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diff --git a/src/md/03_Adventures_on_Black_Cap_Mountain.md b/src/md/03_Adventures_on_Black_Cap_Mountain.md deleted file mode 100644 index 01b4339..0000000 --- a/src/md/03_Adventures_on_Black_Cap_Mountain.md +++ /dev/null @@ -1,73 +0,0 @@ ---- -title: Adventures on Black Cap Mountain ---- - -I was born in a dusty little desert town in Southern Oregon called -Lakeview. From some of my earliest memories, I recall looking up at the -range of mountains located beside the town. At six years of age, these -mountains seemed huge and impressive. The truth is, they hardly -qualified as mountains at all. They were more like very large hills. One -in particular had a black volcanic basalt formation at its peak. Thus, -it was always referred to as Black Cap Mountain. I often wondered what -the view would look like from the top of that mountain. - -Knowing it would be a tough task to obtain permission, I began to ask my -mother if my friend and I could plan a little hiking expedition. The -goal, of course, was to conquer the mountain so we could brag to all our -friends about our brave adventure. I had to ask a half a gazillion times -to get the answer I wanted, but my persistence finally paid off. My -mother packed a nice lunch for me. As she handed me the lunch, she told -me to take my wrist watch so I would be certain to return by 3 o'clock. - -At about 11 o'clock in the morning, we set out on our journey, -determined to return as the conquering heroes we imagined ourselves to -be. The path that led to the top of the mountain was fraught with dozens -of delightful distractions for little boys. We turned over many rocks to -look for bugs. We found some sticks that served as our swords for -slaying the dragon that lived on the mountain. We sat in the shade of a -juniper tree to eat our peanut butter and jelly sandwiches. Before long, -we realized that we weren't making much progress toward our goal. The -black cap at the top of the mountain seemed just as far away as it did -when we first set out on our quest. This was not a big concern for us -because there were still plenty of places to explore right where we -were. We continued our imaginary battles with the dragons and trolls and -pretty much lost all track of the time. - -When it finally occurred to me to check my watch to see how much time we -had left before 3 o'clock, I was surprised to discover that it was -almost 4 o'clock. Knowing we might be in a heap of trouble, we hurried -down the mountain as fast as we could go. 20 minutes later, we were -nearing the first road that ran along the base of the mountain. Just as -we reached the road, my mother drove by in her car and stopped for us to -get in. She told me she had been driving back and forth on the road for -almost an hour, looking up the slopes of the mountain to see if she -could spot us. The ride back home was very quiet. I studied my mother's -face to see if I could determine her mood. I was anxious to know if I -was likely to spend the remainder of the month in the dungeon for my -crimes. But, try as I might, I couldn't discern what evil punishments -she was plotting inside her head. All I knew was that something was -brewing in her mind because she was not her usual cheerful self. - -We dropped off my friend at his house and drove the short distance to -our home. I tagged along behind my mother as we walked in the door. Now -I would learn my fate. The air was thick with tension. She turned to me -and said, "Would you come with me into the bedroom?" Expecting a good -scolding, or perhaps worse, I went with her into the bedroom. She knelt -beside the bed and motioned to me to do the same. Instead of unleashing -a storm of anger upon me, she simply closed her eyes and began to offer -an emotional prayer of gratitude to our Heavenly Father for the safe -return of her son. Hearing the relief and gratitude that came pouring -out of her heart, made an indelible impression on mine. Realizing I had -been the cause of her anxiety, I resolved to never do anything to cause -her such pain again. - -My resolution was short-lived I suppose. As a young and reckless boy, I -still gave my mother plenty of reasons to worry. However, the knowledge -of the depth of her love for me helped me try a little bit harder to -become a son she could be proud of. - - - -This photo shows me in the pool in front of our house in Lakeview. Black -Cap Mountain, with its black rock formation on the top, is seen behind -the house. |