Adam's Beanstalk

A daily adventure-bag of insights and old bones from an unknown poet in Manitoba's south. Caveat: Not everything is to be taken literally. Things are often shaded with poetic crayons; be the owl. Also, not all these bones are collected from different fields. Find themes that run througout each post and the journal as a whole; the most insignificant event may be part of an ear.

Tuesday, May 09, 2006

Somewhere Over the Rain and the Homemade Bow

Of course you know how I got to the West. You do not yet know of the tension that befell our party the following day just outside the Navigator house in Calgary. It lay hung as a canvas backdrop to the play that was the week to come. Here is this week, in pictures.

Our captain, Jonathan Serhal, who bravely guided us out from Winnipeg to Calgary by himself. But beware! He barely escaped a mutiny!

The leader's weekend was an excellent time where we got to connect with other group "facilitators" and grow in our own spiritual walk. We even got to spend an entire afternoon, five hours, in prayer. This picture was taken during that afternoon, as I hiked up the hillside past a lone patch of snow. It is a box, resting on a prairie field. This box is me. This box is you. All around is blue.

Making the best of a windy day, Chelsea and I decided to build a kite that set off an arts and crafts revolution at the camp. It was a little wobbly, but I swear it would fly if it wasn't for that broken string. Or the lack of wind. Or the scent of horses.

In some form of wicked anti-chinook, the campground was covered in a marvellous snow storm the day the others arrived. Though this cleared up, the area was hit with about a foot of snow on Tuesday.

On Wednesday night we were treated to a BARN DANCE. Many good times. Us Mennonites showed them all how to two-step. Here is one of us, Tyson, with the sweet cowgirl Launny.

In this candid shot, fierce barbarian Will Manty (single male), takes to his steed. We got a chance to go horse riding at the camp (it was my first time!). I was on a horse named Sonny and he was sometimes slow/sometimes fast. Many nagging comments came from those behind. So I made Sonny trot to catch up, and everything was fine (until Will Manty's horse got spooked by a car). Sorry, I passed him in line. I am bad. I deserve to be kicked.

The boys in my cabin (and by boys I mean men, almost all older than I, their leader) in a rare moment when they were not holding guns or saying "Simon" in a british accent. My fist of punishment often fell. And then there was the Tyson that turned up our thermostat to 30 the first night. He shall pay twice over.

Some of the group without a name hanging around a pole without a purpose in front of the main lodge. In the picture is John L., Chelsea, myself, and Charlynne.

A bigger group of us on the last full day hiked up to Prayer Mountain. It was a beautiful hike where too many snowballs were thrown and then we saw a hydra and John tried to slay it barehanded, but we don't know if he lived, and then we went on a quest, over swampy bog and biker bandit attack, to find the sacred sword that grew from a tree stump.

Just when you think you are all alone, and that God has answered a prayer for safety, up springs a giant bear inside the main lodge. Those that laughed at it because it's back legs were wooden were the first to be eaten. Most of these sitting at the table survived by using it as a shelter. I think James lost an ear, though.

To close, to close, I gave our kite to the beloved kids who had helped to make the week more interesting by shooting us with water guns and drawing neon horses. They smiled, and this is what I took. I took it with me all the way back to the green confines of southern Manitoba.
Fin.

5 Comments:

At 12:01 a.m., Blogger Chelsea Rae said...

oh Adam, i love the post. i was smiling like a goon as i read it because i actually knew what you were talking about (for the most part). such good times that week. my fav moments that were mentioned in your post:
1) the ghetto kite (obviously); and
2) everyone nagging you to get your horse to pick up the pace (which was mainly me, sorry)
also, every person from your cabin has mentioned Tyson turning the heat up to 30 the first night on their own blogs, and i'm pretty sure that he'll never live that one down (who adjusts the thermostat in the dark anyway?!).

 
At 10:18 a.m., Blogger Adam Kroeker said...

Chelsea-have you seen your expression on the bear picture? While everybody else is pointing in fear, you look peeved, as if about to say, "How dare a bear interrupt MY meal!"

 
At 5:41 p.m., Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hey Adam,

I really enjoyed your picture post. =D The bear story was so funny and unexpected, hehe excellent work!

~Steph

 
At 8:41 p.m., Blogger rachelle in winnipeg, it's a living said...

hi adam

 
At 11:10 p.m., Anonymous Anonymous said...

well adam your blog was extremely entertaining and you made very accurate depictions of our week. i believe that the bear attack pictures were your idea and i have to say props to you for that because they are quite possibly my favourite! thanks to pat for saving us with his brute strength and lack of fear...i feel for james though, losing an ear cannot be fun. however i think he lost the ear that was hit in the air gun fight so it was already damaged...no biggie!

 

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