Dolmen Project (Year Twelve) Confessions of a “Guerilla Artist”: Top of the Hill (Southern Exposure)

Southern Exposure

Day 3 (7/2/17)

At this point it is early May of 2015. Nine months have passed since I made the western exposure time lapse video from “The Top of the Hill”. As I have said before I don’t get a chance to get back over to the farm very often but this was the opening weekend of trout fishing and turkey hunting. Although I would prefer it slightly more leafed out I have found this the best weekend without making a special trip over to the farm. Most of my life I have spent the opening morning of trout season at the Mill Dam on Tamarack Creek. When I was in elementary school my brother and I would camp at the dam which was probably a quarter of a mile from the house I grew up in. It became a tradition that lasted through High School. I continued to go back fishing but unfortunately stopped camping. Tamarack Creek has had its ups and downs through the years. When I was young most of the fish in the stream were planted and there were browns, rainbow and brook trout. At points because of pollution the creek was almost dead and at some point they quit planting fish in it at all. Years later after the farmers were required to follow land management practices brook trout started naturally reproducing and eventually it became one of the few naturally producing streams in the area. My mother had passed away earlier in the year so the whole trip was wrought with mixed emotions. I was coming home to an empty house and even though it been over a year since she had lived there it was still strange. As soon as I got there I went up and placed the camera so that I could get as much footage as possible. My friend, Nelly, showed up later and we set up the turkey blind. Since moving to the eastern side of the state I have also been picking my dates for turkey hunting based on the fishing opener. That way we can make the most of the weekend. We got up before the sun to make our way to the blind. We were unsuccessful at calling in a bird but as usual were treated to a beautiful sunrise. After a couple hours we headed back to the dam where we were much more successful. Mostly we are catch and release but will keep some if they seem injured. I used to always keep one for my mom because she loved fresh trout. In the afternoon we returned to the blind. Again we were denied. I must admit that I don’t take it very seriously. It is just fun to get out and watch life pass by on the hill. We finished the day with our customary bonfire and stories. The next day was more of the same but by noon I had to grab the camera and head back home. I never know what to expect when I get home and finally get a chance to view the footage. It seems there is always something captivating about watching the entire weekend in ten minutes.