To me, this is a symbolic photograph! I'll get to that later.
If you are wondering, questioning, could this be Gavin? The answer is yes. If you are second guessing yourself, possibly doubting the fact that he is standing in the dead of winter by the side of lake stark naked ---naked as the day he was born, second guess yourself no more! You're not dreaming, your thoughts are not bordering on some delusional perception. This is indeed my son. And no doubt about it, he is indeed standing in the sub zero temperatures with nothing on past his semi farmer tanned birthday suit.
When I first saw the unedited picture on Facebook, (yes I said unedited and Facebook in the same sentence) my eyes beheld the sight but my brain fought it with every ounce of energy it possessed. My intelligence could not comprehend it. My mouth dropped open so wide the world could easily slip inside. After what seemed like an hour and my jaws could no longer constrain the gape, I broke out into a bold hearted laugh, only Gavin!
Today I was going through my download box when there in the pop up window, the naked picture rudely appeared again. "Good hell, it's come back to haunt me," I said under my breath. I can't get away from this picture. So I did what any good mother with serious photoshopping skills would do. I made it fit for public viewing. I darkened areas that just shouldn't be seen, added a definite blur to the behind, trimmed off a little of Gavin's Mt. Dew love handles and called my efforts good. Now I think the image is down right beautiful. A work of art!
I'm only sad I can't find the picture that follows after this shot. FYI ---just to the left of Gavin, the area not visible in the photograph, there is a giant old fir pine that has stood on the mountainside for at least a century if not more. And I would guess that somewhere down through the eons of time our pioneer ancestors came up with the ingenious idea of hanging a rope from the noble fir. No doubt even the pioneers enjoyed swinging from the rope into the fresh blue lake.
The rope swing has been in existence at Bloomington Lake since I can remember. For years we've been hiking into Bloomington with our swim suits on. I would like to clarify some things however. The rest of us Crows are intelligent people, we usually go in July or better yet August.
The rope swing however, while being in existence for a very long time, has seen it's share of trouble. At one point in time someone tried to cut the rope swing down. Some idiot (for lack of a better word) got hurt trying to hold onto the rope and swing into the water. I think they must of had a nasty drag down the dirt and then tried to sue the city for their lack of intelligence. Isn't that how it goes? Stupid people always want to blame someone else for their incapabilities! This one single act then caused city officials to deem the swing unsafe. Sadly they sent someone to remove it. Doesn't that sound like the government? Five billion people have swung from that tree into the water safely, one idiot can't manage the feat, and now the entire population should suffer! I could go off on a tangent here.
I remember the first time we traversed the mountainside to find it gone. We left the mountain beefing that life isn't fair and perhaps we should sue the city for breech of fun! I guess more people felt like us because not long after we found the rope missing we got wind a pure and undefiled Saint took matters into their own hands and rightfully put up another one. And so the pattern began; the city would send someone to remove the rope and some blessed soul would scale the knotty pine and put it back up, over and over and over again, the ritual took root. I'm happy to report some things never change and I'm tickled pinkalicious the general public made their demands known and the city finally gave up the battle! Thankfully, today the rope swing still hangs.
Most would agree Gavin is somewhat of an anomaly. Perhaps this is what pushed him to take hold of the rope swing in mid April. Gavin made the plunge into this lake just minutes after the above photograph was taken. He boldly hiked his naked soul right up the mountain, his derriere shinning like a full moon on a mid summer's night and approached the huge gnarly pine with solid confidence, took hold of the burly 40 foot rope that hangs from the 100 year old stately fir, and daringly swung out into the knife stabbing frigid air. As his hands bravely let go of his only life support his unclothed body plummeted straight as an arrow head first towards the ice laden water, piercing a small unfrozen hole with not so much as a ripple. That was it, his nakedness disappeared beneath the icy blue.
I would have liked to have seen his face as he blasted out of the water in record time gasping for heat and air! I can envision it. I can see his face. I just know he shot out of that water like a bullet. Crazy isn't it, Gavin diving naked into Bloomington Lake with the ice still on? That's what I thought. In fact I said to him, "Gavin your'e nuts!"
Some people question his motives. Not me. I know this child. I can tell you he didn't do it for money. I know he didn't do it for love. I can assure you he did it because he's Gavin.
This is one of the things I love about this child and this photo is symbolism revealed. Gavin is always his own man. When I look at this picture, Judy Garland comes to mind. She said, "Always be a first rate version of yourself, not a second rate version of someone else." Gavin lives by this creed. As a teen it got him into a fair amount of trouble. Like the time he jumped White Trash. I still remember Glade being puzzled as to why the little Buick had mysteriously died. It wasn't until our favorite mechanic took a look at the undercarriage, announcing to Glade. "This car has been launched," that the entire story came to light.
Gavin was the video king at Fremont. He still is in fact. All of his videos are archived and protected by the student government. It was during one of his movie making episodes he decided he should launch his car into mid air for a spectacular scene on one of his Hollywood movies. In order to get just the perfect angle, he not only launched the car once, he decided two or even three times would be better. Poor White Trash with her 160 thousand mile odometer couldn't take the beating. She went out in a blaze of glory though and her footage can still be seen today!
So there it is. This picture greatly inspires me. Seriously! No matter how naked we feel in this life, we should be our own best selves! We should embrace who we are, no matter the critic! So I leave you with my favorite quote from Shakespeare, "To thine own self be true, and as the day follows the night, thou cans't be false to any man!"
Thanks Gavin, for always being a great example in how to live life as an original! You're quite the kid. Maybe I'll post your speedo picture next. Huh? That's an equally awesome photograph. You standing stately in nothing but your black cowboy hat and your black speedo. Ok, maybe not!
