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Post by 223shootersc on Nov 30, 2023 19:09:13 GMT -6
MOAR hounds as foretold I am starting a new book from an old idea that just popped back into my head. Hope you enjoy and let me know what you think. Thanks for reading my works!
Prologue
The year is 2026 the world is staggering through a two-year drought that many in the conspiracy world attributed to a HARP accident by the Chinese military. Who, except the Chinese know if there is any truth to these inflammatory accusations. The truth is the drought has caused major economic and political stress too all the countries all over the planet. The Chinese who depended on rice had been one of the countries hardest hit by the worldwide drought conditions. Simple math if you have no water, you have no rice. To say that tempers have flared over water rights and food stores is an understatement of epic proportions. The United States and Argentina are the only two countries in the world that still have the ability to produce more food than they consume. Argentina through a mutual agreement pack is only shipping food to Brazile and Venezuela in return for other consumables and energy. The food shipment from Argentina are not enough to keep those two countries from having some of the populace going to bed hungry each night.
The only reason that American can still produce more than its gluttonous appetite is the election results of Tuesday November 5th, 2024. The Orange man prevailed over pudding pop the sitting not standing president. The election was a landslide win for the Constitution and people of the United States, so much so that even the Dominion fix was not able to override the voice of the Republic and its people. The first thing that the new president and the Congress did was to repeal all the crazy rules instituted by pudding pop and his green team. The EPA budget was slashed such that over half of the employees had to be let go and there was no travel budget for administration for what was left of the programs. The many energy programs that were stopped and cut as part of the green agenda pushed by the leftist radicals, such as the Keystone pipeline cancelation, the stopping or curtailing of the drilling in the Bakken oil fields and the closing of coal fired generation plants were a drain on America. These much-needed programs were re-started and brought back on line from the first days of his Presidency.
Many of the third world countries had historically lagged in food production were literally starving to death. The lack of water had cut back production of staples like rice, potatoes and beans that normally kept some food on the tables of the people of these nations. These third world nations representatives to the United Nations and the WEF were on the floor each day declaring to all that they must be fed. Complaining that it was not fair for some to have much and for them to have so little or nothing. The United States had already used their veto many times in the last six-months to stop actions that would have meant that Americans would be starving while sending the food out of their mouths to other countries. Two of the measures that America had vetoed would have sent the food to other countries without any compensation. The United States citizen would have even had to foot the bill for the transportation and administration of the food stores in the other countries. That would have been like adding insult to injury to the American people. All trucks delivering food in America already had to have armed guards riding shotgun and special locks that could not be cut with a torch, grinding wheel or bolt cutters. The thieves had figured out that they could cut through the side of the truck and get the food or just steal the whole truck and trailer.
One of the other major changes in the political arena that Orangeman had made as president and leader of the free world was to announce a change in foreign diplomacy. A mere three days into his second term as president he announced to the world that America was recalling all their armed forces on foreign soil home immediately. Unlike his replacement and predecessor did in Afghanistan, the forces were bringing all their equipment and supplies home with them when they left for home.
Tom ‘Big T’ Sexton is about to take his wife of six years on their first vacation since their two-week long honeymoon cruise in the Caribbean islands a present from her parents. The two had met at Coastal Carolina University near Mrytle Beach. He was a red-shirt senior when he met her as a freshman in orientation. Ruth was a six-foot two and a half-inch sophomore outside hitter that had transferred in from Francis Marion University to play volleyball at Coastal Carolina. Ruth had drawn the eye of the volleyball coach after being a Freshman All- American in Division II at Francis Marion last season. the Big T as he was called was at freshman orientation because he was an academic advisor and mentor for the football team. Big T beside being an Academic All American was the star tight-end for the team and had been all Big South for the last two seasons for his exploits on the field. He was a pre-season second team AP All American and consensus third team All American pre-season pick. Many thought he would be a first-round draft pick in the spring at the 2017 NFL draft. What many did not know was that Tom after tearing a ACL his freshman season had signed up for ROTC after he had been sitting on the bench watching his team play after surgery. Tom was thinking he may not be able to play football anymore and needed a backup plan. Tom planned to take his commission after graduation from grad school in the spring and honor his commitment to the US Army. After graduation Tom went into service in the Army leaving Ruth to finish out two more years of her classes and eligibility. After getting his commission and serving a year he joined the Rangers for eleven months before busting his other knee on a HAHO jump into the everglades where he landed on a log with one foot hitting the log and the other not. The unexpected force of the landing all on one leg was too much and the knee gave way. Tom completed the surgery and rehab while in still in the service and was given an honorable discharge with partial disability for the knee. His connections in the service and with his Top-Secret U.S. level security clearance he received a covert position at a warfare testing and research facility. The facility disguised as a common chemical production facility that he still works at today.
Ruth admiring the big fellow walking towards her thought not many people were taller than she was or at least much taller than her. The big dude approaching her stood a solid six-foot four and three quarters inches bare footed at a football combine. Big T was taller and a lean two-hundred and fifty-seven pounds she had been impressed with his looks and his measurements. She was so impressed that when Tom asked her if she was in the correct seat, she stammered, “Maybe…? I do not really know, I thought I was until you asked.” As they say the rest was history for the pair.
Their trip and vacation were the culmination of three full years of promises that they were going on vacation. The problem being his work had always gotten in the way, even to the extent of work paying for their pre-paid hotel rooms and flights on two separate occasions. Sometimes it had just been life, a new set of tires for one of the vehicles, a high utility bill because of the hot weather, or just the rising cost of food due to the drought. The company offering double time and a half for the week of vacation and an extra three days of vacation was the ticket for one cancellation of their vacation. Payrolls had just not kept up with the high cost of inflation during the pudding pop administrations four years. The drought had caused food prices to escalate enormously with eighty percent ground beef at eight dollars and ninety-nine cent per pound being the SALE price. It was hard to turn down the extra money for the overtime. Tom and Ruth’s favorite thing was to throw a few burgers and franks on the grill an invite over their friends to eat and hangout. The two of them and their best friends often grilled out on the weekends and sat on the patio and drank a beer and just talked or played cards. The other two couples were their best friends and Candace Harper was Tom’s younger sister, her husband was Jerry who was her high school sweetheart and when she came back from college, they had re-kindled the fire and gotten married. The second couple were Christen and Nathaniel ‘Nat’ Bishop. Christen worked with Ruth at one of the top accountant firms in the county. Christen being the firm’s lawyer and Ruth one of the junior accountants.
The hard-working couple of Tom and Ruth the weekend barbecues and meeting with friends was their favorite time to relax during the tumultuous times in which they were living. Tom worked as the Chief Organic Analytical Chemist for a medium sized commercial chemical manufacturing plant and his job was a vital part of the plant’s production capabilities. Tom in a usual week spent around sixty to sixty-five hours per week at the plane and many times much more. This need for him to be on-site for long hours and days was hard on the young couple.
The young couple of Ruth and Tom were both ready for some mental and physical down time, a little rest and relaxation with friends. A much-needed reset for the twosome that had bound themselves to each other in a loving and caring marriage. The dynamic duo as mockingly called by Candace had been looking forward to this much needed vacation with childlike anticipation. All their conversations had been about the trip or plans and preparations for their trip to the mountains for months. As vacations go this one was not much, nothing like their honeymoon. The vacation was scheduled, planned and every detail had been covered for the week of camping, backpacking, fishing, and shooting in the North Carolina Smokey Mountains and Appalachian Trail. The couple were thrilled to death at even the thoughts of getting away from their hustle and bustle of their hectic city lives. They would be leaving in two days.
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Post by hunter77 on Nov 30, 2023 19:40:02 GMT -6
Good start. Ready for more!
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Post by gipsy on Nov 30, 2023 20:28:29 GMT -6
Keep it coming when you can
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Post by feralferret on Nov 30, 2023 21:12:29 GMT -6
223shootersc, nice start. Looking forward to more story.
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Post by sniper69 on Dec 1, 2023 6:21:03 GMT -6
Oh yeaahhh! A new story with a great start! Looking forward to reading more of your story.
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Post by kansasterri on Dec 1, 2023 12:20:18 GMT -6
A most excellent start!
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Post by iamnobody on Dec 1, 2023 17:22:06 GMT -6
The PAW Proboard rule 123.45, section B, paragraph C, subsection 2 says that MOAR can not be said before 36 hours have passed.
I never follow rules.
MOAR!
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Post by NCWEBNUT on Dec 1, 2023 20:03:19 GMT -6
The PAW Proboard rule 123.45, section B, paragraph C, subsection 2 says that MOAR can not be said before 36 hours have passed.
I never follow rules.
MOAR!
I think you forgot to put the . between the 3 and 6, 36 hours is far too long LOL
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Post by 223shootersc on Dec 1, 2023 23:28:30 GMT -6
Thanks all! I was hoping to have Chapter 1 ready today got called away to Charleston for work today. Just got in about an hour ago, left at the crack of dawn to be there by 10:00 this morning. It is a 221 mile drive one way to Charleston. Drove better part of 450 miles today and worked about nine hours in between the there and back. Hopefully tomorrow for the first chapter.
223shootersc
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Post by feralferret on Dec 2, 2023 5:18:43 GMT -6
That makes for a loooooong day. Get some sleep. We'll still be here waiting when you have a chance to post the chapter.
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Post by 223shootersc on Dec 2, 2023 21:33:19 GMT -6
As promised a little food for the MOAR hounds on a dark and rainy night. 'The Horse' Chapter 1 to follow hope you enjoy and as always comments god and bad are appreciated by the author. Thanks for reading and your thoughts in advance. Hope you enjoy!
Chapter 1
It was almost quitting time, the exact time was 4:28 pm on Friday September the 4th the start of the Labor Day weekend, the year of our Lord 2026. Tom’s vacation was to officially start in two minutes . He however was already on his way out the door of his small and cluttered office in the back of his lab. Starting his vacation a few minutes early, when his cell phone rang. Almost deciding to let it ring he reached into his Carhartt shirt pocket and picked up his phone not looking to see who was the caller. His thoughts were should I answer or just walk on out to the parking lot get in the Excursion and get on with my much-needed vacation or answer. Duty won and he answered the ringing bane to society and electronic tether. Duty and a strong since of worth won the inter argument. Tom answered the phone, “Big T Sexton, how may I be of service to you today?” Just like he had answered the phone every time it rang since he became part of the management team.
The caller his loving wife Ruth answered, “Hey Baby have you left work yet. Please say yes! I have left and I am already almost home.”
Big T replied, “Hello to you to baby. Ruth, sweety I was on my way out of the building when you called and heading to my Excursion to come home. You need something?”
Ruth answers, “No baby, not really. I just know how you are about your work and was worried you were held up. I will let you go. Just so you know your sister Candace and Jerry are already here and ready to leave. We have already packed their stuff in the bed of the Travelette and tarped the load. Just like we decided on the load-out with all the tents and camping supplies. The rest of the stuff will be put in the Excursion including Christen and Nat’s personal luggage. Well, I will let you go. Drive safe, there will be a lot of people trying to get out of town just like us. Love ya.”
Tom replied, “Love you too, baby. Tell Candace and Jerry hey for me and I will see you all in about twenty minutes. Good lord willing and the creek don’t rise.”
As Tom and Ruth were finishing their call the door bell rang at their home. At the door was the second couple of Christen and Nathaniel. After their greeting, Ruth said, “I just got off the phone with Tom and he told me he was getting in the Excursion and leaving work. Thank God. We all know how many times we have had plans and his work stopped them cold. He should be here in about fifteen minutes now I guess he said twenty when we were on the phone. I hope traffic is not bad and holds him up I am ready to go. Every minute we are not on the road is a minute he could get the call to come back into the plant to handle some emergency.”
Nat answered, “Well, traffic is already horrible. It took us and extra fifteen minutes to get here and it is usually only about a twelve-minute ride in normal traffic patterns.”
Candace said, “Yeah you know it. I am ready to get out of here. I cannot wait to get out of the city for a while even of it is to sleep on the ground with the bugs and snakes.”
Jerry laughed at his wife’s comments and said, “Candace, you are getting kinky again. You need to quit talking about your peculiar sexual fantasies in front of friends and relatives.” Everybody had a good laugh at the expense of Candace and Jerry’s comments.
Ruth said, “We cannot load your bags until Tom gets here with the Excursion. We could however get them out of your car and get it pulled into the garage with Candace and Jerry’s so it will be out of sight while we are gone. It should be a lot safer inside the garage. We have not had any problems here. The other communities around here that are not gated have had a lot of car break ins and some cars even stolen. Hopefully everything will be good while we are gone. Jamie from Tom’s work is going to house sit started tonight sometime. I guess she has a hot date tonight and told me it would be late or early when she got here to sit the house.”
Jerry replied, “Nat, I will help you get the bags out of the car. If Christen packed like Candace, it will probably be good for the springs and shocks as I think Candace packed for an around the world in eighty days type adventure. What was it Candace five big suit cases and three little ones?”
Candace indifferently replied, “It was five big and two smaller suitcases the third bag is just my carryall purse. It is made like a backpack to help carry the weight. Thank you! Who knows what we might need in ten days of vacation. I am sure we will find some nice restaurants that will require formal attire to attend. I have heard a lot of good things about the dining and nightlife in the Asheville area and we are just going to be about thirty-five to forty miles from downtown Asheville where we are camping.”
Ruth laughed and answered, “Candace you do remember that Tom told you that those forty miles the way the crow flies in the mountains is about a seventy-mile trip that takes over two hours to travel at the best of times.”
Christen added, “Girl, not only that but there are no showers or tubes to bath in and get ready to wear any formal attire. I brought one medium sized duffel bag and a backpack. Candace are you crazy or just delusional? We are going to be hiking and camping out in the wild and will be too tired to even think about going into Asheville to go out dancing and fine dining.”
Looking like she had been poleaxed, Candace meekly replied, “You mean what Tom and Jerry have been telling me has been the truth. They have both told me a hundred times that we would not be going out to dinner at night. I have been checking the night life around Asheville and called in a bunch of different favors to get us reservations at two of the best restaurants in the area. The reservations along cost two hundred dollars for a table for three couples. I just thought they were pulling my leg and playing me for the dummy like they do all the time. I was going to show them. That I could get us into the best places. I thought we were staying at an adult only campground with great little cabins that I found on the Internet. I knew they were just funny me about sleeping on the ground. They know me well enough to know I would never agree to sleeping outside on the ground and go over a week without a shower and maid service. You both know that I do not camp! Whose stupid idea was it for us to go camping anyway…?”
Continuing, “Jerry you might as well get our stuff out of Tom’s old and ugly International Harvester truck that he loves so much because I ain’t going camping in the woods for one minute much less a week. We will go to Asheville and stay at the Biltmore Merriot and y’all can come over for dinner and enjoy the good life or not. Come on Jerry we must go, now before I get mad.”
Jerry replied, “No! Candace, you have two choices. You can go with us camping or you can call an Uber and get them to take you home. I am going camping; you knew we were going camping. You can claim this bull crap self-denial all you want. Truth is you are just trying to raise enough stink to get your way as usual. We even bought you a small Mystery Ranch backpack at REI with the Camelback two-liter hydration system that the Store Manager recommended. So, tell me what you are going to do and I will make a call and help you unpack your stuff or you can go camping with us, either way there will be no more discussions on what restaurants we are going to visit. Tom told you there were only a couple of places that we could go to that were less than an hour drive. Explaining in minute detail that they were both just Mom and Pop restaurants.”
Candace not having ever been spoken to so harshly before by Christen much less her husband was almost in a catatonic state when she meekly replied, “I guess I am going camping like we have all been talking about for months. I really did think you all were messing with me about the camping part. I knew we were going to do some hiking and all I just thought we would be staying in a hotel or at the cabins I found that were right there were you showed me were going to be staying on Google maps. I never in my wildest dreams thought we were going really camping out in the wild with the bugs and snakes. I was just playing along with the joke that ended up not being a joke.”
Nat broke the ice by changing the subject, “Jerry can you help me with our stuff. I am ready to go. I cannot wait to do some shooting with my new Bergara Comp Rifle with the Vortex Razor HD gen II 4.5 – 27X56mm FFP scope with the EBR-7C MOA reticle. The beauty of a scope is a 34mm tube with and eyecup and sunshade. The same great rifle Christen got me for my Christmas present almost a year ago. The shame is I have only shot it about a dozen or fifteen times. I did not even shoot a box of shells, that is for sure. Tom and I went and got the scope setup and zeroed at a hundred meters and checked the zero at two hundred meters on a known distance range. It was on and starting to rain so we packed up and came home. Tom did not even ever get his rifle out of the hard case. It is not the same shooting on a known distance range as shooting out in the open area on unknown distances. Judging the distance and the wind is what it all about even if you are using a Lazer range finder and a kestrel Wind Meter. Still need to make the right adjustments and the proper trigger pull. You know what I mean?”
As Jerry and Nat were pulling the Bishop’s 2023 BMW M235i into Tom and Ruth’s garage and parking it beside Candace’s 2024 Harvest Bronze AWD Z71 Chevrolet Traverse; Tom came backing his 4 X 4 diesel Excursion Super Duty up the driveway towards his 1966 International Harvester Travelette truck. The Excursion and the Travelette were his pride and joys. The pair had both been rebuilt from the top to bottoms and he could tell you everything that had been done to the two vehicles. The Excursion was a complete frame off rebuild including the 7.3 L motor. Tom had found the 2003.5 SUV on the web and thought it was probably a scam. The Excursion was listed as having only 66,767.2 miles and was a one owner vehicle for sale in the small South Georgia town of Homerville. He had made the call to the owner who had a telephone number with an area code that was 971. Tom had looked it up on the web and that area code was for downtown Portland Oregon. Talked to a young man who had inherited the farm and along with the farm the Excursion that had belonged to his grandfather. A man that he had only met one time when he was about ten years old and his grandmother had died. The young fellow had flown from Portland with his parents to Georgia and the funeral and back to Oregon in two days. The young man had sold the farm and forgotten about the Excursion and the International Harvester farm truck that was in the barn. The guy told Tom he would take five thousand dollars for the Excursion and if he could get the money to him and remove the SUV from the property in two days, he would throw in the farm truck for free. Tom and Ruth had left upstate South Carolina within an hour of getting off the phone with the young man from Portland. Tom had borrowed the company F-550 and goose-neck trailer and headed towards South Georgia with his tools and three extra batteries. When he got to the farm and opened the barn door, he was amazed at the two vehicles. Both looked like daily drivers and in good condition. The Excursion was the XLT loaded version and indeed had 66,767.2 miles showing on the odometer and besides some dust it looked like it had less miles. Miracle of all miracles the truck was hooked up to a solar trickle charger and started right up. The 1966 International Harvester Travelette three quarter ton truck that was the throw in on the package was an even better surprise than the Excursion. It had been completely rebuilt from the frame up. The frame and drive-train from the front to the back had been replaced by a Ford F-550 frame and drive-train. The motor, transmission and rear-end were all from a totaled 2022 Super Duty with less than a thousand miles and the frame was from a 2023 truck that had been driven into the back of a semi by a driver that had a heart attack at the wheel. The F-550 rear axles had been shortened and the truck sat on twelve-inch-wide twenty-inch rimmed single tires in the back. The truck had been totaled out but the frame was unharmed. The body had been taken down to the bare metal and repainted and the upholstery completely redid in 2020 by the grandfather and was his daily driver. The Excursion had been his wife’s and he only drove it once a week to get groceries, just to keep it in good running shape and the tires to not dry-rot. Both vehicles had sitting on a shelf beside the trickle chargers a three-inch binder with every item of maintenance that had ever been done to the pair of vehicles. The last item in the Travelette was four new tires had been put on the truck and an alignment done after the new tires were mounted on the truck. The Excursion had an oil change about four months before the purchase and had less than a thousand miles on the vehicle since the oil change had been completed.
Ruth had asked Tom what he thought the two vehicles were worth and he said, “Well, I am going to say sometimes it is better to be lucky than good. This Ruth for sure is one of those rare times. We won the lottery, not the mega lottery but at least a big scratch off ticket. The 7.3L engine and transmission in the Excursion would probably bring twenty-thousand dollars maybe a little more as a paired sale and might bring more if sold separately and the body/ chassis combo would bring at least five grand just for parts not counting the seats, rims, and tires.”
Tom went on telling her that he did not have a clue on the International Harvester Travelette truck was worth but he guessed at least twenty thousand maybe even seventy thousand dollars to the right buyer. Going on to say that he did not know exactly what putting the Ford drive train and chassis up under the truck would do to the pricing. He knew there was a market for the old International Harvester trucks but a purist might not be interested in the rebuild that was completed with the removal of original parts. On the other hand, now, the truck was much more capable and would ride a lot better than with the 1966 technology and the drive train was almost that of a new truck right off the lot. Whatever it does not matter we have two great vehicles that we could have probably just driven home. I am going to take the trickle chargers and the maintenance logs and the oil and filters along with the extra hoses and belts on the shelves. The guy told me we could have anything that was not tied or nailed down that was in the barn. If you see anything you want, put it in the back of the truck. Ruth had put two old milk cans, a washboard, a ten-gallon caste iron pot, and four Dietz lanterns that were hanging in the barn. Three of them were standard black #78 oil lanterns and the fourth was a little less common Dietz Watchman Railroad oil lantern.
Tom had asked Ruth, on seeing almost the whole back of the truck full if she had left anything in the barn. Ruth replied, “Yeah, smart ass I left lots of stuff. But there is another pile of stuff that I thought you might be interested in taking. I put a couple of old cross-cut saws in the pile one was a two man the other a one man. There was a a couple of nice axes, a maul, a half-dozen wedges and a big sledge hammer. I guess they must have had a wood stove or something at one time. You know you are always complaining that you need a wedge or a maul when you are splitting wood for the cook stove at home.”
Tom grinned at his wife and said, “Good catch. Baby you are right, those things would be nice to have and I saw a brace and drill set hanging on the wall that might come in handy sometime in the future. I probably would have left all that stuff here if you had not have said something as all I really have on my mind is how great a deal we got on these vehicles. I am going to take it all.”
Back in the garage talking with Jerry and Nat; Nat said, “You ready to do some shooting Big T. I am sure ready to bust some caps with my new Bergara Premier HMR Pro rifle and possibly catch a couple of those big trout like we did that one weekend we went up there what was that three or four years ago. Man those things were so good cooked over the fire in aluminum foil with lemon and what was the other spice?”
Tom replied, “It was five plus years ago as Ruth has reminded me a hundred times and the spice was fresh Rosemary and I know Ruth has packed both for the trip. It was the last time we have gotten out of town together. She went with her college friends to their condo at Mrytle Beach for that wedding but nothing for the two of us together. It is totally my fault as I have let work come first way too many times.”
Jerry jumps into the conversation asking, “Nat do you think you or Tom will let a rank amateur like me shoot one of those big hand cannons of yours. I am just your brother and your brother-in-law you know.”
Nat replied, “Well no. I ain’t letting you shoot my .357 magnum with the Buffalo Bore loads ever again. The last time I handed you my custom Ruger GP100 Competition Revolver when you shot it the recoil threw it out of your limp wrist-ed hold and scratched the walnut grips. You my little brother are only alive because Tom promised to fix the scratch on the grips and did so well that you cannot tell it was ever there, even knowing where to look.”
Tom was just standing there shaking his head and grinning at the two brothers who loved each other like well brothers. The truth was they loved each other like no other but at times they sure did not like each other, even a little bit. Jerry dropping Nat’s competition revolver was one of those times. Nat really should have warned Jerry that he had those Buffalo Bore rounds loaded. Tom was thinking he probably did not tell him on purpose hoping it would kick back and hit him in the head.
Tom’s reverie spell and the brothers arguing was broken by Ruth and Candace almost simultaneously saying, “Hey Tom.” After getting his attention, Ruth asked, “Tom are y’all ready to leave are or the three of you going to argue up the whole weeks’ vacation?”
Christen answered even though she was not asked the question, “Guys, I am ready to go and if you are ready, I have a surprise. I baked a big batch of my famous or infamous double chocolate chip cookies y’all like so much. Especially you, Tom.”
Tom replied, “I do love your cookies, Christen. We need to mount up and get on the road hopefully we can beat some of the rush hour and holiday traffic.” Motioning for everyone to get in the two vehicles and not getting any response. Walking towards the Travelette he grabbed Ruth and picked her up in one motion spinning the two of them around. Tom said, “How about a big kiss for ‘the horse’.” A nickname that some fellow warriors called him in the service, because he always carried a pack that most could not even pickup much less carry on a twenty-mile forced hike in the woods that the Rangers loved so much to do for practice.
Ruth replied, “Why do you think you deserve a kiss much less a big kiss? Before you even answer remember this is our first vacation since our honeymoon in the Caribbean.”
Tom with a smile a mile wide replied, “My love you must admit it was a heck of a honeymoon don’t ya now. Do you remember the crazy innkeeper at the inn in Jekyl Island we stayed at the way to Cape Canaveral and the port to catch the Royal Caribbean cruise ship? That dude was always a trip with the red long johns with the flap on the backside and a Rum drink in his hand every time we saw him.”
Grinning at her crazy husband and lover she impishly replied, “Yes he was a trip, baby.”
Tom asked, “Are you going to give me that kiss or not…?” Finally setting his wife back down from his hug after receiving a kiss that said you still might get lucky tonight Big T.
Continuing tom said, “Now baby that was not so bad, was it? Now, Nat get your Colorado parked in the garage beside Jerry’s truck. The get yours and Christen’s stuff packed into the Excursion.” All this said while putting a large dip of Kodiak into his right cheek for the effect on Candace and his pure love of chewing tobacco and dip. A big chew of Redman Gold would be following as soon as they got to the camp site. Jerry, you, and Nat are going to ride with me in the Travelette and the girls will take the Excursion. I know Nat is going to want to smoke one of those big La Gloria Cubana Classic Glorias and none of the girls will want to be involved in that action. Heck, I might even smoke one of his high dollar cigars if he will give me one. They are good cigars but a real expensive habit. Heck Kodiak is high but I can buy two cans for one of those cigars. How much are those smoke sticks now Nat?”
Nat replied, “Actually I have found a guy, one of my clients and he gets them in Cherokee on the reservation for me. I was paying like nine dollars apiece for the Cubana Classics. He gets me a box of twenty-five for a hundred and forty dollars. That comes out to five dollars and sixty cents per cigar. About what you pay for a can of Kodiak. What is it five dollars a can now?”
Tom laughed and replied, “Yeah, if you buy five rolls you can get it for just under five bucks a can. I have started buying the twelve-ounce tub of Stoker’s wintergreen and buying two at a time with five rolls of Kodiak to price average down to about three and quarter per can. Mixed one to one I cannot tell any difference. I can tell a difference with the Stoker by itself. It is not the taste it is the cut. The Stoker even in the long cut is a little finer cut than Kodiak and wants to float a little too much for my taste. Kodiak sold the tubs for a while and then they quit. I guess they made more money selling it by the can. I guess those cigars are not that much different than the snuff in price unless you are smoking three or five a day.”
Nat laughed and said, “Usually just one a day or less. Sometimes on the weekend I smoke more than one if I am working in the yard or just hanging out.”
Tom said, “Candace can you do me a favor while we are getting the final touches done on loading the vehicles. I know you will need to go to the bathroom before we get to the North Carolina line so go potty now. On your way back out, stop by my bedroom and look laying on top of my dresser there is a big black box sitting there bring it to me please. Will ya? It is my present to Jerry for his birthday. I know he thinks I have forgotten his birthday because it was yesterday and I did not even call him. But I was in control of the event and wanted him to think I had forgotten. I think he is going to be happy with his present. I thought today would be a more appropriate time to give Jerry his present.” Candace turned without any rebuttal and headed into the house knowing her brother was right about her needing to potty whenever she road in a car any length of time over twenty minutes. Her brother was sure annoying sometimes, who else was right all the time except her stupid brother.
Jerry said, “Now, you got me going Tom. What is it?” Saying this with a lost and forlorn puppy look on his face. Jerry just got a mischievous look from Tom and then he turned to Ruth with a help me look.
Ruth laughed and replied, “Jerry you have known my husband long enough to know that when he wants something to be a secret it is a secret and will stay that way till, he dies. You know what he always says, three people can keep a secret if you kill two of them or just do not tell them in the first place. That is always his plan and you know it. He always says tell nothing and nothing will be told. I have no idea my friend.” As she was finishing Nat walked back into the garage from storing his bags and Candace returned with a big black box.
Candace walked over and handed the box to Tom saying, “Okay Tom I am back, take this box. Why didn’t you tell me it was going to so blasted heavy, dumbo. Here, take it. Before I drop the dang thing and break it.” Tom took the box and turned to his brother -in-law and handed him the big black box.
Tom said, “Here you go Jerry. This is your present for your twenty-eighth-birthday. I know it is late, hope you will like it. I did the best I could with the gun sales laws that president Pudding Pop Bedum enacted by Executive Order on his last day of service. I had to call in every favor that I was ever owed at the plant along with our subcontractors and vendors to get this for you. President DJ Orangeman just has not had time to get them all changed or dismissed. The no private face to face sales and turning the ATF and IRS lose on FFL holders are the ones that caused me the most grief in getting this weapon. I know it is not the one you wanted but it is a close brother-in-law to the revolvers that Nat and I have. Nat and my revolvers are the GP100 Competition Revolver and the one I was able to obtain for you is a twin brother from Ruger to ours just not an identical twin brother. I was able to do a trade with a guy out of Savannah and got you a GP 100 Match Champion. The only real difference is the weight and yours only holds six rounds while ours hold eight. Other than that, it is identical to ours, maybe even a little more accurate. Either of the two Ruger revolvers will outshoot almost anyone that is shooting them. Hope you enjoy bud. The reason it is so heavy is there are six speed loaders in the case already loaded and ready to go, that a two six round speed strips and a twelve-round cartridge belt slide for rounds. I put six loose rounds in a baggie for your initial loading of the weapon. The Pelican case has cut out space for four extra fifty round boxes of cartridges. There are three full boxes and a partial box stored in the cases storage. The ammo is a half and half mix of .357 Magnum 158 grain JHP and .38 Special +P 158 grain FMJ. Just did not think it would be wise to get you that Buffalo Bore ammunition that Nathaniel and I shoot, at least for now. I was not able to find you a holster as I did not know if you wanted leather as you are always talking about or a kydex strong side holster like we use. There is however an Eafengrow EF 137 full tang fixed blade knife with green micarta handles in the case. It has a kydex sheath that came with the blade. I knew you had always liked maybe even coveted mine and Nat’s revolvers, but just could not ever get one due to the restrictions on sales that Pudding Pop Bedum and the liberals have legislated.” Jerry opened the black Pelican case and looked inside letting out a long loud whistle, closed the lid on the box and ran to his brother-in-law grabbing him and almost crushing Big T in a bear hug.
Tom feigned that he was hurt so Jerry would put him down before he hurt himself. Tom out weighed Jerry by a good fifty pounds and he was afraid that he would hurt his back. Tom said, “Put me down please…, you big idiot. Jerry, are you crying? You big baby! Now go thank Ruth as the present is from her also. You know….” Tom was gleaming at the effervescent reaction from his brother-in-law to his birthday present and thankful that Ruth and he were so blessed that they could purchase the weapon for him. All three couples were truly blessed as they all had good professional positions and were doing well. The weird thing of it all was that Candace who was probably the least intelligent of the six was doing exceptionally well in her chosen profession. Candace was a financial planner with Series 6 and 7 certifications and specialized in Annuities and the bond market. Amazingly she was almost savant in her financial choices and portfolio investment advisement to her clients and took care of the groups finances as well. However, unlike the rest of the group she did not and would not invest her money in the future she believed in spending what you made and living for today. Thousand-dollar a pair heels that she might wear for a few times and pocketbooks that either Ruth or Christen ended up with in less than six months, country club membership even though she did not play golf or tennis, spa days, maid service, laundry service, and a personal trainer were also a few of her personal necessities in life. Even though the trainer could never really get her to do anything at the gym but talk on the phone and drink smoothies at the gym bar. Candace’s need to impress was why she was the only one of the close-knit group that drove a fancy car she drove a Mercedes-Benz S580 e L AMG. Christen drove a five-year-old Toyota 4Runner and Nat a four-year-old Chevrolet Colorado Bison 2.8 L diesel kingcab with 4X4 for the fuel economy and for going hunting. Jerry still drove a 2018 Nissan Frontier Pro 4X he bought new right out of college after getting his first real job as he told everybody.
Jerry said, “Tom and Ruth, this is the greatest birthday present ever. Well maybe something I received from Mom and Dad or Candace in the past was better. Right now, though I cannot think of anything that I would have rather gotten for my birthday present. Well, I guess that is enough of the mushy feelings stuff. I think it is time for us to get going.”
Nat said, “Daylight is burning and it will be dark soon. Jerry you are right for a change and I really cannot believe I just spoke that phrase. Probably a first for me.” Grinning at his younger brother’s expense.
Tom said, “Before we get in separate vehicles, Christen, give me a dozen or more of those famous double chocolate chip cookies. That should hold me over till our first stop over in Asheville for supper and to stretch our legs before finishing going up the mountains to our site. Everybody, load up we have four plus hours of ride ahead of us this evening….”
After a moment of pause to get a bag full of cookies from Christen, he continued, “Girls y’all follow us till we get on the highway above Travelers Rest then we will follow you all to Asheville. Ruth, you know where we are going to stop and eat. It is the place with the best hamburgers in the state. We have stopped there many times and ate at Clara’s.”
Candace said, “Oh no not hamburgers again….” Her comments getting a big laugh from everyone including her brother.
Ruth answered, “Yeah, I want one of those big juicy burgers myself. I think they are a half pound and hand patted right before they are put on the grill. Uuumm.”
Candace replied, “He has brain washed you, Ruth. That is my brother for you. He is the only person I know who thinks a gourmet meal at a five-star restaurant is a juke joint somewhere that has a hamburger with Swiss cheese and mushrooms that you can get with a side order of French fries or onion rings on the menu.”
Tom replied, “That is not true, sis. I know that a five-star restaurant is required to have curly fries and potato tots on the menu for it to get the fourth star even. It is the places that have pork rinds with jalapeno-pimento cheese to dip them in for appetizers that get the fifth star. In my opinion though it must have ice cold Miller Lite in the long neck bottle though to get a five-star rating from me.
Everyone was loading into their assigned vehicles and the last thing Tom did before he left was hugged Ruth and handed her the Baofeng BF-F8HP 8-watt dual band radio with the upgraded antenna and battery with the attached headset. Telling her that the charger unit was already plugged into the SUVs charging port and reminding her to change channels every time they talked. She smiled and said, “Yes Daddy….” Then opened the flat light brown or dark tan Excursion door and sat down in the driver’s seat and started adjusting the seat and the mirrors for her driving style. Christen and Candace had already argued about who was riding in the front seat with Ruth. Finally, Christen gave in and told Candace she could ride up the mountain in the front and she would ride in the front on the return trip home. Candace was fine with that as she had gotten her way and felt sure she could again a week from now on the return home. She had sat down in the front seat with a big cat that ate the canary smile.
Starting the big diesel in the Travelette, Tom asked, “Fellows y’all buckled up and ready to ride? If you are then the next stop is Asheville.”
The two riders and friends both agreed that they had on their seat belts and were ready to ride. Tom spoke into his radio and said, “Princess One follow my lead and do not tailgate or get lost stay steady at five lengths at least. We will trade out on the other side of TR when we are on Highway 25. Big T, over and out.” The first leg of the trip went fabulously, taking the back way out of Greenville towards the mountains had paid off in Spades. The traffic was light and the mood of the travelers was excitement and could be felt by all. Tom followed Ruth and the Excursion into the Mom and Pop hamburger joints parking lot and found a parking spot just on the second row of spots on the right side of the building. Ruth and the girls had lucked out and found a front row parking spot right at the edge of the building on the same side as the guys. The trio of gals and guys got out of their vehicles and all took a minute to stretch their leg and back muscles before making their way into the dinner. Every one of the crew ordered a burger of some kind except Candace who wanted fish since as she told them it was Friday and you are supposed to eat fish.
Tom spoke to his sister and asked, “Candace, do you know why you are supposed to eat fish on Friday? Well, you are supposed to eat fish if you are Catholic and the last time, that I checked you were a lifelong Southern Baptist and we do not follow that religious ritual.”
Thinking about her brother’s question for a second, she truthfully answered, “I guess it has something to do with religion since you said something about me not being Catholic. I just know that we always had fish on Fridays in school and I guess it was a habit with me. I like fish is the most likely reason.”
Tom said, “According to the Catholics Jesus was a warm-blooded animal. They think you should not eat meat or other warm-blooded animals. Fish are cold blooded and was okay to eat and Friday because that is the day Jesus was crucified.”
Candace just replied, “Okay. I get it.”
Christen said, “If the burgers are as good as these pork rinds with the jalapeno-pimento cheese spread I think we are going to stop here on our way home. This stuff is great, I would have never thought of putting something like this on pork rinds, I have just always eaten them by their selves. This is better…, much better.” Finished she put some more of the cheese spread on a large pork rind and took a big bite of the delicious concoction. The pork rinds were even enjoyed by Candace to the point of her getting a to go box for the few that were left of the second order that Christen had requested as they waited for their burgers. Tom and Ruth had their usual a hamburger with bacon, fried egg, lettuce, and tomato with extra mayo. Nat had the burger with bacon, mayo, and the jalapeno-pimento cheese. Christen almost got the same but she finally decided on the hamburger with cheese, chili no beans, lettuce, onions, and mayo. Jerry went for a double cheese burger with bacon, lettuce, tomato, and mayo with onion and dill pickle on the side. They all had fries except for Tom who had chili-cheese fries with added jalapenos and an order of onion rings because he knew Ruth wanted some but would never order them on her own with company at the table. Supper was enjoyed by all and Tom bought a Pecan, and a Pumpkin pie along with an Apple Cake, and German Chocolate layer cake to take with them to their campsite. A stuffed bunch of friends walked out of the diner and got back into their vehicles to complete their journey. All had been to restroom before leaving knowing they had another couple of hours of travel to go before they would get to their campsite and home for the next eight or nine days. Tom led this leg as he knew the way better than Ruth and saw better at night than his wife who had glare problems sometimes at night when driving especially in the rain. As they were coming out of the diner a sprinkle of light rain had started and was followed by a bolt of lightning that lit up the whole western side of North Carolina. These ominous events had changed the convoy order of travel.
The travel from the burger joint to their camp site was usually about two and a half hours. That night with the rain it took almost four hours to make the trip. Although part of that time was spent stopped on the side of the road with Nathaniel losing his supper due to a severe case of motion sickness. Tom had barely gotten the Travelette stopped before Nat flung the passenger side back door open and put his head out the door. He immediately started violently losing his burger and everything else, he had eaten in the last six months or so it seemed to Tom and Jerry. Both felt sorry for their brother and friend but were just as thankful that the big truck had good breaks and Tom did not dilly dally on making the decision to stop. Tom had a good friend when he was younger that had the same problem with motion sickness and Tom had learned the hard way you did not look for a convenient place to stop when he said he was car sick. You stopped, if you had to do it on a mountain side or in the middle of a busy city street.
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Post by gipsy on Dec 2, 2023 22:45:36 GMT -6
Fine update
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Post by feralferret on Dec 3, 2023 0:56:39 GMT -6
223shootersc, good start to the story. Thank you.
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Post by 223shootersc on Dec 6, 2023 10:08:29 GMT -6
MOAR hounds work has again gotten in the way. I didn't know that being retired was so exhausting, probably would have continued to work. Nah, my company that has graciously kept me on a good retainer, is the mist of a growth phase that I told them was coming before I retired and they just cannot get any good help. Lucky or unlucky for me depending on the day and what my wife had on her honeydew list. Maybe by the weekend for Chapter 2.
223shootersc
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Post by gipsy on Dec 6, 2023 12:42:55 GMT -6
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Post by ydderf on Dec 11, 2023 11:28:35 GMT -6
Thanks 223shooter
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Post by eyeseetwo on Dec 11, 2023 17:56:40 GMT -6
Thank you!
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Post by 223shootersc on Dec 13, 2023 16:13:36 GMT -6
A little feed for the MOAR hounds hope you enjoy! Comments are appreciated!!
Chapter 2
Arriving at their camp site, weary from the long ride; all the group were happy for one event the rain had crossed the mountains and it was a beautiful star filled sky that they arrived to camp site under. The ground however was wet from the almost two inches of rain that had fallen before their arrival. Pulling the Travelette up where the trucks lights and additional fog lamps could light up where they would be setting up their tents. Tom jumped out and motioned for Ruth to pull her truck up beside his. As she was pulling the Excursion up beside the Travelette Tom walked to her door and said, “Ruth, can you roll down your window? We need to talk about our next steps.” Tom heard the servomotor on the window as he moved down as his reply. The window down he investigated the SUV driver’s window as Ruth answered, “I know we want to leave the lights on and start off-loading the tents and just the stuff we need to get us through till morning. Is that the plan or am I wrong.” All spoken with an I am superior grin on her face that only Tom knew was her way of saying, I am your wife and we are a perfect pair. I know you like a book I have read a hundred times.
Tom said, “Alright girls everyone out and stretch your legs and find a tree if you need to and we will get started. We need to get the tents and some stuff unloaded and get the camp setup. We need to do this as quickly as possible. Up here in the mountains it could be raining again in ten minutes or less. Weather.com on Jerry’s phone said no, but who knows. It is better to be safe than sorry. We will start getting some of our lanterns burning. I will also get the big eight-man tent out of the Travelette and the four-man tent just for tonight. I can set it up by myself in two minutes. The eight-man is a little more work and a lot more time. We will set up the other four man tomorrow and use the four-man for storage. Ruth and I will sleep in it tonight and the four of you can have the eight-man. Before you start Candace, we have already decided that the two man is to keep the coolers and the cook stoves and stuff out of the elements you are not sleeping in it or making Ruth and I or Christen and Nat sleep in it for your convenience. Not going to happen little sister, not going to happen so just clear those selfish thoughts right out of your little prima donna mind. Now, we need to get started, chop, chop.” Turning and walking back to the Travelette where Jerry and Nat had already returned from seeing a man about a horse.
Nat asked, “What do we need to do and where do we start?”
Tom answered, “Nat get those Coleman lanterns of mine out of the truck and get them burning. I will help you get them hung on the new boom pole that I Jerry and I saw the store bought one at the swap meet down in Anderson. Jerry and I built one for a third of what the guy wanted at the Jockey Lot. It works just as good as the ones he had but it is a little tricky to set up the first time you do it.” Jerry said, “Yeah, we built that thing a couple of weekends ago. Our model is telescoping and the feet collapsible. The telescoping pole was an improvement that we came up with as the one we copied only had the collapsible feet and we went with four feet instead of three to make it more stable. We need to be careful on this wet ground as we have not tested it in the mud. It has a hangar on either side. It needs to be somewhat balanced. We tried it with the big lantern on one side and a small one opposite the big one and it was okay, did not even tilt. The facts are it did make me feel uneasy just looking at it with it unbalanced and there was not any wind that might cause us problems in the real world. Our design does have a set of tie downs that we can put a tent stake and guide wires to hold it in place. I think we probably need to do it, just in case.”
Nat said, “You two clowns probably have invented the sturdiest boom pole in the history of lantern hangars. I bet you could send the plans to some firm in China and get them made for nothing. Didn’t you say they wanted like three hundred dollars for the one you copied?”
Tom replied, “Yeah and even figuring our labor cost we probably only have about two hundred in this one. If we had not of changed to the model with four feet instead of three as originally planned it would have been less. The mad scientist duo had to go back to the store for more aluminum and some extra fasteners. If not, we would have been done in a couple of hours. That and the beers we were drinking might have slowed production a little. If you know what I mean.” Laughing at the look he got from Jerry after he looked over his shoulder to see if Candace had heard Tom spill the beans on them drinking beer that day. As they had both promised her that they needed to get this done and they would be doing tedious engineering work and welding not partying. Jerry had bowed out of some society function that Candace had wanted him to attend and he had rather taken a beating and was saved by his brother-in-law on the need for his help on the important project.
Jerry said, “Hush Tom. Will ya? Candace swore I had been drinking all day when she got home. I told her that I had not drank anything till I got home and started watching the game on ESPN when she was not at home, when I arrived.”
Nat said, “Little brother if I did not know better, brother. I would think you were a cuckold. On that note, do not let me find out that you have sullied my name even though you are a Harper and not a Bishop. I will kill you myself just to save the family name. The three S method will come into play immediately. You know the one Tom had talked about before, Shoot, Shovel and Shut the blank up.” Laughing at his little brother to show he was just kidding, kinda.
“Shut up Nat. I might be the younger brother but I can still give you a whoopin’. Just remember the last time we fought and how your whole head was all swollen up for a couple of weeks and would have been worse had your daddy not have pulled me off you,” replied Jerry all proud of himself and his reply to Nat.
Tom laughing at the two brothers just said, “Can you two do anything that does not require you to argue? You both know that fight was when you were like what twelve and thirteen or thirteen and fourteen. What dang difference does it make? The only way the two of you are ever going to fight at the same time now is if someone else jumps on one of you the other one will be on them like a rooster on a June bug.” The two brothers just laughed and nodded in agreement while hanging up the now burning lanterns. Jerry pulled out a one-pound spool of #36 Tarred Braided Bank Line and starting tying a loop to go on the pole side and then pushed a stake in the ground and used a truckers hitch not to attach it to the stake. After it was erected Tom thought it would take a hurricane force wind to move the boom pole and lanterns.
While the guys had been getting the lighting situation for the camp site set up the ladies had placed the eight-man tent and the four-man tents on the ground where they were going to be set up and then removed them from their storage bags. Ruth said, “If the three of you gentleman and I use that word in its most liberal interpretation are ready to quit messing around and letting us do all the work. We would appreciate your help setting up the two tents. Especially the eight-man with the fly cover and extended front cover. It is a handful for us to do by ourselves.”
Nat still had a couple of lanterns to get hung and he was going to use a ridge line that he already had prepared for just this type of occasion. He had three of the ridge lines each about twenty feet long made from orange paracord in his jacket pocket with his gloves. Jerry and Tom went to help the girls set up the tents. As they were walking towards the girls not twenty feet from them Jerry asked, “Okay, Tom. What do you want me to do? I know with your organizational abilities you already know what you think I ought to be doing and in what order.”
Tom smiled and replied, “Jerry since you have asked, I want you to girls unload the rest of the cots and bed rolls for the tents. I will start setting up the eight-man tent with Ruth. Hopefully, Nat will be through hanging those last two lanterns and will be able to help with the tent. If not Ruth and I will get it done and will have it up before you get the trucks unloaded. After that you can start moving in the bags and the bedding for the eight-man tent occupants. I can put up that four-man by myself blindfolded it three minutes or less I have done it a hundred times. After that how about going and grabbing my Cold Steel shovel and clean out our camps stone ringed fire pit of all the old ash and get a fire going. Just pile the ash beside the pit, we have a use for it. I have my Dewalt 20V MAX 8-inch Cordless Chainsaw in the truck to cut a few dead limbs that can be found right here close and get that fire going. Everybody just feels better and safer when you are out in the woods when you have a fire for some reason. You nor I want Candace to be freaking out before we are here an hour. It just is not worth the hassle she will cause us. So, go help her and keep her out of our way while we are erecting the big tent. On second thought, if you get through with removing the stuff from the trucks open mu tool box and get out the saw and the shovel and dig the hole and cut some wood right quick.” As Jerry went to get Candace and Christen busy on getting stuff ready to go in the tents Tom turned to Ruth who had been standing there listening to him dictate to Jerry his instructions.
Ruth said, “My husband you are awful. I heard the whole thing about keeping your little sister from acting a fool. I have a question do you steer me the way you do everybody else without them knowing you are the great Oz behind the curtain?” Grinning at him in the lights of the cars and now the four lanterns that Nat had gotten going and producing light for the camp. She knew her loving husband was too smart to hang himself with an answer but it was a lot of fun trying to get him to slip up even once would be a real win for her.
A few minutes later Tom was holding the front pole up as Ruth hooked the enclosure around the pole as she had in the back and the four side poles. They would be finished as soon as they tightened up all the guide wires for the tent. There was always a few that the tent stakes had to be re-positioned after you got everything in place. After getting the last pole set up, Nat stuck his head in the door and stated, “I know you were going to setup the four-man tent. I went ahead and set it up. I know you will want to look and make sure it is done right. I figured it would still be quicker if it was already standing. It is a free-standing tent after all. All you really have to do is throw it up in the air and like a cat it lands on its feet. The girls including my brother are almost through with the bags and cots. Jerry even got out the camp chairs and has set them up around the fire pit he dug. I saw he had the chain-saw out, is he going to cut some wood or do I need to go and pick up a few downfalls and drag them over to the fire pit.”
Tom said, “Nat, let Ruth and I come out of the tent we are through inside.” As he spoke to Nat, he heard the varrom, varoom of his little chain-saw coming to life. Continuing, “Sounds like little brother is getting ready to cut some wood. I see you have your headlamp on, please go and help him so we do not have any loss of fingers or toes. I know he has done it before but I do not know about in the dark. You know what I mean.”
Nat just turned and went to help Jerry get some wood ready for a fire. He had to admit Jerry was really pulling his weight so far on the trip. Walking out of the tent after reaching for the hand of his lover and wife. Tom said as they got outside, “I love you and this. This my love is what life is all about. Being out here in the amazing fresh air, trees, the river babbling in the background, and wide-open space. It is not like in the city with buildings, cars, trucks, buses, and people everywhere you can see and hear.”
Ruth replied, “Yeah, so are right. I really like the way the lantern holding thing Jerry and you built works. It is better than hanging them on a tree. The tree blocks part of the light, on the pole you get a three-sixty panorama of light. Wish you had of built two them now, after seeing how effective they work.”
Tom answered, “I was not sure about our design. I was afraid it would not be very sturdy. That is why we decided on four legs instead of three. After seeing it with the guide lines in place I think it is going to be plenty sturdy. We might have even built it too sturdy. The three guide lines really make it work, that and the claws we put on the feet. Nat thinks we ought to try and have some built in China with our design and see if anyone would want to buy them. I think with them telescoping down and taking up less room for transport or storage would really help sales. That and the fourth leg will always be more stable than three.” They checked and straightened up the tent stakes and guide wires for the tent. Then Tom walked to the Travelette and opened the backdoor, laying the back of the bench seat down he removed a soft pack type box and brought it back to the eight-man tent. After opening the pack, he removed three of the small Harbor Freight give away LED flashlights and hung one on the outside of the tents zippered door and then went inside and hung the other two in the tent. They were the perfect lights for the tent. Small and bright, they did not take up hardly any room at all and the two inside LED lights were plenty to see what you needed inside the tent. When Tom emerged from the tent Ruth announced that if anyone wanted to, they could start moving cots and baggage inside the tent. Jerry had successfully found a bunch of small dead fall limbs too get the fire started and going and Nat had pulled a couple of six-to-eight-inch circumference deadfall trees near the fire pit and was using the small battery-operated chain-saw to make quick work of the two trees. Nat figured it would be more than enough for the fire for the night and first thing in the morning. Christen and Candace started toting their bags of clothing and other supplies to their tent. Jerry after being told by Candace brought in the three old Army issue cots that belonged to Ruth and Tom. Tom had bought them at an army surplus auction five or six years earlier. His thoughts were that the surplus cots would be better than sleeping on the ground. Everyone concerned had agreed that he was right. Tom had told them to go ahead and bring their sleeping mats or self-inflating air mattresses to go on the cots. Jerry later would say that he was glad that Tom had insisted he bring his accordion mat to place on the cot adding that it was not Sealy Posturpedic mattress sleep system but it beat the heck out of sleeping on the ground or even in a hammock.
Tom noticed that his shovel lying beside the fire pit which had not been cleaned of its ash. Tom picked up the shovel and started cleaning out the pit. Within a couple of minutes of brisk shoveling it was clean and the ash stored. Tom went over to the pile of wood that Jerry and Nat had gotten ready for the fire. Picking up an armload of the smaller branches of wood he walked back to the pit and prepared a bed of wood. Going to the truck he opened the tool box and got out a roll of duct tape and pulled off about a foot and half of tape. Tearing the tape in six-inch strips then tearing them in thirds of the width he prepared an artificial bird’s nest to start the fire. Taking a Bic lighter out of his jacket pocket he lit the tape nest and pushed it under the small pieces of limbs he had prepared and started feeding the small fire and building a little bit of coal bed to help the fire burn the bigger limbs. Ruth had walked over and was watching her husband prepare and get the fire started as she had many times in their backyard.
Nat brought an armload of larger limbs and a couple large pieces that he had split with his straight twenty-six inch handled Council Tool Jersey Miner’s Axe. Dropping the wood by the fire Nat said, “Tom and Ruth, I do not know if I have told you but thanks for inviting Christen and I to come along on this vacation. I guess we might have gone somewhere for a weekend or something. But I cannot see us having been able to afford to go anywhere for a weeks’ vacation. We both have good jobs, yet it seems that inflation is killing our buying power. We have the house and we are not flat broke or anything it just seems to take all we can make to live these days. You know what I mean? Anyway, thanks from both of us.”
Ruth replied, “Nat, why do you think we invited you all and Jerry and Candace. Tom makes a pretty good salary at the plant. I am still trying to get ahead at the firm. Christen will tell you I am still a junior payroll accountant with minor accounts. Trust me that does not pay like being the firm’s lawyer. We would not have been able to do this on our own, either. That and we all have such a good time together cooking out and hanging out together it just seemed the natural thing to do for all of us. I am not sure Tom’s rich sister would agree.”
Tom grunted hard and said, “Rich my big old butt. They are two payments behind and almost a third on that fancy Mercedes-Benz of hers according to Jerry. She also confirmed it when I asked her about it and had the audacity to ask if we could help her out. I told her to cut up her credit cards and sell the dang thing or trade it in for something with a smaller monthly nut to pay. That did not even register with her on any conscious scale. She told me that people in her position in life never traded down. Saying it was bad business to take a beating trading down. I told her it made a lot more sense than a tow truck visiting one night and it being repossessed. She did not see the humor in my response or the validity.”
Ruth exclaimed, ‘Tom! Why are you just now telling me this. We could have helped them. We have some savings and you know it.”
Tom smiled at his wife and said, “That exact reaction is why. Ruth, you would give her or anyone for that matter the shirt off your back and the shoes off your feet. Heck, according to Jerry she makes more than the two of us together. She needs to learn to live within her means and invest like we have you know. Dang it she does our investing and has doubled our money in the last four years. Just think if she was investing her ten or fifteen percent annually in herself instead of spending every penny she can make and put on her credit cards she would be rich. This falls under give a man a fish feed him for a day. Teach a man to fish feed him for life. She needs to learned some responsibility.”
Ruth just nodded her head in agreement with what Tom was saying about his sister. Nat added, “Man, I always was envious of Jerry and Candace, with the country club membership and season tickets to the University of South Carolina ball games in The Zone. Heck, if we get tickets to a couple of games, we feel lucky and we usually buy them from some season ticket holder that is not going to the game for some reason. They are usually a discount price and sometimes even free. Still a lot of cost, for parking, tailgating, and gas for driving down and back. I guess appearances can be deceiving, I had rather not look rich, than be in debt over my head. That I could not handle.”
Tom said, “The fire is going pretty good and it is getting later by the minute. Ruth we still need to set up our stuff and get ready for bed. I have not gotten anything of mine out of the truck. Yet. Much less set up my sleeping pad and all. We better quit talking and get back to work. I have a lot to unload and get setup in our tent.”
Ruth said, “My dear, like usual I have already set our tent up and brought in your bag and your backpack. We are good to go for the most part. I did not think you were going to setup the solar generator tonight and that is really the only think left except the large electric cooler that it will run and the other big tent. That and of course your guns and stuff that I was just going to lock up in the Excursion for the night.”
Tom replied, “Thanks my love in that case I am going to get my camp chair and pull it over here by the fire and eat a big piece of that German Chocolate Cake that is calling my name and after that maybe have one of those St. Pauli Girl beers or three and chill.” Looking to his wife to see her reaction to his statement and getting the smile that said she was cool with him doing all the things on his list and would be joining him for more than likely a piece of cake or pie and a cold beer or three.
Nat said, “I am going to check with my beautiful wife and see if she needs any help. I am hoping she does not and will want to sit by the fire and chill with a couple of brews. Be back in a flash hopefully.” Nat walked towards the eight-man tent looking for his wife. Ruth got up and went to get Tom a piece of cake and her a piece of pecan pie. Tom went and rescued beers from the Ozark Trail 24 Can Welded Cooler in the backseat of the Travelette and came back and sat down after opening his with bottle opener on his Swiss army knife from his right front pocket.
About the time that Tom finished off his first beer and Ruth returned with their pie and cake, the rest of the gang was beginning to migrate to the fire pit. Tom said, “Jerry, bring the cooler out of the truck, bud. I am sure that Nat and you want a beer or two and I sure want another. Besides the fact that I am already drinking Ruth’s. I do not know about Candace but I figure Christen will want one too.” Jerry turned and went to the truck and brought back the cooler of beer that had been brought just for this reason. Sitting around a camp fire drinking a cold one and telling stories was a true southern tradition and the gang had planned on having already been setup and doing just that before the rain had slowed their travel.
Christen said, “Tom you are right about that. I may drink two on this beautiful night away from work and all its pressure…. Jerry hand me a beer before you sit down, please.”
Tom said, “Christen where is the rest of those cookies. I love those things and your husband and his brother bogarted the cookies on the trip up here. I only had a few on the drive up and would love some right now. They would be better with a class of milk. I will just have to adapt and overcome out here in the wilderness.”
Candace with a gotcha smile replied, “There were not that many to begin with and the girls enjoyed them on the way up the mountain, too.”
Jerry sat the cooler down and unzipped the top and said, “I will be right back. Christen, we have Miller Lite and St. Pauli Girl what is your poison?” Jerry turned and went back to the Travelette without saying another word. A few moments later he returned with a Yeti soft cooler that had been hidden in a strategic spot in the back with the rifle cases. He sat the cooler down beside his chair, like nothing had happened.
Christen replied, “I better have the Miller Lite. Those St. Pauli Girl’s are a little over the top for me with their higher alcoholic content.”
Jerry pulled two Miller Lites out of the cooler and handed one to Christen and the other to Nat and said, “You are most welcome.” Turned and fetched two more St. Pauli Girls’ out of the cooler and handed them to Tom saying, “Make yourself useful brother-in-law and open my beer. I know you got that Swiss Army knife / beer opener in your pocket.” Tom had the little knife sitting in the drink holder pocket of his chair and quickly opened the beer and handed it back to Jerry. Tom then opened the second beer and handed it to Ruth as she handed him his plate of cake and a fork.
Jerry said, “Tom, I do not have any chocolate chip cookies or any cookies for that matter. The wife and I did spring for a case of Beck’s and a case of Sam Adams for the trip. I hope that will make amends for eating all the cookies while you drove.”
Tom thought his brother-in-law Jerry was the kind of guy that every one should have and most just wish they had one like him. The next hour or so was much like that except for six friends talking about how great they were already feeling about being on vacation.
Nat sitting beside Jerry at the fire pit asked, “Jerry man, what do you think about that new Ruger GP100 revolver that Tom and Ruth just gave you for your birthday?”
Jerry replied, “Do not say anything to Tom or Ruth but Candace and I have been trying to get my hands on a Ruger Redhawk in .357 caliber for about a year with no luck, at all. I mean no luck not even a hint of an opportunity. These things are like phantoms in the night. Something you only hear about. I knew I would never be able to get a Ruger GP100 Competition Revolver like the two of you shoot. I was not even aware that there was a second version besides the regular production model and you cannot find them even. I had just about given up any hope of having one and was going to step back and look for maybe a Super Blackhawk. The single action is just not the same as double-action / single-action of the GP100 though and no speed loading at of the Blackhawk single-action at all.”
Nat replied, “Yeah, that is what Tom and I talked about a couple of weeks ago, when he called me over to his house to show me your present. He told me that Candace had told him a few months ago about how they had tried and tried to find you one with zero luck. Heck, I even tried to buy it from him and offered him double his money for your present. Tom just laughed and told me he had to take care of family first. You know Tom though he told me if I really wanted another GP100 he would find me one if he could.”
Jerry smiled and said, “He is a good brother-in-law and I probably love him more than his sister does. You know Candace, everything had got to be about her and Tom just had that Command Presence about him and people migrate right to his path and follow it and him. It drives her crazy, with a capital C-R-A-Z-Y and that is not a good thing. I really do not know how he puts up with her sometimes. But he just shakes his head and goes on taking care of her blunders and loves her just the same. He told me once that she was his little sister and it was his job to take care of her. Went on to tell me that she was not always like this but losing their dad to Cancer and his mom to a drunk driver within a year of each other and her starting college had vastly influenced her and her views on life. No more, downer talk from me. You want another beer? I am going to get me another for sure.” Standing up and walking to the cooler, while listening for an answer from his big brother. Nat just nodded in agreement with another beer being part of his vacation agenda. Nat was thinking, who needs sleep on a beautiful night like tonight and was just looking over at his lovely wife and friends, while thinking how blessed they all were to be part of this group of quality people. Thinking he had a bunch of other friends, that were just acquaintances not friends, these were his true friends and it was mutual.
As the fire was dwindling down and the conversation was beginning to lull due to weary eyes and a few too many brews; an owl screeched eerily close and Candace jumped and screeched herself, saying, “What the crap was that?” Everyone but Candace had a good laugh at her fright and expression.
Tom answered his sister, “It is only a hoot owl. Candace, most of the things out here that can hurt you, you usually do not hear them.” Everyone got a bigger laugh out of Tom’s response to Candace and astonished look on her face after his reply.
Ruth a little tipsy asked, “Nat and Jerry before I get too under the influence do you all need any help getting all of Candace’s stuff into the tent. We just set it outside the tent when we removed it from the vehicles. I think Candace packed her entire spring, summer, fall and winter wardrobe to come camping. It is literally enough for ten changes of clothes or more for everyday we are going to be here and I still think she would have pieces that she still had not worn.”
Candace whined, “Well in my defense, I did not what anyone would take to wear camping. Tom is the outdoorsman of the family not, me. I am the short non-athletic one of the family. I am the one who had rather eat than compete or get sweaty.” Shrugging her shoulders, she headed to help Christen finish up the tent and move in her clothes. Stopping to get another piece of Pecan Pie and the rest of Christen’s chocolate chip cookies before doing any more work.
Jerry having finished off his last beer had gone to try and get the tent finished setup on the inside. Stepping back out of the tent after seeing that the inside was far from being setup to sleep, he said in a frustrated look and aggravated voice, “Ladies, if you are through talking about your fashion statements. I could use a little help because I am not having much luck getting four cots arranged by myself without knocking the tent down. I know it is supposedly an eight-man Alaknak type tent but it is only twelve by fourteen feet or a hundred-sixty-eight square feet. That calculates out to roughly forty square feet per person and the cots take up about half of those dimensions. We need some room to walk and store our packs and stuff. Help!”
Ruth was standing there watching and listening with her hands firmly planted on her hips with her dimple filled smile shining in the light of the Coleman lanterns. The tall and muscularly built, one time Big Five volleyballer wife of ‘the horse’ slurred, “I will give you all the help I can but it ain’t much right now….” Then turned and headed to the four-man tent and her bed. Ruth stopped looking back over her shoulder to Tom and asked, “You coming, sailor?” Tom did not even take time to say goodnight to his friends he just followed the love of his life right to their bedroom as it was for the night. Thinking this sailor is one lucky man. His second thought was he better hurry because Ruth only drank about two or three times a year when she had over one beer and he thought she might have had three sitting there by the fire. If she laid her head down, she might be asleep in seconds. Tom looked at his Seiko Prospex Automatic and wondered at where the night had gone. Tom liked things that just worked and the Seiko fell under that heading. Tom said, “I will be right behind you baby. I need to take a little walk in the woods to relieve my bladder.” He walked into the darkness and did just that. As he finished the little man on his shoulder hollered move it sailor and he complied with his feet picking up the pace. He turned and headed towards the tent that the lady who he had loved forever would be waiting as she had been since his senior year in college. Bringing the extra tent for them was her idea after all. She had winked and said it was their vacation and they might as well enjoy it.
Walking back into the tent; Ruth asked, “What took you so long? I have been waiting for that good night kiss you promised.” Tom eased in the tent closing the flaps and kissed her long and hard as promised. Holding her in a tight embrace while thinking about how much he loved his beautiful and perfect wife. Ruth fell asleep in the loving arms of her husband still fully dressed with a contented look on her face.
Nat almost had to laugh out loud at his big friend who was a man on a mission it would seem and had elsewhere to be right now. Deciding that there was no way he was going over to his tent. Knowing in his heart that he did not want to get involved with whatever Jerry, Candace and his bride had going on in that little bit of space when he had all this beer to drink and all these stars to watch. He could not decide if it was self-preservation or just being selfish and he really did not care he was just going to say, NO and drink another beer. Tomorrow would be another day and he was sure it would be hard to top this one, yet he hoped it would be even grander down deep in his heart. Nat knew though that hope was not much of a plan, with that thought engulfing his mind he opened another Miller Lite and took a long swallow.
It was a perfect late summer night in the North Carolina mountains, the temperature after the rain was in the low seventies to upper sixties with just a hint of wind and autumn on its way. The wind just enough easing through hard woods and the evergreens to smell a hint of Cedar in the fresh mountain air. That and the touch of Ozone from the rain made for a pleasant olfactory experience for the gang as they prepared for sleep. Tom was thinking of two things his beautiful wife that had fallen asleep sitting up on her sleeping bag and kissing and was gently snoring. Lying her down on her sleeping bag, his beautiful wife brought a big smile to his face as he started removing her Merrell hikers. The second thought was that the surroundings brought back memories of his early childhood days growing up in the Piedmont foothills of South Carolina. thoughts of the many nights just like this one that he and his cousins had taken off to the woods or to the small ponds their families owned with nothing more than an old tarp some rope, and a blanket to cover them while they slept. Most of those nights spent by the lake or in the woods did not result in much sleep for him or the cousins. The time was either spent fishing or just setting around a camp fire telling tall tales and wondering what exploits they would encounter as they grew into adulthood. The tales were outlandish stories of monsters, ghost, ghouls, goblins, and evil spirits with each story getting gorier and scarier as the night proceeded. All executed and delivered for the pure pleasure of seeing who could scare the others the most. That and see who had the biggest set and would never be scared by a mere tall tale or at least never show the fear to the others.
Finished taking off Ruth’s boots and easing her legs into her sleeping blanket; Tom stared at Ruth’s naturally dark hair, dark complexion, and eyes along with her ruby red lips that required no lipstick or other makeup that in his eyes made her a perfectly stunning beauty of no compare. Tom reached down and gently again kissed her on the lips barely touching her, the electricity of their lips joining made Ruth stir and open her eyes and say, “Hello handsome. Where have you been all my life?” Then she fell back into her alcohol laden sleep, much to the chagrin of her husband. Tom sighed and took off his boots and pulled the two old Swiss Army wool blanket s up over his body and laid down to sleep. Tom was a little bit claustrophobic and could not bring himself to sleep in a sleeping bag. He knew it was silly, but sleep for him was not going to happen in a sleeping bag especially the Mummy type sleeping bags. He too was asleep almost by the time he rolled over on his side to face his bride. Seeing her he reached up and turned off the small Harbor Freight battery powered light and was asleep before it was totally dark in the tent. He rolled over and put his arm around her as he told her how much he appreciated her and the vacation he went off to sleep. His dreams that night would be of his luck in meeting Ruth and she becoming his bride and off death or impending doom being just over the horizon or next mountain as it were.
Tom awoke precisely at 5:30 just as he had every morning. Looked over to his wife, smiled and ease his way up and slid out of the tent. He walked over to the Travelette and retrieved his Nike Free running shoes and the brace for his knee. Tom had been getting up at this same time for as long as he could remember. His day always started the same way every morning. Starting with a hundred sit-ups or crunches, a hundred pushups and a few minutes of abdominal stretches and leg stretches before his morning run. Many times, over the last ten or so years that he had been doing this regiment he had not felt like doing his daily exercise. This morning fell under that specific category. Today was like no other even if it was the first full day of vacation. First, he must run, the pushups and crunches were completed along with his stretching, it was time. Tom peered into his tent and checked on a still slumbering Ruth, blew her a kiss silently mouthed I love you and started his day. Tom started his run deciding to run the 2 miles back to the paved road that led to this small part of Black Mountain that had been in the Sexton family for over a hundred and twenty-five years. The exact area that had been chosen for their extended family vacation and his morning run. The run was just what the doctor ordered; the first part of the run was all up hill to get out of the valley. He had to remember to set a little different pace than his usual run in the morning. Running a little slower than usual he was still going to try for two seven-minute miles to the top. His run was going splendidly, as the sun was beginning to come up over the next hill. At the top he had to stop, as much to catch his breath due to his run and the elevation change as he approached the road you really could not call it a highway. Tom stopped and watched the sun finish rising and marveled at God’s beautiful creation. He breathed in the crisp and clean mountain air as the big red ball of fire completed it journey over the ridge as it did every day. He savored his blessing for another moment, then turned back down the hill and took off at his normal six-minute mile pace back towards camp. He had a date with some cooking utensils and breakfast to prepare for his wife and friends.
Almost exactly seven hours after going to sleep, Ruth was awakened by the sweet lips of Tom speaking softly and seductively into his ear, “Wake up sleepy head it is time to get this vacation started.” Ruth rolled towards the sexy sound and replied, “Baby, I just laid down, I think we can sleep a little longer.” Immediately after moaning his reply, he pulled on his blanket, turned back over and was back asleep just like that.
Tom turned and went out of the tent, thinking he had tried to get Ruth up to no avail. Deciding it was time for some breakfast, full well knowing that the smell of bacon and sausage frying would get her man moving. Her subconscious spoke to her and she turned around and walked back to the tent then opened the door flap and tied it back with the supplied lash. Going to the Excursion she got out the two burner Coleman stove and the fuel can along with a folding table to set up the stove and have an area for food preparations. As she started to cook, Jerry came out of the tent followed by Nat and the brothers started reviving the fire in the fire pit and placed the metal tripod over the pit to use for cooking later. Nat did hang a cook pot on the chain full of water to warm for some cowboy coffee. This happening while Jerry was cutting a few feather sticks with his new blade that he had gotten with his revolver for his birthday. Nat kidding said, “Litte brother do not, I repeat do not cut yourself remember how far it is to a hospital up hear. Cut yourself bad and we will just have to mercy shot you so you do not have to face the pain and slow death of gangrene or some other nasty infection.”
Jerry replied, “Not my first rodeo, bro. Besides, as I remember you are the one who Mom had to take his pen knife away from him growing up because of cutting yourself. Not me!” Laughing at the face he got from Nat as his fire began to crackle and blaze up from the feather sticks and the dry kindling.
The smell of either coffee the open fire or the bacon Tom was cooking did do the magic trick on Ruth. After awaking she had looked for her Tom. Seeing he was not by her side in his bed roll she figured he had gone for his morning run. She was about to lie back down when she heard Jerry and Nat talking and smelled the delicious smell of bacon and coffee. It was too much temptation to keep her in the tent. Looking for her boots after realizing that she was still mostly dressed she wondered where they were. Finding them she realized that the last thing she remembered was a great kiss from Tom and nothing. Thinking Rats, I passed out and left my big man hanging. I will have to make that up to him and headed for the coffee and breakfast that awaited right outside.
As she walked over to the fire pit for coffee, Nat asked, “Ruth, do you know what Tom has on the agenda for today? I know he wanted to take a hike and go do some shooting. That is not enough to keep us busy all day.”
Ruth replied, “I know we will need to get some groceries and he will want to go down to the little store down the hill and do that. Just to see the owner if for no other reason. Tom is a big planner but, not so much on vacation. Probably just play it by ear and see what happens, is my guess. He might want to wet a hook later today or early evening. Some fresh trout for supper would be great. Don’t cha think?”
Tom said, ‘I can hear you all plotting against me over there. You know?” Pointing a slotted flipper at his wife and friend with a mock scowl.
Ruth laughed and replied, “Honey, just because you are paranoid doesn’t mean the world is not out to get you.”
Tom replied, “Friends and lovers like you all who needs enemies.”
Jerry said, “Leave me out of that Tom. I am all in on the Tom parade after you getting me the Ruger and this new knife. It is a real keeper; the blade is like a straight razor and the micarta scales are just the right grip for this honking blade. What was it called Effing something?”
Tom busted out laughing at his friend and replied, “It is Eafengrow not Effing you goofball. That knife is a model EF 135 with a six-inch blade. It is for sure my sister did not marry you for your brain or your good looks. You must have some hidden qualities.”
Candace following Christen out of their tent answered, “He does have some large hidden qualities with the emphasis on large. Something you would not know anything about my dear brother. From what momma said you just missed by this much being born a girl like me.” Candace was holding her thumb and forefinger a mere fraction apart.
Ruth jumped to her husband’s defense knowing he would let his sister get away with the trash talk to him, saying, “Yeah that is right, Candace but he has grown into much a man, with the emphasis on grown, to paraphrase your comment. Now just stuff it.”
Jerry jumped in asking, “Tom when are those pancakes, bacon, and eggs going to be ready? I am starving and the great smell is killing me.”
Ruth hummpf and said, “Good save brother-in-law. You do have some large hidden qualities, a big ole…, heart.” Everyone but Christen who was still asleep just not in her cot anymore having been rousted out by Candace, broke out laughing at Ruth and her rebuttal scorching to Candace’s cattiness.
Tom ever the peace maker said, “Jerry soups on. Everybody, come and get it. Hope you enjoy, I cooked someone else can do the cleaning and it is help yourself.” As he walked over to his chair carrying a big plate of hot cakes and eggs with enough syrup to on the pancakes cause a glucose induce coma. Sitting down he said a quick prayer of thanks for food, friends, his wife, and the vacation he was already enjoying.
Tom started eating and thinking it was turning in to a beautiful day and as always, his run had cleared his mind and focused his energy. His left knee was reminding him that it still had the little Smurf with the pick-axe living and doing his daily mining in his knee. The hurt had been almost constant for the last few years, a cortisone injection about once a year helped for a few months. The orthopedic doctor at the VA told him that he probably would want to have a replacement of the knee at some point. Telling him that it was the only answer at this point in his life. Tom remembered what the doctor had told him when he asked if he could guarantee full usage of his leg and no more pain after the surgery. The doc had laughed and said, you must believe in Santa Clause and the Easter bunny if you think that is even a possibility. I will guarantee that it will be as good as it was before I started. Tom thought about his reply to the doctor of where he could stick his surgery.
Nat still sitting by the fire ring while waiting on the others to get their breakfast asked, “Tom what is your plan or agenda for today? I know you probably have it planned down to the exact minute. Spill it my friend.”
Tom thought for a minute and replied, “After finishing this stack and eggs. I am going to walk down to the river and wash all this sweat off my body and enjoy the cool water for a few minutes maybe even thirty. Then come back and get dressed and was thinking we could go on a short hike this morning nothing long as my sister has not broken in her boots? Everyone is welcome to join me for a swim and a bath. I have to warn you that even though it is still summer the water is going to be cool and maybe even cold even with the temp going to be close to ninety today.”
Nat replied, “Count me in on the swim and the hike. I did not go and run a hundred miles this morning like some weirdos do every morning. I did start doing the crunches and the pushups and the stretching exercises that you said would help me with my back and to get in a little better shape. I have gotten up to seventy-five reps on each and added twenty-five squats to the regiment just this week. I do feel better all day long at work. Now I am going to get me some breakfast before you decide you want seconds and get the rest.”
About twenty minutes later Tom was leading, Ruth, Christen, and Nat down the path towards the river. The walk was only about a hundred meters but took a few minutes as the old path had almost grown completely over with new weeds and sapling Sweetgums. Tom as he was leading had already decided that one of the first things he was going to do after his swim was bring the mini-chain saw and cut down all the saplings at a minimum. He was wishing he had brought a weedeater with a blade attachment. As he was thinking about needing a weedeater he remembered that he did have a 36-inch grass whip in his Travelette’s tool box for just these types of problems. Tom asked, “hey everybody before we take a dip and get cooled off would anyone like to help me do a quick pass down this path and clear it out? We will be using it all week and fighting all these weeds and saplings is a real downer. I will take the saw and someone could use the little sling blade that I have to cut the weeds and high grasses or I could do that and someone else run the battery-operated chain-saw.”
Nat said, “Yeah, that is a good idea. I had rather run the chain-saw than the sling blade. I have seen them but never used one.” The two ladies decided to walk on down to the river and wait by the shore line and enjoy the beauty of get in the water while their husbands did the manual labor. Both ladies did in agree in theory that it would be a wise thing to do as they walked on towards the gurgling water of the river.
About and hour later the girls heard the chain-saw stop and another five minutes found their husbands grabbing them and taking them into the river. Christen said, “Ewwww, you smell Nathaniel and are sweaty. Let me go.” Nat paid her no mind just picked her up and walked into the cold river water and sat down in the knee-deep water along the edge of the river. Nat did not want to take her or himself out to far in the river not knowing its depth or the current. Tom and Ruth walked out into the river hand in hand and almost made it half way across the fifty-foot span of the river before both went under the fast-flowing water.
Christen saw the two go under and screamed, “Nat they went under…!” Pointing towards the last spot she had seen their two friends before they disappeared under the flow of the river. “What do we do? We do not have any life preservers or those ring things to throw to them if they come up for air.” Just as Nat was going to tell her that he had no idea Ruth and Tom’s heads popped up out of the flowing water almost exactly where they had gone under. Both shaking vigorously as they came to the surface trying to get their blood flowing and warm themselves from the exposure to the cold mountain river water. Even though it was the first week in September the river water temperature was a brisk sixty-eight degrees Fahrenheit and not getting any warmer till next late June or early July for a few weeks.
Ruth said, “You all need to come on out here it is only about chest deep and this is as deep as it gets unless it has rained or is raining. When you go under quickly and stay for about thirty seconds like we did it gets you attuned to the temperature and you will enjoy it more. The first time that I did it I lost my breath and I was glad that I was holding onto Tom’s hand. Now I love it and it was my idea to do it this morning. Come on now.”
Christen said, “Ruth you all scared the life out of me. I thought you had stepped into a hole or the current had pulled you under and took you away. I was freakin’ out ask Nathaniel.” Ruth knew her friend was troubled since she called Nat, Nathaniel. Christen only did that when she was mad at him or was troubled by some event and wanted help.
Ruth said, “My bad. The water is so clear it never occurred to me that you could not see us just sitting on the bottom rock surface. I am so very sorry. Please accept our apology and come on out here and enjoy the water. It is cold but it is invigorating and the only AC you are going to have on this vacay and bathtub for that matter.”
Christen replied, “Nat brought our five-gallon sprayer for a shower. I made sure of that fact even before we started packing. It was the first thing I put in the truck. You know how I am about a shower.”
Tom said, “This is better than any shower I can already feel my body reacting to the cold, just like an ice bath after a workout or game. It is great for reducing the inflammation in your muscles and joints. Now, all I need is a bar of soap and I can take a proper bath to start today and Ruth can wash my back and I can wash hers.” Tom made an exaggerated show of raising and lowering his eyebrows as he spoke of washing Ruth’s back.
About thirty minutes later Jerry and Candace showed up at the edge of the river wanting to know when they were coming back to the camp. Tom replied, “Sis, we are enjoying the river and the cool water. Why don’t you and Jerry come in and enjoy the water and the fellowship?”
Frowning, Candace answered, “First that water is dirty. Who knows what kind of diseases and contaminates are in this river water. I am not even going to step foot in it. I do not want to become a statistic of polluted water deaths.”
Tom replied, “First of all, there are no factories or manufacturing facilities above us that could pollute this river. Secondly, this water is used in many watersheds for drinking water down stream because it is so clean. Quite frankly it may be one of the cleanest above ground water sources in this part of the country. Especially this far up the source, this river starts not five miles from here up the mountain. So, pull your panties out of a wad and come on in, you will not regret it that is for sure.” A chorus of come on ins from the others followed and Jerry took of his shoes and walked into the cold-water leaving Candace standing on the shore, her head turning so red Ruth was afraid she was going to have a stroke or something.
About forty-five minutes later the group had enjoyed the water and all but Tom and Nat were returning to the camp. The two men had decided to really take a bath before coming out of the water as they were the only ones that had brought extra clothes and towels. The others as they walked back towards the camp were commenting on the water and Christen and Ruth made comments about how much easier it was to follow the path now that it had been cleaned up by their husbands. Candace said, “You call this a clear and cleaned up path. It needs a bunch of hard work by a bunch of landscapers to even call this a walk path, much less a clear walk path. I stumbled a bunch over those tree stumps that were left in the path.”
Jerry said, “I told you to watch where you were walking but, no not you. Tell the truth though you really did not stumble over the stumps. You fell over your own feet when you though that a weed was a snake.” This got a laugh from Christen and Ruth and mean look from his wife as the group emerged back into the clearing near their camp site. As they got back Jerry started working with the fire pit to get the camp fire back going, he had let it die down before they went to the river.
Ruth said, “Now that we are back. I want to go ahead and get the tables out of the truck. Tom brought them for shooting stands for the rifles. I think we adapt and overcome as he would say and use them like a picnic table. They will work great for tables to eat off for lunch or whenever we eat.”
Jerry replied, “No problem, Ruth. I will get them out of the truck, you just show me where you want them setup and I will get it done. It will not take but a few minutes. Probably have them setup and done by my self a long time before the guys get back from the river. I agree, I do not like to eat out of my lap either, never have, it is an accident looking for a place to happen and you are providing it the perfect place.”
Ruth answered, “That would be great, Jerry. Thanks. On another note, Candace, I see you are wearing your boots. I have some Thorlo Max Cushion Hiking Crew Socks that would be a lot better than those designer dress socks you are wearing. I have extra and would be glad to let you have a pair before we go hiking.”
Candace replied, “I’ll have you to know that I got these specifically for hiking they are UGG and they got rave reviews on ELLE and Town and Country.”
Christen laughed and said, “Candace you do know that all the reviews on those magazines are paid advertisements. They are not really reviews on quality, just a magazine pushing the sale of some merchandise for a fee. Probably even had some Hollywood starlet or fashion model saying how great they were to wear, too. I bet, did they not.”
Candace looked art her sister-in-law and asked, “How did you know that? The ELLE one had a famous fashion model and Town & Country had a famous actress and both talked about how great they were to wear around town. That really does not mean they were paid to say it though, now does it?”
Ruth said, “Candace, do you really think the Hollywood crowd does anything without getting paid for it. I don’t think, so….” Continuing she asked, “I know we are going on a hike when the guys get back from the river. Do you think they will want to eat before we go or wait and eat when we get back from the hike?”
Candace replied, “I am all for eating before we hike. That way we can burn off the calories as we walk and I am getting a little hungry. If we go for a two-mile hike, it will really be four miles if it is two miles there and two miles back. He can not fool me with his two-mile hike nonsense.”
Jerry answered his wife saying, “Tom said it was about a mile to the meadow he wanted to show us for shooting. I think that was going to be the first hike, that would be two-miles there and back. He said that since the parks had reestablished elk in this part of North Carolina we might see one in the meadow but more likely we might hear one bugle this time of year. We would still be talking about an hour or more of hiking in this terrain and altitude. At least that is my guess. I really cannot imagine we would could hike at more than two miles per hour and maybe less. I am not sure of the trail conditions between here and there. If it is like the trail to the river before they clear it up. I am guessing not even a mile per hour. With that being the case, we are talking three hours at least there and back. I think we eat before we go, for sure. Just my vote, if I get one.”
Ruth made up her mind and decided to go ahead with lunch. As Tom always said, “you cannot go wrong with eating.” She looked to the other girls and said, “How about a hand with the food?” She walked over to the double burner propane stove, the best model of cooking stove that Coleman made and thought this is one time that she appreciated Tom’s motto of living ‘you get what you pay far or buy once and get what works and lasts the longest.’
Christen asked, “What can I do to help?”
Ruth replied, “You can start by setting the table with plates and utensils.” She immediately went to the plastic storage bin that they had packed all the eating supplies and started setting the plastic table that had Jerry had gotten from the Excursion and set up as Ruth had told him. He had even arranged the camp chairs around the table. Just as she was finishing, she heard the radio burst to life playing a song by Keifer Sutherland of all people. It was a song that Tom had played for them a couple of times at his house. The song was ‘I’ll Do anything’ and was heck of a country love song. Looking over she saw Jerry messing with a big DeWalt looking black and yellow box.
Christen asked, “Jerry what is that thing? I would have never thought that DeWalt sold radios. Seems kinda counter productive to getting work done.”
Jerry laughed and answered, “Yeah, I always though that too. I had an old fellow Superintendent that taught me differently. Truth is people work faster when they are relaxed and music does that to most. This is not just a radio though; it is a power supply unit for all my battery-operated tools and lights that I use on my work sites. It is one of the best things that I ever purchased. This was luxury that I thought would be great for us, we can charge the chain-saw and listen to some music. I even brought the solar panels for the solar generator as some call them. It is just a power supply and it is not a DeWalt radio. It is just a big box that is the same black and yellow colors as DeWalt stuff. What we have here is a home built solar generator. One of my electrical guys at work makes these on the side and he builds them for a quarter of what a Bluetti or Ecoflow would cost. This one is about the same size as a Ecoflow Delta Pro 3600 power Station with an additional battery unit it is about 7200Wh in capacity and I have two 400W solar panels. The unit I have would cost well over three grand even with some of the big discounts on Amazon. I got mine from my guy for under a thousand bucks and a day off back in the spring for him to go Turkey hunting on opening day of the season. I have already decided to get two more 400W solar panels when I get my bonus at the end of the year. Do not tell Candace though.”
“Do not tell Candace, what,” asked Candace?
Christen replied, “Jerry wants to get more solar panels for his generator. Sounds like a great plan with some of the rolling brownouts, and blackouts we had last summer and a few less this year but still a lot. From what he just told me, what he wants to buy cost less than a pair of those fancy high heels or designer hand bags that you wear or carry for a few weeks and discard.”
Going on the defensive immediately, Candace replied, “Christen you know I have to dress for success in my field.”
Christen attacked right back, “I agree but you very seldom see your clients more than one or two times a year, they would never remember what shoes you had on the last time you met and you know it. You do it for you and not for them.”
Ruth hollered out from where she was cooking, “Both of you let it go and Jerry can you get us one of those units for under a grand?”
Jerry replied, “Ruth, probably. I do not know for sure I bought this one about a year ago when I got the big bonus for bringing that Dollar General building in two weeks early over in Seneca. They are probably a little more now with the way inflation has been under Pudding Pop Bedum. My guy usually has one ready to sell most of the time. If you are interested, I could send him a text and ask about availability and cost. I have gotten a couple of text from work this morning and have been able to respond even though I cannot get a call to send.”
As Ruth and jerry were talking about her purchasing a solar generator; Nat and Tom were making their way up the path from the river. About half way back Tom caught a hint of bacon on the wind coming from the camp. The smell of bacon brought back many memories the worst was of his Mother on his eighteenth birthday. Tom’s dad was cooking thick sliced bacon from a slab of smoked pork belly. His mom had come into his Dad’s house demanding her child support payment for Tom and Candace saying it was the third of June and it was due on the first of the month and she wanted it right now as she was going on vacation and needed the money. The scene was as vivid today as if it had just happened. Long story short it was the last payment of child support for Tom as he turned eighteen and she would no longer get the sixteen hundred dollars a month for Tom’s child support. His mom and her rich family had gotten her awarded in the divorce settlement. Her dad making sure that Tom’s dad who worked for him was five states away in south Texas at the time of the hearing for custody. Making sure he could not make it back by cancelling his plane reservations and taking his company vehicle the day before he was to fly back to South Carolina for the court date. Her family knew the judge and made sure he would not give Tom’s lawyer a continuance, so the family court sided with the mother and stuck it to his Dad. Tom found out why his mother had fought his dad tooth and nail when he tried for custody of the children. After his dad stopped cooking and wrote his mom a check for the child support, her words on leaving still made him sick and mad. Tom’s mom said, “You can have him now, he is all yours. He has always been just like you hard headed and not worth the effort and he really is not now that I will not be getting any checks for keeping him. You still owe me for Candace for four more years and do not forget it. I will be back in two weeks from vacation to get her, make sure her clothes are washed.” Out the door she went without telling him happy birthday or either of them that she loved them or anything. The vivid memory brought back to him by smelling the bacon, brought a chill to his spine a tear down his cheek.
Nat brought him back to the present asking, “Tom you all, right? I thought you were going to run right into that tree as we turned that corner of the path just now.” It took a few seconds for a reply to come from his friend and he was about to ask again when he saw the clenched fist and the tears in the eyes of his friend. Nat had seen this look a few times from his friend and new it was time to tread lightly and wait for Tom to reset. Tom had never told Nat what the bad memory was that made him freeze up sometimes and Nat just figured it was from his time in the service, probably something he saw or did during that time. Seeing the fire dim in his friends yes Nat asked, “What do you have planned for the rest of the day?”
Tom replied, “I thought we would hike over to the meadow clearing and do some shooting. Then have some lunch a picnic or whatever then hike back. We could take the Excursion but it is only about a mile over there or a little better and an easy hike. I think from smelling Bacon cooking that the others have already voted to have lunch before we do anything else. Also, do you hear music playing?”
Nat replied, “Hiking and shooting sounds great to me and yeah, I do hear music playing now that you ask. I will say this since we are going to hike why don’t we just take the handguns today as you know those rifles are heavy. Jerry will be busting a gut to shoot his new GP 100 and I want to see how it shoots myself. Some say that model is even more accurate than ours. What do you think?”
Tom was back from his self-imposed dark almost paralyzing trek down memory lane replied, “The smell of bacon has me ready to eat. How about you? We need to pick up the pace before Jerry and Candace eats it all.” The two increased their pace to almost a jog and was back at the camp site with the others in less than two minutes ready to eat. Both thinking about shooting and the prize they were both going after soon. The first words spoken to them when they arrived back to the camps were from Jerry wanting to know if they were going to go shooting today or just hiking to the meadow.
Nat looked to Tom and replied, “See I told you he was going to be busting to go and play with that new toy of his. Didn’t I tell ya?”
Tom answered, “Jerry we were planning to do both but if you just want to go hiking and not worry about shooting till tomorrow or the next day, I guess we can go with your plan. On another note, where is the music coming from and is that an FM channel or you playing a list off your phone or something?”
Jerry replied, “Tom do not be funning me, you know I want to go shooting. I get enough of that from my brother, not you too. I can take or leave the hiking but shooting is definitely on the agenda and the sooner the better.”
Ruth said, “Tom, do you want potato chips and baked beans with your sandwich or just two sandwiches and some chips?”
Tom looked as if he was deep in thought and replied, “Yes…. I will have two sandwiches, chips, beans, and a double slice of German Chocolate cake for dessert. My run and the swim have given me a big appetite and I intend to feed it. Babe, good call on going ahead and eating before the hike. I think that is the way to go. Thanks for keeping me straight, I was thinking eating afterwards. I was wrong, good call.” Walking over and giving Ruth a kiss on the cheek and a quick I love you spoken for only her to hear, not that he was ashamed to say it out loud, he just thought it carried more weight when it was delivered for her ears only, just like his love was for her only. Ruth had just sighed and said, “Love you too. Get your plate and we have the tables set up to eat off for lunch. It will make it easier to eat and a lot cleaner, with no dropping of food from your overloaded plate….” Continuing, “Soups on…. Serve yourself.”
After fixing his plate and getting sat down at the table he waited for the others to get their plates and come and join him for the meal before eating. When they all had a plate, Tom gave thanks and blessed the food. Then said, “Dig in and enjoy and Thanks Ruth for cooking the meal for us today.” The others agreed saying their thanks to Ruth and everyone that had a hand in getting it ready.
Tom with a mouth full of BLT said, “Jerry, besides the three boxes of new three-fifty-seven cartridges we got you for your birthday. I was able to scrounge up another two hundred and twenty cases of only once fired brass for you. Wished I could have found more. Only people that are selling anything like that is people that are hungry or the black market. The black-market prices are other worldly in price. I reloaded them in half 158 grain jacketed soft points (JSP) practice ammo and the other half in 158 grain semi-jacketed hollow points (SJHP). Both should be close to the same point of impact; I used the same standard measure of powder for both bullet types.”
Jerry grinning like a kid on Christmas morning with a new pony, said, “Thanks, Tom. I do not know how or when; I am going to repay this great gift to you and Ruth. I promise.”
Ruth said, “Get with your electrician friend and get us one of those solar generators. Tell your guy we want it when we get back and we will pay cash or Silver. I am tired of not knowing when the power is going out or for how long. We are lucky that our house has extra insulation and the triple-pane windows. All that helps it to stay cool even when the power is out, that and the passive geothermal coils we have in the floor. The original owner was really into the green building and conservation. It really works but it does not keep the freezer going in a blackout and I would like the backup system to have in place for it and a few other things like a microwave and heating in winter if we needed to heat the house. We do have the fire place and the blower thing but not electric no blower.”
Tom asked, “Solar generator? I did not know you had one of those.”
Jerry said, “I have it for work, not home. I would love to have one for the house myself. Candace does not think they are worth the cost. That and she thinks it is like magic and she does not want anything like that in the house. Now are we going shooting or not?”
Thanks,
223shootersc
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Post by feralferret on Dec 13, 2023 19:03:22 GMT -6
223shootersc, another fine chapter. Thanks!
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Post by gipsy on Dec 13, 2023 19:12:48 GMT -6
Thanks for your hard work
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Post by kiwibutterfly on Dec 14, 2023 1:47:55 GMT -6
Thanks for the new lovely long chapter.....
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Post by rep1270 on Dec 14, 2023 17:04:22 GMT -6
Thank you for the update. The story is great. Ralph
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Post by ydderf on Dec 17, 2023 19:14:28 GMT -6
Thank you for your hard work
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Post by texican on Dec 21, 2023 21:59:35 GMT -6
223,
No serious meat eater would ever put a fried egg on a juicy 1/2 pound grilled hamburger, but the folks east of the Mississippi must have some strange eating habits.
Thanks for the new story.
Texican....
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Post by feralferret on Dec 21, 2023 23:18:33 GMT -6
223, No serious meat eater would ever put a fried egg on a juicy 1/2 pound grilled hamburger, but the folks east of the Mississippi must have some strange eating habits. Thanks for the new story. Texican.... That's funny. I used to get burgers with an egg in Texas when I lived there and I have occasionally seen them here in Missouri. You really should try one. BTW, I AM a native Texan. From current Whataburger breakfast menu: Breakfast Burger What's On It: Small Bun (4"), Small Beef Patty (4") (1), Egg (1), Hash Brown Sticks (3), American Cheese (1), Bacon Slices (2), Creamy Pepper (Regular)
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