Ahhh...to be 12 years old again

All-natural Time Machine

I discovered Time Travel last weekend!

While out for a later-than-normal Saturday morning run along the Humber River Trails, I was struck by an overwhelming emotion:  I felt as is I was 12 years old again!

The feeling came on unexpectedly and even caused me to stop running.  I quickly realized that the spot along the river reminded me of a place where I used to play near my home in Kingston, Jamaica.  That was the Gully behind the empty lot across from our house on Bridgemount Drive. I would spend endless hours with my childhood friend Michael building forts along the banks of the Gully. Defending against what I can't recall but it was always satisfying to turn up at home for dinner completely covered in dirt and mud after a day running wild.

Michael was a crazy, fearless kid...one weekend we got it into our minds that we needed to make weapons. Not just any weapons, Cannons!  We put a list of necessary materials together:  Bamboo (to make the Cannon barrel), Saltpeter, Charcoal, Sulpher (to make the gunpowder). Sadly...or thankfully...we only succeeded in making a pile of nasty smelling, fast burning 'gunpowder' that almost burned down a shed in his backyard.  Ramming that concoction into a bamboo tube and igniting it would in hindsight not have ended well!

That blast back into my past lasted less than 60 seconds but it was real.  It felt great to be 12 again...if only for a minute.

Until next time...
ThatRunninGuy

(Note:  The Recipe for our home-made gunpowder is only a 30 year old memory of what I think transpired.  It is not meant to inspire you to 'try this at home')