In this dream I am back in my hometown of Marlboro, NY at my grandmother’s house. Besides my grandmother and I, there are several other people at her house and we are expecting someone else to arrive momentarily. While we are waiting I decide to take a walk to the center of the village. It is winter, with a fresh snowfall on the ground. A large storm has passed through and there are about two feet of snow. None of the streets have been plowed, and no one else is out and about. As I approach the small grocery store on Western Avenue I notice that my dog is not with me and grow concerned. I turn around and head back toward the house, all the while calling for the dog, not knowing where she is. As I pass one house a man comes out on his porch and invites me in. There is a wood stove in his living room and near it a stack of firewood in a rack that he has built. At this moment a knock comes on the door, and the homeowner lets in another man, a fire inspector who says that the wood rack is not up to code. Apparently there is additional work that needs to be done in the bathroom, but what the connection is to the wood rack is puzzling. I laugh and tell the owner that he should have installed an outhouse. Next, I leave and continue walking toward my grandmother’s house. A snowplow has come through, making walking on the streets much easier. I’m still concerned about my missing dog, but when I arrive back at grandma’s I see she (the dog) is on the enclosed porch playing with another dog. At my approach she excitedly pees near the door and I tell my grandmother that I will wash it out the door with a teapot of hot water. As I go to fetch it, grandma tells me to get another pot of cool water to fill the birdbath in the front yard. As I am washing the porch I glance inside the house and see several people seated in the living room. There are also several dogs, and I count them. There are eight, of various breeds and sizes. Among them are a Scotch Terrier, an Irish Setter and a large brown dog of unknown breed. Thyere are also two cats in the room. I go inside and begin a conversation with a young woman - my cousin’s girlfriend. She asks me who is going to be performing at a local music venue. I tell her that rather than asking that question she should decide who she wanted to see in concert and contact that band’s management office in Woodstock to find out where they would be playing. At this point I awaken and the dream is over.

At the beginning of this dream I was getting food in a fast-food restaurant. It is unclear (and unimportant) which one. Its location is also unknown, but it must have been in my hometown because when I came out to my car I drove just a short distance before I arrived at my aunt and uncle’s house. My sister was with me as I pulled up to the front door and parked. The porch had markings on the concrete floor indicating a parking space for a bicycle. It also contained the universal symbol for handicapped persons. As my sister exited the car I handed her a long note that had been given to me by a young girl at the restaurant. She had handed it to me with the explanation that it was for my sister and had been written by her mother, who was seated at a nearby table. The woman had waved to me and I had said hello to her.

Next, the dream shifted locales abruptly. I was now at the showing of a movie with both my mother and my sister. The theater was an old car dealership building on the highway in the center of Highland, NY. The screen was small - not much larger than a large screen tv, and was in the front corner of the room we were in. Most of the wall of that room was the large plate glass window of the showroom. Approaching from the northeast was a storm. The wind and rain was intensifying by the minute, but in its wake the skies were clearing. During a lull in the action onscreen my sister asked me what time my appointment was. Apparently I had a meeting of some kind to attend. The storm grew more intense and the sky darkened considerably. The plate glass window began to crack and everyone in the audience moved to the rear of the room to avoid any flying glass should it shatter. Finally, the glass did break and someone shouted that a tornado was approaching. We could see it through the broken window. We heard the distinctive roar and panic set in. The cyclone was headed straight toward us. The audience scattered through two doors in the rear of the room and ran in all directions. I lost track of the whereabouts of my mother and sister as I headed north along the rear of the building. There were heavy curtains or drapes hanging all around me as I continued to make my way along the outside wall. I made my way past other buildings along the edge of a steep incline behind them. Every so often I would part the curtains to check on the status of the tornado. During one such look I watched a building shatter and be torn apart. I kept moving until the funnel cloud had passed and begun to dissipate. As I made my way back toward the road to see the devastation and begin my search for my mom and sister someone approached me and said that there was someone nearby from up near Kingston. He had earlier heard me exclaim that the storm seemed to be dissipating to the north where I was from. At this point I awoke and the dream was over. I never did find my missing sister or mother.

The Mountain Lake

My dream begins with a short afternoon hike in the Catskill Mountains - a walk, really, since I am on a wide road like path with a moderate incline. I am accompanied by a young black male who seems to be a friend, though I don’t really know who he is. As we walk we share conversation and a joint of good marijuana, becoming quite high and happy. Eventually we reach a lookout point that provides a nice view of the surrounding mountains. At this point my friend seems to vanish and is replaced by several other people who I apparently know. I tell them about the rest of the trail to the top of the mountain we’re on and we agree to return the following day for the complete hike, arranging for an early start. Another short walk brings us to a small mountain lake surrounded by grassy lawns and picnic tables. I remark to the people I’m with that the water is quite cold and deep. As I walk along the shoreline I stumble and fall into the lake and begin to sink rapidly toward the bottom. I am suddenly aware that I have objects in both of my hands - a rock sculpture of some sort in one and my father’s old boy scout bugle in the other. I am reluctant to release the bugle, but realize that I must or I will drown. As soon as I resurface after releasing these objects I yell “Shit!” and start swimming toward shore, for I am suddenly in the middle of the lake. It is at this point that I realize that the people who are with me have changed. Gone are those who have accompanied me on my walk. They have been replaced by my cousin, his wife, and their teenaged son. All three have jumped into the lake to save me, but are now swimming along beside me. My cousin finds a shallow spot - a submerged rock shelf, and stands up as the rest of us continue to swim. I am not looking where I am going and bump into a young woman on an inflatable rubber raft. All around us are lily pads. The dream concludes as I approach the shore. A troop of girl scouts are having a picnic nearby and are unaware of what has been happening.