I was 12 and roaming a construction site with a friend. I decided to take a short cut and jumped into the “muddy” pond. The harder I tried to get out, the more I was slowly being pulled down. My friend found a worker nearby who had rope and pulled me out. To this day I believed he saved my life. Yes, pay attention before jumping.
It must not have been too traumatic because until your “mud” prompt reminded me I hadn’t thought about it for years. And whether it was really quicksand or just had that effect I’ll never know. What I vividly recall is being pulled out of the quagmire by rope and a very strong looking construction worker.
I've hit 'like' but not because I like that you had that experience! What an absolutely terrifying thing, Clark - and hurrah for the guy with the rope. So glad for you that he was there.
Never ever think about mud, but this awakened a memory. The clay soil in my parents’ backyard made some delicious black mud when you sprayed it with a hose in summer. We kids loved to swish through it with our bare feet, letting the mud dry, then repeating the process. That’s how we made “mud shoes”!
I rode through the mud this morning about 5:45 on a trail hidden in the early morning darkness near the Y where I swam. Thwap thwap thwap on my tires with bits flying past my face to land behind me. My bike slowed not by design but because the sneaky mud was deep! It was kind of neat!
Oh my goodness! Thank you for sharing Mary B. and how cool that this is in real time. :) Mud can be so sneaky. I love this. Have a wonderful Wednesday.
Occasionally, I ride my gravel bike through mud. I love that the bike just goes through stuff.
You have reminded me of my son's first mud run (and one of the area's first) when he was in high school. He was a so-so runner but recruited a couple of kids who were strong cross-country runners to form a team. I have a love of race-day strategy (which generally involves numbers!) and for whatever reason, I was in charge of signing them up. I decided that they could do well if they were at the start of the second wave. They could learn from other's mistakes but also avoid being right behind a slower group. Anyway, they placed first in their category. Thanks for surfacing that memory.
I love that every year I get new ones to do it with at school. What blessing.
So here is one fave. My grandson loves loves loves to sit in my yard in the dirt (I had a dump truck load of sand empty out in my back yard. Learned that from my dad, who did it every year for us kids) He turns on the hose and buries the end way into the dirt, watching the mud bubble up! Then he wiggles his butt and legs into the muck and plays contentedly with whatever stick or rock or dinosaur at hand, creating worlds with the sand and the cool running water.
Guessing your state of mind in that picture takes a nanosecond! The embodiment of Stevie Wonder’s lyric “Overjoyed.” I believe mud has a universal appeal to kids. My older brother and I would find nearby seeps after the Spring thaw and improvise dams to impound water. Producing ever growing bogs inviting us in.
Later on I adopted mountain biking as my predominant activity for endurance and leg strength training. One destination was the Stephen C. Foster Memorial Park, situated on the Suwannee River. Not a coincidence since Foster wrote “Way down upon the Suwannee River.” Camping in the park allowed immediate access to trails traversing all kinds of conditions. Bogs of nearly black organic deposits. Logs across the trails for bunny hopping skills. Sand pits requiring maximum strength to pedal through. High and dry sections overlooking the Suwannee.
Yes, that was a good while ago. Those memory traces were certainly planted deep in my brain. A stretch of moguls comes to mind now… Sigh.
Whether intended as a writing prompt or not it’s easy to see that I could put pen to paper and be off to the races. Thanks for the welcome nudge!
What a story! I hope to continue to write more about this memory Gary. Sounds like a lot of fun and what a challenge too. I'm always impressed watching mountain bikers.
I thought of mentioning Missy Giove earlier. She began competing in NORBA -National Off Road Bike Association- winning race after race. When I first learned of her she was called “Missy The Meat Missile.” “Meat” has been removed from more current references. She went on to amass dozens of titles for her skills, including a world title in 1994. Beth has a collection of black and white photos of strong women, including one of Missy. Somewhere in all that she and two other women got busted with 300+ pounds of weed! She got probation plus extra stipulations. ☹️ An obvious lapse of sound judgment. A tough competitor just the same. Thanks for your topic today and the comments that enhanced everything.
Good morning Gary, it's been so cool reading everyones comments on mud! How awesome all the stories that came up for everyone. Missy sounds like a tough lady for sure! I'm going to google her now. :) I'm curious what will come up. I hope the stories of her races over the weed incident. Thanks again and have a wonderful Wednesday
I thought it was mud
And horrors…it was quicksand
Yes! Pay attention…
I was 12 and roaming a construction site with a friend. I decided to take a short cut and jumped into the “muddy” pond. The harder I tried to get out, the more I was slowly being pulled down. My friend found a worker nearby who had rope and pulled me out. To this day I believed he saved my life. Yes, pay attention before jumping.
Holy cow Clark! Terrifying. I've never met anyone who jumped in quicksand. I'm so happy there was some there to save you. Oh my goodness.
It must not have been too traumatic because until your “mud” prompt reminded me I hadn’t thought about it for years. And whether it was really quicksand or just had that effect I’ll never know. What I vividly recall is being pulled out of the quagmire by rope and a very strong looking construction worker.
oh wow! I'm happy to hear and interesting that this question prompted that memory. Happy you're here with us Clark!
I've hit 'like' but not because I like that you had that experience! What an absolutely terrifying thing, Clark - and hurrah for the guy with the rope. So glad for you that he was there.
Oh my goodness! That must have been scary. So lucky...
Yes…plenty scared!!!
Never ever think about mud, but this awakened a memory. The clay soil in my parents’ backyard made some delicious black mud when you sprayed it with a hose in summer. We kids loved to swish through it with our bare feet, letting the mud dry, then repeating the process. That’s how we made “mud shoes”!
Oh Ruth! I'm so happy you shared this memory with us! "Mud shoes" How fun. And now I have a memory of making mud pies with my sisters. :) Thank you.
I rode through the mud this morning about 5:45 on a trail hidden in the early morning darkness near the Y where I swam. Thwap thwap thwap on my tires with bits flying past my face to land behind me. My bike slowed not by design but because the sneaky mud was deep! It was kind of neat!
Oh my goodness! Thank you for sharing Mary B. and how cool that this is in real time. :) Mud can be so sneaky. I love this. Have a wonderful Wednesday.
Thanks, Julie, you, too! When we rode to the pool this afternoon, I saw my tire tracks in the dried mud! 😁
That's the BEST! Look my tire tracks...or Look my footprints!
YES!!!! 😄
Occasionally, I ride my gravel bike through mud. I love that the bike just goes through stuff.
You have reminded me of my son's first mud run (and one of the area's first) when he was in high school. He was a so-so runner but recruited a couple of kids who were strong cross-country runners to form a team. I have a love of race-day strategy (which generally involves numbers!) and for whatever reason, I was in charge of signing them up. I decided that they could do well if they were at the start of the second wave. They could learn from other's mistakes but also avoid being right behind a slower group. Anyway, they placed first in their category. Thanks for surfacing that memory.
Hi Julie, I love this story. What a great strategy! Thank you so much for sharing. I'm happy to know it surfaced a happy memory for you. :)
I love mudpuddling with my kids!
I love that every year I get new ones to do it with at school. What blessing.
So here is one fave. My grandson loves loves loves to sit in my yard in the dirt (I had a dump truck load of sand empty out in my back yard. Learned that from my dad, who did it every year for us kids) He turns on the hose and buries the end way into the dirt, watching the mud bubble up! Then he wiggles his butt and legs into the muck and plays contentedly with whatever stick or rock or dinosaur at hand, creating worlds with the sand and the cool running water.
What an imagination and how much fun! "Mudpuddling" I love this term! Thank you Claudette for sharing the photo too! I just saw the text. :)
Omg Julie!!! Must have been Baldwinsville? So glad you have this pic. What a messy muddy memory , love it! You are smiling !
Yes Baldwinsville! That was my favorite cross country race every year. I love that I still have the photo. Linnea is standing next to me.
Guessing your state of mind in that picture takes a nanosecond! The embodiment of Stevie Wonder’s lyric “Overjoyed.” I believe mud has a universal appeal to kids. My older brother and I would find nearby seeps after the Spring thaw and improvise dams to impound water. Producing ever growing bogs inviting us in.
Later on I adopted mountain biking as my predominant activity for endurance and leg strength training. One destination was the Stephen C. Foster Memorial Park, situated on the Suwannee River. Not a coincidence since Foster wrote “Way down upon the Suwannee River.” Camping in the park allowed immediate access to trails traversing all kinds of conditions. Bogs of nearly black organic deposits. Logs across the trails for bunny hopping skills. Sand pits requiring maximum strength to pedal through. High and dry sections overlooking the Suwannee.
Yes, that was a good while ago. Those memory traces were certainly planted deep in my brain. A stretch of moguls comes to mind now… Sigh.
Whether intended as a writing prompt or not it’s easy to see that I could put pen to paper and be off to the races. Thanks for the welcome nudge!
What a story! I hope to continue to write more about this memory Gary. Sounds like a lot of fun and what a challenge too. I'm always impressed watching mountain bikers.
I thought of mentioning Missy Giove earlier. She began competing in NORBA -National Off Road Bike Association- winning race after race. When I first learned of her she was called “Missy The Meat Missile.” “Meat” has been removed from more current references. She went on to amass dozens of titles for her skills, including a world title in 1994. Beth has a collection of black and white photos of strong women, including one of Missy. Somewhere in all that she and two other women got busted with 300+ pounds of weed! She got probation plus extra stipulations. ☹️ An obvious lapse of sound judgment. A tough competitor just the same. Thanks for your topic today and the comments that enhanced everything.
Good morning Gary, it's been so cool reading everyones comments on mud! How awesome all the stories that came up for everyone. Missy sounds like a tough lady for sure! I'm going to google her now. :) I'm curious what will come up. I hope the stories of her races over the weed incident. Thanks again and have a wonderful Wednesday
AWESOME picture and poem! I love mud, but only if I'm dressed for it and ready for it!
HA! I hear ya on that. :) Happy Sunday.