trash and dreaming big

I'm basically kind of in denial that come the fall I won't be going back to Boston... so I'm still going to share worthy summer stories.

Yesterday I went to learn how to drive the launch (the Florida outboard motor type) so I can coach adults in the learn to row program later in the summer. It also happened to be the high school clean up day at the river, so I ended up going out with my high school coach and 2 high school girls to pick up trash along the banks of the river. Of course since everything is a competition, we set out win and collect the most trash out of the 5 launches that were there. This river is surrounded by woods and is completely quiet and is so different from the Charles. My experience was mostly coach spots trash from far away, drive to shore, and sit in the launch waiting with the coach who points out heron's footprints and minnows while the girls picked up spit cans and bottles and styrofoam and lighters (all signs of fishermen) and even an old tire, hub and all, from out of the woods. It was not hard to fill up the trash bags. One of the girls also really enjoyed picking up trash, but she was barefoot and cut her toe and started bleeding. I drove us back to the dock full speed, and the wind basically spread the blood so half her foot was entirely covered in blood, and then she had to get out of the launch and in the process dripped blood everywhere on the bottom of the launch. She got it bandaged up, and since she really liked picking up trash, we went back to find more. Also we had seen another launch who apparently had 2 tires, so of course we had to go back and get more trash. This time as we drove along, the coach was like "look at the crazy beaver. " And there was a fat tree on the shore with a side that looked like it had been gnawed on. "He was trying to chew through that entire thing? What was he thinking?" And then he chuckled "You gotta dream big! That's our new motto."

And that's my story. Be the beaver who takes on the biggest of all trees! I apologize that that is so sappy but it's such a cute visual like this (although with a much thicker tree):