Fish fry

Morning time catches me about 10 AM. I awake earlier, but with these long days, it's nice to just lay around for a couple hours and enjoy the cool of morning. The 'not again' thought of my recurrent tent routine also dissuades me from being on the ball.

Down at the office the coffee's strong and the fellowship is sweet. Buddy's gettin' all sorts of attention and pretty much warms up to all the camp hosts immediately. After 'bout 2 hours, I'm fixin' to hit the road when one of the hosts, I think it's Scott, mentions there's gonna be a fish fry in the evening. All the rest of staff join in to make sure that I feel welcome. But the clincher comes when Cindy mentions there'll be a fresh cucumber salad--I love cucumber salads.

So turning to Bud, I try to get a second opinion, 'What do you say, my friend? Are you up for a little fish?' In his usual nonchalance, he shifts his position ever so slightly, stretches pretentiously, and then lets out a small sigh. I usually take this behavior to mean, 'It's up to you.' And with that confirmation, I happily accept hospitable invitation.

14:00 hours and me and Bud are embarking on a small trip down the road to pick up some beverages for the evening's get-together.

"Man! Ronda hit the colloquial nail on the head when she'd said: 'It's hotter than blue blazes today'."

It's only a mile to the convenience store, but even that much gets me sweatin' like a horse that's just done the Derby. 'Sure am glad we're takin' the day off,' I exclaim to my panting pooch.

That evening, Scott's the man, frying up an assortment of beautifully battered fish: Crappie, Blue Gill, Bass and Cats. Others have brought their dishes to the table and it's lookin' like a southern feast fit for a king. Our conversations drift through realms of religion and metaphysics, taking brief tangents to dally on the topics of war & politics and whether aliens might have had a hand in building The Pyramids. I definitely dig this kind of diversity in discussion. It allows barriers to be broken and people to relate openly. I certainly add my two cents around the camp fire...hope my contributions weren't taken as mere rhetoric, Kevin--hey man, I really value many of your insights and enjoyed hearing your input. Nevertheless, I stand by my paradigm: a) People are, on the whole, good at heart and desire to do good, b) Truth is Truth, none of this 'It is, but it isn't' stuff.

Bud and I return to the tent just after 00:00 with happy stomachs and new friends. I'd like to give a big 'thank you' to all the folks at AOK who've made our stay so rewarding. Your kindness and acceptance have made us feel a part of this group.