Mad Mutterings

As Trudy and I walked back to the campground from the bathrooms on the hill, it began to rain hard. And it was the kind of rain that makes it very clear that there's much more to come, so we resigned ourself to getting wet, relieved at least that the campsite to be secured when we got back. We had left Ben there, after all, and certainly he would have put everything away.

But no.

When we got back, with the rain coming down in torrents, there was no sign of Ben and nothing was put away. The Coleman lantern on the table was still burning. The electric fan was still running. And there were towels and numerous things that needed putting away.

Trudy ran around gathering the towels, and then she dashed into the tent. I dealt with the lantern and the fan. Ben's tent was snuggly zipped shut.

I ran around in the pouring rain muttering out loud about how one would have assumed Ben would have put those things away but nooo. I was spitting mad, and in my fury, words (clean ones, I assure you) streamed out of my mouth as fast as the rain was falling from the sky. I called to Ben in his tent, but he didn't say a thing.

When I was finished (and thoroughly soaked to the bone), I joined Trudy in the tent and scrambled into something dry. I called again to Ben, but he still didn't respond. I mumbled to myself, but there was nothing to be done. Trudy and I laid down and went to sleep.

Some time later, I heard the door of the neighbors' trailer open and slam shut. Then I heard footsteps and then the unzipping and rezipping of Ben's tent. He was coming home.

You see, he and the kids next door had been playing Risk that day, and Daniel and Gracie evidently invited him over to finish the game. And you see, their trailer was very large and obviously very comfortable inside with an AC unit running on top, and I doubt that they even heard that rain. And I doubt that they could hear my spitting mad mutterings as I splashed around the campsite. And for that I am quite thankful.

9:27:44 PM   permalink: []   feedback:   comments: []  

Family Troubles

We floated for hours in big yellow inner tubes with our faces pretty much at water level. From the bridge upstream of Buffalo Point. Around a bend in the river. Down a long straight where you could see the slowly moving water in the distance stepping down as it passed over small invisible rapids. Up to the limestone bluffs just before the campground. And finally past a dune of gravel and stones on the inside of the final bend before we returned to the campground at Buffalo Point. We were the only ones on the river.

Ed drove the van that picked us up and took us to the put-in point at the bridge. He asked about our trip, and we told him we were on our way north to a family gathering.

Ed told us that it had been many years since his family had gathered. They didn't get along. We chuckled politely. But they really didn't get along. He told us how the last time they got together, they all fought. We were silent, each of us trying to imagine the fights. But they really, really didn't get along. He told us that there were knives involved, and from the tone of his voice, it was clear this wasn't hyperbole.

And so, upon reflection I have decided that the disagreements in my family about cottage furniture are on the whole fairly tame.

7:21:10 PM   permalink: []   feedback:   comments: []