Hawk Mountain 2

Tuesday morning dawned, adventure was in the air, and so was the lovely aroma of pancakes and bacon. Dishes were washed, cars were packed, and we all zoomed down the road to visit the graves of my grandfather and his family. Instinctively upon arrival we all bent down to clear the graves of 4 years worth of weeds, allowing the day- and tiger lilies that were planted there room to grow. Granny told us about our great-great-grandmother Edna Pearl Murphy, who married Charles Love only after he had signed the pledge never to drink alcohol again. When Edna was pregnant with her third child she found that Charles had been drinking again, and she sent him away, telling him never to come back. He died a few years later, alone in Al Paso, TX.

Returning to the cars I encouraged everyone to study their scripts; when we finally set off I helped the children in my car to do that very thing… it seemed the younger they were, the more enthusiastic they were about rehearsing their lines. It was definitely lunch time when we got to the Amazing Maize Maze, and after a long debate about lunch we decided to grab a snack at the farm before we became hopelessly lost for hours. I thoroughly took advantage of the free popcorn and fudge samples first… the fudge was especially good – peanut butter explosion is like eating a solidified sweet dream.

Uncle Eric divided us into teams; Mari, Rachel, Ellie and I were grouped together, then we had a seniors group, a little kids group, and 2 other teenage groups. The maze was cut for a wild west theme – a cowboy on a horse with a cactus and stuff. After the usual debriefing, each team selected a flag. The one with the scarecrow and pumpkins spoke to me. Stamping the time on our empty map, we began our search for the 12 mailboxes that would provide us with pieces to our map and finally lead us out of the maze. At first, instinct must be your guide and luck must be on your side until you stumble upon a few mailboxes. When a few pieces are in place, you need a good map reader to help you find a route to the rest of the missing map pieces. Our team was quite blessed in this respect – Mari proved to be an excellent map reader; I was a part-time flag holder along with Rachel, and Ellie was the water carrier. We’d bump into the other teams all the time, which was always annoying.

Just as we only had about 3 pieces to go, an announcement was made: Daniel’s team had found the exit to the maze and were going in to find the rest of the pieces. To our dismay, the only way to find the rest of the puzzle pieces was to walk halfway around the maze. Mari drew out our intended course and we set off at a brisk pace. It was extremely hot and humid, the scant shade provided by the tall stalks of corn was far from sufficient to shield us from the blaze. We found the last mailbox, then were forced to navigate back to the other side of the maze to find the exit, which wasn’t as easy as we had hoped… the last puzzle piece was at the exit gate, so it was all guesswork as to where the exit could be. After several failed attempts we did reach the exit, coming in second place with 2hrs 15min. The boys had finished an hour before us and hadn’t even bothered to announce it. The petting zoo, tube slide, cart racing, slingshot range and trampoline provided amusement while we waited for the others. The senior group had gotten to the exit at about the same time as we had, but without completing the entire map, and the kids group followed about ½ hour after that, leaving one teen group still in the maze. A long time and several announcements later, the last group triumphantly left the maze with a completed map.

Well, with all that hunting and wandering, everyone had worked up an appetite. The Shady Maple smorgasbord sounded like just the thing. My favorite part of that was the dessert – ice cream with a million mouthwatering toppings to choose from… by the time I dropped into bed I was already half asleep.

Wednesday was more like a real vacation day… we had the option of going to Leesport auction, or just hanging out at the B&B. I chose to stay because I hoped to get a play practice in, but some of the kids went to the auction and I didn’t have the heart to do anything with only ½ a cast. Costumes took priority, and Rachel, Laura, Cara (my assistant director) and I sorted through the 3 large costume bags to figure out who would be wearing what. Felicia and Sarah immediately tried on their costumes and every other female costume we had set out, eagerly anticipating a dress rehearsal. I spent the rest of the good old day being lazy… lying in the hammock, sketching, talking… doing things I don’t always take time for. Finally the Leesport crew came back and we had our first full run through for the play. Man, it’s hard to keep 17 children within earshot but quiet enough to hear the actors onstage (the stage was a deck coming right off of the side of the pool). Often the actors would come onstage sopping wet from the pool, and push each other into the water before, during, and after their scene was done, regardless if their fellow actors were wearing swimming suits or not.

Thursday was a day of agency…we were allowed to choose from a variety of activities: laser tag, horseback riding, crystal cave or Kempton railroad. Well, there was certainly no question in my mind what I wanted to do… I hadn’t been on the back of a horse for at least 7 years, and I love riding horses. The ride was scheduled for 7pm so we could go up the mountain and watch the sun set. Incredibly I managed to fit a play practice in between all of these activates; didn’t go much better than the first one and I was slowly despairing of the play ever coming together… Daniel backed out several times and made me pretty mad in the process. Most of my day was again spent on talking, enjoying the cool pool water and my beautiful surroundings.

I got into the drivers seat and glanced at the 6 other eager girls in the back. Following my Dad I navigated the back country roads, hoping I wasn’t speeding to much in order to keep up with him. Kindred Spirits Farm came into view, and we were directed to the stables. Nine horses stood tied to the wall, lipping the last few kernels of grain in their buckets, shifting their weight and looking at us. Release papers were signed and helmets donned. One of our 2 guides gave us a quick review on how to mount and manage the horses: left foot up in the stirrup, right hand on the back of the saddle, left hand on the horn. To start, kick the horse in the stomach (most of them were over 20 and therefore dead sided); to stop pull the reigns towards your sternum. To prevent them from stopping to eat grass, give the reigns a quick jerk upwards, otherwise, hold them lose on the horse’s neck. Lastly, we all assumed new names: Mari became Sundance, I became Tucker, Laura became Jessie, Felecia became Mist, Sarah became Skip, Cara became Scout, and Rachel was dubbed Lace.