dips below mountain ridge, dusky stars twinkle.....
we eagerly welcome this golden guest

Sitting expectantly, encircling rocks

as the aroma of pine, cinder and promise

weave itself into our hair and sweatshirts.

On this journey when, at times
one's soul is split,
these are the moments that don't simply
strengthen, they invigorate.

When, while canoe-ing
or marshmallowing
or baiting our hooks,
our words dance around one another
....... united, we find we can confront the disquiet
we can re - live the blessedness of these past times

My 31 Days of Adirondack Memories

for the #write31days challenge:

Day 3 Create