Maybe I Shouldn't Have Climbed That Tree

Written By:  Andrew Eide

I want you to go into either Mapquest or Google Maps and type in the address 4022 Fullington Street, Oakland, California. That way you can see the visual of what I’m talking about in this blog.

I was born in this house on Fullington Street. When I was around 7 or 8 years of age the Government was planning on constructing Interstate 580 (I-580) through Oakland.  As you view the map results you called up on your computer you will notice that I-580 goes directly behind our house located at 4022 Fullington Street. My father, being a light sleeper, stated he wouldn’t put up with having an Interstate Highway directly behind our house and the noise would keep him awake so we move to 4263 Saint Andrews Road, up in the East Oakland Hills, when I was 9 years old.

Back to the tree climbing story connected with 4022 Fullington Street. As you look at your map you will notice that Fullington Street runs North and South. If you look to the Southeast of 4022 Fullington Street you will see a street named Porter Street. You will notice that Porter Street was removed due to the construction of I-580.

Now go to the northernmost part of Fullington Street and you see 39^th Street. Please note that 39^th Avenue was also truncated where I-580 goes through and now only 38^th Avenue still goes through with an overpass bridge.

Go to the other side of I-580 to the East and you will see the continuance of the streets named Quigley and Redding Streets. Those two streets were the other two, in addition to Porter Street, that were destroyed due to the construction of I-580.

The tree in question that I climbed which was one of my earliest “maybe I shouldn’t have done that” moment was on the corner of Porter Street and 39^th Avenue which is now where I-580 is located.

I was with my friend and we both decided to climb a tree similar looking to the photo I put in this blog. I was quick to climb up the tree to the top as it was a sturdy tree. On my way down I missed a footing and lost my grip. The instant I lost my grip with my hands I blacked out, went unconscious, and the next thing I remember was that I was on my back on the ground with my friend standing over me asking me if I was dead. No, stupid, I’m talking to you now so I’m no dead! I can joke about that now.

I asked my friend what happened and he said I fell out of the tree from about 15 feet up. He said I must have blacked out when I lost my grip and that maybe due to my body hitting several branches on the way down I didn’t hit the ground hard enough to break any bones, get any cuts, or kill myself. Actually I was fine but I never learned my lesson about climbing trees and I still do so today even though I am not 62 years of age.

Maybe if I had thought to myself, when I was 7 or 8 when that tree climbing incident happened, “Maybe I shouldn’t climb that tree as I might fall and get hurt” there is a possibility I wouldn’t have climbed that tree and I wouldn’t have that memory lingering in my brain 54 or 55 years after it happened.