UpState Adventures

Subject: Looking forward to a new season!
Time: 1:52:32 AM EST
Author:  odayzee
Mood:  Anxious
Music:  Eric Clapton - Reptile

  Hello Readers! 

  Well, the Holiday season is fading fast behind us as the days grow longer...With that in mind, we've been gearing up for a brand new season here at Upstate Adventures...

  Airing out tents, washing out boats and doing inventory on our equipment has been keeping us pretty busy lately...

  I'm excited and ready for it!...Each new season brings with it new friends, and visits from old ones as well...We try our best to keep in touch with everyone as best we can, but when the Earth heats up the flowers start to bloom and my paddling shoulder pulls me away from this computer, I can be hard to reach!..

  I've been spending an awful lot of time trying to maximize my time!

  Woodburning, macrame~ and my music helps the winter days seem shorter than they actually are, but my body always takes the abuse of the winter months...Where the hell did this extra weight come from?..I guess it is true, none of the above activities are physical...Still fun, none the less...

  I'll be adding new entries soon! New photos! New friends! Yes, a new season...Eagerly anticipated!..

  Don't forget to visit our web-site and check out the savings on our "Early Bird Specials" page...Until next time,,,PEACE!...

Written by odayzee Permalink | Blog about this entry |  Add to del.icio.us |  digg this This entry has 2 comments: Show Recent | Add your own

Subject: The Blue Ridge Parkway & Skyline Drive
Time: 9:25:16 PM EDT
Author:  odayzee
Mood:  Happy
Music:  XM Radio - Southern Gospel

  We packed up the car & headed out Saturday morning... 469 miles along the Blue Ridge Parkway, then another 110 miles along Skyline Drive in Virginia... From Front Royal, VA. it was on to Washington D.C.

  The ride was entertaining & enjoyable,,, until we got to D.C. Once we arrived in D.C. I realized just how lucky I am to live in such a slow & relaxed place... D.C. is not for me... Driving there tore my nerves out of the frame!..

  I think that by arriving after dark and not knowing where I was going may have made the D.C. part of our trip "unpleasureable".. I couldn't wait to get out of town and into a motel...

  Round trip, we traveled 1,398 miles... It was an experience that I'll never forget... I'll go back to D.C., but I'll arrive during the day and get a motel downtown so I can actually enjoy my time there...

  As you can see, the leaves were at the peak of color... The Smoky Mountains, Roanoke Valley and The Shenandoah Valley were beautiful... All in all, we had a fantastic time... Cathy shot all of the photos that you see above with a Canon Powershot A530... I think she did a great job!.. I did all of the videos...

  Until next time,,, PEACE!..

 

Written by odayzee Permalink | Blog about this entry |  Add to del.icio.us |  digg this This entry has 2 comments: Show Recent | Add your own

Subject: "In Memory of Timmy"
Time: 11:38:02 PM EDT
Author:  odayzee
Mood:  Quiet
Music:  XM Radio / Ambient

  Cathy & I took a short hike today to stretch out for the hikes that we'll be doing along the Blue Ridge Parkway next week... I can tell that I've spent most of the year on the water,,, my legs ache!...

  We hiked down to the waterfalls of Brasstown Creek... Theres four drops along this hike totaling 180ft. in height...

  I've been climbing up & down these falls since I was a teenager, and every time I come here I'm amazed at the natural beauty of this area... Brasstown Valley is also rich in cultural history...

  Silas Noah Butts was born to Jacob Beriak Butts Jr. & Mary ( Moore ) Butts on January 25, 1880... Before his passing on August 26, 1956, he would end up owning most of the Brasstown Valley...

  According to stories, he was a trickster of sorts... He made, and traded moonshine in the towns of Westminster, Walhalla & Seneca S.C. for clothes and other goods to supply his (MANY) childrens needs... Silas opened a school house in the valley for troubled & unwanted children and had the State send a teacher to educate them...

  Stories go on & on about Silas... If you'd like to learn more about Silas Butts or Brasstown Valley, let me suggest a great read,,, "The Mountain Man" by: Carlie G. Butts... This little book will take you back to a time ( not so long ago ) when living was hard in the Upstate of S.C. It is published by Augusta Presstech, 630 Greene Street, Augusta GA. 30901,,, ( 706 ) 724-8122... Check it out!...

  Well, I'm closing for now... Got things to do... Enjoy the photos,,, PEACE!..

Written by odayzee Permalink | Blog about this entry |  Add to del.icio.us |  digg this This entry has 1 comments: Show Recent | Add your own

Subject: Doodles!
Time: 12:10:53 AM EDT
Author:  odayzee
Music:  XM Bluegrass Jct.

  Sorry I haven't written lately!.. We've been busy as hell these past two weeks trying to get ready for our road trip on the Blue Ridge Parkway... I didn't think that a road trip would be this difficult to plan... As a matter of fact, I'm not sure of my reasons for all of the planning... We'll stray from the schedule for sure...

  Our plans are to follow the Blue Ridge Parkway north from Cherokee, N.C.,,, 455 miles to Front Royal, VA... From there, it's on to Washington, D.C. for a few photos of famous landmarks... I'm excited because Cathy & I haven't been on a road trip since the summer of 2000!..

  Anyway,,, I scanned a few of my "doodles" for everyone to enjoy... Most of these were done with colored ink pens on regular graph paper... I'd work on one for a little while, then I'd start another one, then another... I have had as many as five different doodles going at one time... It seems that I have problems finishing one thing before starting something new... I can live with that!.. I hear that's an Aries trait...

  Enjoy the doodles & I'll add an entry when we return from our road trip,,, until then, PEACE!..

 

 

Written by odayzee Permalink | Blog about this entry |  Add to del.icio.us |  digg this This entry has 0 comments: Add your own

Subject: Autumn is in the air...
Time: 3:23:37 PM EDT
Author:  odayzee
Mood:  Happy

    We got a phone call on Monday morning from a former whitewater client who was in search of solitude & seclusion... UpState Adventures had his ticket!..

   Stacy Childress & his Jack Russell, Petey has accompanied us on quite a few trips in the past,,, see > Chattooga Scoot'n <, a previous entry... This would be his 2nd trip on Lake Jocassee... The first happened in the summer of 2004 when Stacy paddled with my oldest Son, Seth... This time, he'd be paddling alone...

  We loaded the canoes at Devils Fork State Park and were on the water by 11:00am... Stacy quickly got a 200 yard jump on us and maintained it all day long...

  The weather was perfect, and so was the water... Unusually smooth!.. 90% of the time the wind is coming over Musterground & Whitwater Mountains, making the paddle across the open water a difficult one... Dead calm today!,,, and we're all thankful for that...

  We reach the Toxaway River leg of the trip by 2:00pm. and at 3:30 we were setting up camp... Two hikers came through. They said that they started hiking on the blue-blazed trail from Ceaser's Head State Park on Sunday... They had been on the trail for four days and still had three more to go... Cathy & I could feel their pain!.. We thru-hiked the Foothills Trail in the summer of 2001 and by our fourth day on the trail we were talking out of our heads. It's noticeable on the video that we shot of the hike... We had big dreams of hiking the Appalachian Trail,,, until we did the F.T. It broke me down pretty bad... Would we do it again? Sure, why not?.. The pain reminds you that you're alive!..

  We bid our visiting hikers goodbye and finished setting up camp... After that, it was down to the river for cookwater... And of course, firewood...

  I can walk out of the woods at Toxaway a hundred times a day, and every single time, the vast openess of the valley always makes me feel small and insignificant... The beauty is breath taking... You realize with your first deep breath that you're not at home on the couch, and that the World around you is real... As humans, we tend to forget that we exist in aWorld that we've created, and that there's a wilderness out there that can ( and will ) survive without us... It's refreshing to immerse yourself in something so much larger than you are... It brings you closer to God, which "most" of us need...

  We carried the water back to camp and Cathy started cooking dinner... Stacy, Petey & I gathered firewood and before we knew it, it was dark... I don't wander around too much after dark, but we decided to go back down to the river to wash the dishes... The sky was filled with stars and a cool breeze warned of a chilly night... As we turned to make our way back to camp, a huge shooting star lit up the entire valley... I don't think I've ever seen one that big before...

  Cathy went to bed shortly after 9:30... Stacy & I stayed up talking about tomorrows plans, and stoking the fire until 11:30pm. One last cup of coffee and I too am off to bed... Goodnight!..

09/21/06... It was a chilly 44 degrees last night,,, Brrrr!.. Autumn is in the air... We decide to cut ourselves short of a full breakfast because we were in a hurry to do some river hiking... So, I loaded a new disc into my camera, put on my wet river shoes and off we went,,, right up the middle of Toxaway River...

  We stopped at the bridge for a few snapshots and a cigarette... The sun was breaking the morning mist and it's warmth flooded the valley... About a 1/2 mile up river from the bridge, Stacy comes within inches of stepping on a Northern water snake feeding on a catfish for breakfast... I used up most of my disc shooting video of this... It's amazing to sit and watch a snake feed... As you can see by the photos, the snake was having a hell of a time swallowing his catch...

  After shooting a few more photos and a little more hiking, we decided to go back to camp to check on the fire and have some lunch... While we were eating, a Green tree snake drops from the limbs above and lands at my feet... Not an unusual event out here... There's quite a few species of snakes in the Gorges, most of which are completely harmless... Timber rattlers and copperheads are the only venomous snakes that thrive here as far as I know... But, I'm careful around them all...

  We spent the rest of the day gathering firewood and turning the baked potatoes that we were having with our New York strips... Yes, we always have a thick steak on our last night out... Our usual tradition...

  We wrapped up the day with hot coffee & cocoa, then closed our eyes on another wonderful day in the wilderness...

09/22/06... It started raining at 7:30am. Just light showers... We decided to pack up and head out while we had a short window of blue sky... As it turns out, we raced the rain all the way back to Devils Fork,,, but we still had a fantastic time...

  It won't be long before the leaves are gone and the trees will look like spines over the ridges... The air will be cold and ice will bend the trees to their limits... Animals, large & small will be competeing for the smallest morsels of food and winter will set in with a vengence...

  Standing by the Toxaway River at night brings these facts to life,,, and you realize that another year has gone by... How many do we have left?.. I think it's best that we don't know...

  Until next time,,, PEACE!..

Written by odayzee Permalink | Blog about this entry |  Add to del.icio.us |  digg this This entry has 0 comments: Add your own

Subject: Celtic Sunrise
Time: 10:53:04 PM EDT
Author:  odayzee
Mood:  Hopeful
Music:  TV - COPS!

  Hello All!...

  I've been pretty busy over the past week... So, I thought I'd take a few moments to catch everyone up on whats been going on... I'm still burning on the Indian flute and the dulcimer, but I took a few pictures of the first burn job that I did... I call it "Celtic Sunrise"... This little beauty is the only show-peice that I own,,, and it got me my first money burn... It's my favorite!..

  It was my introduction to pyrography and I learned a lot working on it... Both boxes were burnt ( believe it or not ) with a "Wal-Mart" burner & tips from their craft department... Absolutely no temperature control!.. The shading was a beast!.. But, the outter box is made of white oak, which made it a little more forgiving... The inner box however is made of white pine and full of sap!.. As all burners know, SAP is "not" your friend!.. I had problems with the details...

  From design to finished, I spent a total of 95 hours on this burn... I always sign and number all of my burns, and I'm proud of my #1 most of all...

  The Cherry wood snake pipe... No burning here! Well,,, not on the pipe... In it!

  I lived in southern Georgia for a short period of time in the mid 1990's... Tobacco, corn & cotton feilds stretched out for miles... True, I was totaly out of my element, but the experience of it filled a chapter in the ongoing story of my life...

  I met several interesting people while I was living down there... One of which I will never forget... His name was Mark... Not an unusual name,,, unless you're a full blooded Seminole Indian... And Mark was just that!..

  He had a very "different" way of looking at life and he made me feel welcome in his madness... He was a protector of sorts of all living creatures... Plants and animals alike were all one to him... He felt that there should be no harvest of the crops, or no slaughter of the winter meat until offerings were made to God and to the Earth...

  In the short eight months of my life in south GA. I paddled the backwaters of the Okeefenokee Swamp... I've mingled with the alligators in Moody Swamp and rounded up rattlesnakes in Claxton... I've even gone wild boar hunting and frog gigging on Bullard Creek,,, and Mark was a part of it all...

  I started carving the snake pipe out of the two inch block of cherry wood when I first moved down there... It was going to be a conversation peice because I didn't want to burn the bowl... Thats when Mark showed me the art of honey glazing... All you do is rub "waxless" bee honey thickly into the bowl of your pipe... Stick a toothpic into the hole... Place the pipe on a cookie sheet and place it in the oven... Set the oven at 350 degrees and when the preheat light goes out, turn the oven off and let it completely cool down... This will glaze a wooden bowl with almost a ceramic finish, which keeps your bowl from burning as you enjoy your "tobacco" or whatever you smoke...

  You'll have to repeat this glazing after ten or so smokes, but it does protect your pipe...

  Mark blessed this pipe before the first bowl was burnt in it and it has became one of my most valued keepsakes...

  Thanks for the life lessons Mark,,, you are thought of & missed!..

  We have another 3 day paddle on Lake Jocassee next week... I'll be back to post another entry when we get home... Until then,,, PEACE!..

Written by odayzee Permalink | Blog about this entry |  Add to del.icio.us |  digg this This entry has 0 comments: Add your own

Subject: Unplanned Trip!
Time: 1:22:21 AM EDT
Author:  odayzee
Mood:  Happy
Music:  David Gilmour - On an Island

  Some of our best trips have been unplanned!.. This would be one of those trips..

  We've been talking for sometime now about loading up the Coleman and disappearing for a few days,,, just the two of us... The reality of our unplanned trip didn't really sink in until we were on the water... Finally,,, peace & quiet!

  I'd checked the lake level gauge on the web before leaving... 13'10" below full pool... I was expecting low water but was shocked to see the visual difference that an extra 13' of shoreline makes... It's almost confusing...

  I took a picture of the Toxaway leg of the trip in March... I snapped another picture at the same spot on 9/7/06... You can see for yourself that the water is down drastically... Still, in no way did this hinder our trip...

  We put in at Devils Fork State Park at 10:15am. and by 2:30pm. we were setting up camp... We pushed hard to get here before the rain,,, but we beat it, barely!.. Just as I was pulling the last draw tie on the tarp, thunder rumbles in the distance... Shortly after, the rain sets in...

  No one enjoys cooking in the rain, so we decide on a quick dinner of Mac & Cheese with Summer Sausage... This has always been one of our favorite hiking meals... It's light weight and easy on the stomach,,, and cooks in no time... Plus, it sticks to your ribs like glue, for a little while...

  We finished up with dinner around 6:30pm. The rain had slowed to a drizzle and we decided to go to the creek to wash the dishes... My head was completely absorbed in my surroundings when suddenly a loud POP echoed through the valley... Then another, and another, followed by the sound of falling timber... Bears!.. They push dead trees over to feed on the grub worms & insects that live in the decaying wood... Cathy looked up at me... "I didn't pack the Bear spray", she said... I told her to play that 1980's "Prince" music on her I-pod speaker,,, surly that would keep them away... Of course, my humor didn't ease the tension at all...

  We made our way back to camp, staring into the thicket as we went... You could hear the bear(s) pawing and cracking open the rotting trees that they'd just pushed over... By this time the cloud hidden sun had made it's way down behind Bear Mountain and darkness overtook us... The forest was waking...

  There's no other sound like a forest at night... Limbs falling from trees, frogs, crickets, racoons and all of those unidentifiable noises, all seem to join together in a thunderous chorus... You can't distinguish one sound from the other,,, which makes for a restless night...

  We packed the dishes away, bearproofed the camp and Cathy quickly started breaking sticks for a fire... All of the wood around camp was wet, so starting a fire was no easy task... But, with the help of starter sticks and using the bed pump as a fire bellow, Cathy had a blaze burning in no time...

  We sat around the fire in the drizzle, listening & waiting for the bear to come charging across the creek... It never happened!..

  We crawled into the tent at 10:30pm. and was fast asleep shortly after...

 

09/07/06... It rained all night long! And, it's still raining... Believe it not, Cathy has a fire going... Gotta love'er!..

  It's 9:30am. and she's already talking about breakfast... "What you having?", she asks... "Coffee, just coffee." I answered... Of corse, that changed when the bacon started cooking, and the grits, and the eggs!.. Well, I may have a little...

  After eating and washing the dishes, we decided to take a walk down to the lakeshore... I was eager to see if the rain had brought the lake up any... I have seen the creeks flow like rivers and the lake rise as much as 2' overnight during heavy thunderstorms... But, it wasn't to be today!.. Still low...

  We snapped a few photos and headed back to camp, picking up firewood along the way... This is our 2nd day out and we still haven't seen anyone,,, great!..

  Back at camp, music is randomly playing on Cathy's I-pod speaker and I'm doodling on my drawing pad... Cathy is taking courses to get her degree in Wildlife & Forestry Conservation, so her head is in her books... Still sprinkling, and the fire is still burning,,, amazing!..

  We always have steaks on our last night out... It's became a custom of sorts... On the menu tonight, New York strips & baked potato's...Mm!Mm! Good... And we'll finish it all up withcocoa, coffee & chocolate...

  It's 10:45 and the firewood is almost gone... We make one final walk around camp for wood before going in the tent... We sit up for a little while, talking & watching the video that we've shot, then it's off to sleep...

  2:40am. POP!.. You guessed it, they're back!.. Bears again... Hey, at least it's not raining... Cathy goes out of the tent to use the bathroom and I'm keeping watch by the tent door... Afterward, we sit quietly in pitch black for a 1/2 an hour or so, then we both drift back off to sleep...

 

09/08/06... 7:45am. Rise & Shine!.. The sun is bursting through the forest canopy like yellow lasers... It's a shame that we're leaving today... You would guess that the sun would shine on our way back home,,, it never fails...

  We opt for the quick breakfast of Vienna Sausages & Pringles just so we can get on the water earlier... I feel the urge to be dry, and I think that Cathy's feeling the same... So, we paddle our way slowly back into civilization reflecting on our "unplanned trip"... Perfect! I thought,,, Perfect...

  ...PEACE!..

Written by odayzee Permalink | Blog about this entry |  Add to del.icio.us |  digg this This entry has 0 comments: Add your own

Subject: Get Burnt!
Time: 11:09:25 PM EDT
Author:  odayzee
Mood:  Anxious
Music:  Radio@AOL - New Age

  I do have interests other than the river & the "out of doors"... I'm proudly a "Burner!"....

  I wish I would've taken pictures of all of my burns, but I've only documented 3 of the 24 burns I've done so far... If there's anyone that I've burnt for out there looking at this, I'd appreciate a few pic's... I'll add them to this journal,,, Thanks!...

  The Red Tailed Hawk over Mountain Lake was burnt for Howard Johnson... Howard also built the box himself and is one of the best "wood workers" I've met... He prides himself on detail!... Believe it or not; there's not one single nail in this entire box... It's all jointed and grooved,,, and even the grain pattern in the wood never separates box from lid,,, Amazing!..

  He custom designs all that he builds to suit the customers specs... Velvet bottoms to suede leather,,, you name it, Howard can build it!

  This particular burn took a total of about 60 hours... I used a Razortip SK burn unit and an assortment of tips and pens... Mountains are always free flowing and absorbed in my memory to the point of fluidity... They seem to burn themselves into the wood for me! The hawk on the other hand, was a little more of a challenge... My first attempt!...

  Thanks for the challenge Howard! It was rewarding...

  The next one, "Ocean Theme" was burnt for Mr. Jerry Way of Easley, S.C.

  I didn't think I was ever going to finish this one,,, & neither did Jerry! It was a Christmas gift for his wife... I started it in June and finished it a week before Thanksgiving... Total, about 130 hours burn time... Huge task for me!.. But enjoyed it...

  Jerry's wife is from Charleston, S.C. and somehow found her way into the UpState... She was feeling a little homesick, so Jerry wanted a gift that would smooth over that emptiness... The chest is custom burnt just for her... Sand dollars, beach chairs & umbrella and the double wedding ring design were specific details that Jerry wanted on the chest... The seashell sunrise and underwater scenery was of my own imagination...

  Thanks for the loss of eyesight Jerry!.. Just kidding... Miss all of Ya'll man!

  Currently, I'm burning a small jewelry box, a native American Indian flute and a dulcimer... I'll post pictures of those when they're finished...

  Want something burnt? E-mail me at > Odayzee@aol.com <... I'll burn whatever you want on whatever you want... Furniture, jewelry boxes, musical instruments, rifle or shotgun stocks,,, if it's wood, it's worth burning!... PEACE!..

Written by odayzee Permalink | Blog about this entry |  Add to del.icio.us |  digg this This entry has 0 comments: Add your own

Subject: Chattooga Scoot'n
Time: 5:44:23 PM EDT
Author:  odayzee
Mood:  Happy
Music:  Creedence Clearwater Revival

08/26/06... 9:30am. Right on schedule. Stacy's pulling up beside us at Hardee's in Westminster... I gotta coat my gut with grease, it's gonna be a long paddle today...

  We're doing a section 3 trip from Earls Ford to Thrifts Ferry. About ten miles. I'm trying out a new camera, so there will be a few extra stops along the way. The USGS.GOV gage was reading a 1.2 last night when I checked it, but I think the pools drained all of that out during the night. As it has been all year, we wedged on spines all day long, but we still had a good trip...

  Stacy brought along Petey, his Jack Russell... Petey has been riding the bow since he was just a pup... He's also, as you can imagine, had his share of swims, and today would be no exception!

  We made our way through War Woman rapid, then through the Rock Gardens and we took our first photo stop at Deliverance Rock... You may recognize this rock from the 1972 film "Deliverance"... This is where Drew Ballinger ( played by Ronny Cox ) washed up after being shot. From this point, Bobby Trippe ( Ned Beatty ) and Ed Gentry ( Jon Voight ) tied a rock to Drew to bury him in the cold river, and they continued on with Lewis Medlock ( Burt Reynolds ) laid up in the boat with one of the worst compound fractures in movie history...

  After taking a few photos, we paddled on to "3 Rooster Tails Rapid". The water is so low that you have to fight the boat just to keep it from wedging in the rapid. I was really hoping for more water, but it pays to paddle in low water from time to time. You learn where all of the holes are at...

  We made our way 1/4 mile on down the river to Dick's Creek Ledge. We ate a quick snack, then headed for Sandy Ford. When we got there, there was a group of swift water rescue students being drilled by their instructor... He was going over the basic line throwing techniques with his students as we paddled by... You just can't beat a good swift water rescuer if you're in the wash!.. I admire all that they do... Thanks guys & gals,,, you're appreciated...

  After turning the corner, I paddled ahead of Cathy & Stacy so I could get through "The Narrows" before them for pictures. I wedged on the first drop and swamped out on the second. My boat instantly filled with water and the river sucked it from underneath me. Luckily, it baled itself out pretty quick and before I knew what had happened, I was sitting in it again!.. By the time I got out of the boat and onto the rock for the pictures Cathy was paddling through it already... No Pictures!

  Stacy & Petey followed close behind. Stacy came over the first drop hard, hitting a rock and slingshoting Petey right out of the boat. Stacy overcompensates and flips out of the boat backwards. Now, they're both in the wash! A quick recovery by Stacy and they're both back in the boat before the second drop,,, which they ran backwards... All are safe!..

  People who don't know the river well would never know just how much of the movie is out of sync with the way the river flows... For example, the waterfall that you see near the beginning of the movie is Long Creek Falls, which is actually near the end of the river on section 4... And, Drew actually got shot and fell from their canoe in The Narrows on section 3... They found him at Deliverance Rock,,, UPSTREAM?.. Movie magic!..

  Back to our day... After regrouping at the Narrows, we moved on to Second Ledge. We all carried over here because there wasn't enough water to paddle our usual line... From there, on to the Eye of the Needle... This just might be my favorite rapid on section 3... You get pulled through it like you're in a vacuum cleaner. Quick & wet... It's great!..

  After the Eye of the Needle, we take a quick break, then it's on to Keyhole Rapid... Some floaters call this rapid Painted Rock because of all the paint from crashed boats on the rock below the rapid. It's a technical class 4 with major undercurrents... Lost a paddle here once,,, but that's another entry!..

  We took our last break here to reflect on our day,,, then it was on to Thrifts Ferry for the walk out...

  The only thing that was missing from this trip was YOU!.. E-mail or IM me,,, we'll write our own UpState Adventure... PEACE!

 

 

 

 

Written by odayzee Permalink | Blog about this entry |  Add to del.icio.us |  digg this This entry has 0 comments: Add your own

Subject: "We will consider your offer"
Time: 11:55:57 PM EDT
Author:  odayzee
Mood:  Sad
Music:  I-pod shuffle / Variety

  "The Great Chief in Washington sends word that he wishes to buy our land"... The Great Chief also sends us words of frienship and great will. This is kind of him since we know he has little need of our friendship in return..."But, we will consider your offer"...

  How can you buy or sell the sky,,the warmth of the land?.. The idea is strange to us... If we do not own the freshness of the air and the sparkle of the water, how can you buy them?..

  Every part of this Earth is sacred to my people. Every shining pine needle, every sandy shore, every mist in the dark woods, every clearing and every humming insect is holy in the memory and experience of my people... The sap which courses through the trees carries the memories of the red man. So, when the Great Chief in Washington sends word that he wishes to buy our land,,, he ask's much of us...

  This we know,,, all things are connected... Whatever befalls the Earth, also befalls the Sons of the Earth... Man did not weave the web of life, he is merely a strand in it... Whatever he does to the web, he does to himself... But, we will consider your offer to go to the reservation you have for my people. We will live apart,,, and, in peace...

  One thing we know which the white man may one day discover,,, our God is the same God... You may think now that you own him as you wish to own our land, but you cannot... He is the God of man, and his compassion is equal for the red man and the white... The Earth is precious to him, and to harm the Earth is to heap contempt on it's creator...

  The white's too shall pass; perhaps sooner than all other tribes... Continue to contaminate your bed and you will one night suffocate in your own waste... But, in your perishing you will shine brightly. Fired by the strength of the God who brought you to this land,,, and for some special purpose, gave you dominion over this land and, over the red man... That destiny is a mystery to us, for we do not understand when the buffalo are slaughtered, the wild horses are tamed and the veiw of the ripe hills are blotted by talking wires...

  Where is the thicket?,, Gone... Where is the eagle?,, Gone... And, what is it to say goodbye to the swift pony, and the hunt?.. The end of living,,, and the beginning of survival... So, we will consider your offer to buy our land...

  If we agree, it will be to secure the reservation you have promised. There perhaps, we may live out our brief days as we wish... When the last red man has vanished from the Earth and his memory is only the shadow of a cloud moving across the prarie, these shores and forests will still hold the spirits of my people. For they love this Earth as a newborn loves it's Mothers heartbeat...

  So, if we sell our land, love it as we've loved it... Care for it as we've cared for it... Hold in your mind the memory of the land as it is when you take it,,, and preserve it for your children, and love it as God loves us all...

  One thing we know,,, our God is the same God... This Earth is precious to him. Even the white man cannot be exempt from the common destiny... We may be Brothers after all,,, we, shall see"...

 

           The Dwamish Chief Sealth

                    Seattle, 1854

                       December

  

Written by odayzee Permalink | Blog about this entry |  Add to del.icio.us |  digg this This entry has 1 comments: Show Recent | Add your own