Tuesday 1/20/16
Cool air is tucking its chill into every open space possible. Exposed skin especially susceptible to its touch.
Jagged sticks begin to snap and crack from the glowing orange fire ring. I am standing a few feet away stirring the cheese dip over the gas stove while boiling water to mix with instant hot cocoa.
The moon is half full and directly overhead and looking over us, like a protective Mama bear watching over her cubs.
Black silhouettes of tall pines reaching to the moon are spread from the East to West and North to South.
A thinly veiled layer of clouds resembling white quilt batting is spread between the pines and the moon. When I look heavenward, the clouds swirl and move at a slow motion pace like milk being stirred into boiling water.
Every once in awhile a bare patch opening in the clouds passes over the moon allowing the naked light to shine down on us, illuminating our tent, chairs and picnic table. It looks like a painting of the nativity you see on Christmas cards of the bright star guiding the way for the wise men to reach the Messiah.
Sean is teaching the girls basic chords to play on their ukuleles, in between strumming his mandolin and plunking out a new song he was inspired to write this week.
I have fashioned my dollar store clip light into a headlamp as I have attached it to the bill of my hat. Clutching my book a few inches from my face, fully absorbed in the author’s stories.
Before we wrap up the night, we start telling jokes and reliving fun moments from the trip and highlights from years past. Sometimes we just crack up at the things they say, the best one tonight was when Ava said “every morning Mom has ‘Trump’ hair”. Sarcasm seems to be our family’s way of showing love.
A classic campfire dessert is to make s’mores, but none of us really like them. A new creation we came up is flour tortillas with butter, brown sugar and cinnamon inside. We wrapped them in foil and placed them over the fire. Ooey gooey perfection.
Soon the fire started to fade, and one by one we did too turning in after another full day of adventure.