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From: Lazlo Zalezac <lzalezac@yahoo.com>
Subject: {ASSM} JC:Ed Biggers IV-16 (mf mmf ffm ff mm sci-fi)
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Date: Sun, 25 Jul 2004 04:10:02 -0400
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Lazlo Zalezac
http://www.asstr-mirror.org/files/Authors/Lazlo_Zalezac
http://www.asstr-mirror.org/files/Authors/Lazlo_Zalezac


		
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<1st attachment, "biggers4-16.txt" begin>

JC: Ed Biggers
Part 4: Adjournment
Chapter 16
By
Lazlo Zalezac
Copyright (C) Lazlo Zalezac, 2004

Standing beside the single horse drawn carriage, Ed could not 
believe his luck in finding it. It was just large enough to carry two 
adults and three children. The drivers seat was open, but the 
passenger area was enclosed. There was a small area in the back to 
carry some luggage. The carriage, known as a Glass Panel 
Rockaway, was the kind of carriage that irritated so many drivers 
of modern cars in rural areas.

The Mennonite man that he bought it from had been very surprised 
to find a buyer that wasn't Mennonite and actually meant to use it. 
The entire experience of purchasing the carriage had been very 
educational for Ed. Since there weren't Amish around Arizona, Ed 
didn't know anything about this group. It was a surprise to learn 
that some of them had white carriages rather than the black 
carriages that he had always seen in pictures. 

While purchasing the carriage, Ed had taken the time to talk to the 
man selling it. He had not realized that there were three classes of 
Mennonite and that those that drove the white carriages belonged 
to a specific class, but he didn't understand the full significance of 
the social status. It was clear to him that no one could understand 
the subtleties without living within the culture. 

After buying the carriage Ed painted it brown, preferring the look 
of a more natural color. Now that the carriage was fixed up for use, 
all of the family with the exception of Ling, was going camping on 
the property that Ed had purchased. Ling was competing back in 
Arizona and had taken the occasion to spend a little private time 
with her training partner pursuing a desire that the family 
understood. 

Ed helped Little John, Beth, and Kelly climb into the carriage and 
waited for all of them to settle on the seat. The kids were excited as 
this was their first camping trip and they had no idea what to 
expect. Their excitement translated into having a difficult time 
sitting still. Understanding that, Ed and Kelly gave them the few 
minutes necessary to calm down and come to grips with the 
situation. Taking William from Linda, he handed him to Kelly to 
carry on her lap. The back of the carriage was just big enough for 
all of them.

Once everyone was settled, Ed helped Linda onto the driver's 
bench. Over the past week, Linda had learned how to drive the 
carriage. Wearing blue jeans, a work shirt, and his cowboy hat 
without the robe, Ed climbed into the saddle relaxing into it like it 
was a long lost friend. Linda, with a simple slap of the reins, got 
the horses moving. Prodding his horse, Ed moved in front of the 
carriage where horse settled into a steady pace. He led the carriage 
along the path that had been cut through the woods by the 
caretaker. 

The distance wasn't far and could easily have been hiked, but with 
all of the gear they would be carrying, the three kids, and Kelly 
who didn't like hiking this was a far better solution. Following the 
curvy path, Ed led them to the campsite situated by a small stream 
that ran near the edge of his property. 

The campsite was a small clearing with a fire pit constructed in the 
center with plenty of space around it for tents and people. Off to 
the side was a stack of logs cut from trees that had been removed 
to make the path to the campsite. The grass, what little there was in 
the clearing, had been mowed by the caretaker. Ed hadn't asked 
him to do that and then realized that the man might be using the 
campsite as a place to take his breaks.

The kids got out and looked around with wide eyes taking in 
details faster than they could process them. They had never been 
out in the woods like this and were ready to explore the 
surroundings. Ed held them back as he said, "Once I'm done taking 
care of the horses, I'll need some help putting up your tents. Then 
we need to collect some small pieces of firewood. After that, you 
can explore."

The kids raced over to the carriage and opened the back. 
Struggling to carry the tents over to where Ed had told them to set 
them, they dropped them on the ground. In the mean time, Ed had 
unsaddled the horse he had ridden and then removed the harness 
from the horse on the carriage. He led the horses a short way from 
the camp and hobbled them so that they could graze without 
traveling far.

Returning to the kids, Ed laid the first tent on the ground as he 
explained what he was doing so that they could learn from the 
experience. Once the tent was laid out, he pushed the tent stakes 
into the ground making sure that they were at an angle where they 
would not pull out if the wind picked up. After that, it was a matter 
of assembling the poles and slipping them into the appropriate 
slots. It didn't take too long for the large tent to be raised. The 
wives and William would use this tent.

The kids rolled out their tent on the ground following the example 
set by Ed. With lots of groans, they tried to push the tent stakes 
into ground and found they couldn't. Ed went over and helped 
them with that little task. The tent poles gave the kids a little more 
difficulty than anticipated since they were so long that the kids had 
difficulty controlling them. Once again, Ed came to their rescue 
and put the poles in place. In minutes, the little tent they would use 
during the night was erected. 

Staring at the tent, Little John couldn't believe that they would 
actually sleep in it that night. He turned to Ed and asked, "Is this 
where we are sleeping tonight?"

"Yes, it is."

"Wow, that's neat." He crawled into the tent and looked around. 
Noticing the window of the tent, he took the opportunity to open 
and close it a couple of times. Bored with the window, he opened 
and closed the tent door. Beth stood there watching him while 
shaking her head at the pleasure the little boy was getting out of 
working a zipper.

Snapping his fingers to get their attention, Ed said, "Let's get your 
sleeping bags and put them in your tent."

That task was quickly accomplished. In the mean time, Kelly and 
Linda had taken out the camping chairs and set them around the 
fire pit. They had the whole the day to relax and planned on sitting 
in camp, enjoying the view, chatting, and watching everyone else 
go about their business.  

Ed took the kids around to pick up small pieces of firewood, 
warning them about the possibility of snakes. The warning didn't 
seem to mean much to them, but they listened carefully anyway. 
Before long, there was a nice stack of small sticks in the fire pit 
that would serve as good tinder for the larger logs in the woodpile. 
The kids were enjoying their outing even though they had done 
nothing except work the entire time. 

The small stream was perfect for riding in an inner tube. It was 
deep enough for the tubes to float down the stream, but not so deep 
that the kids couldn't stand up in the water. He would save that 
little excursion for the afternoon when it was a lot hotter. For now, 
he thought they should explore the area around camp. After taking 
a quick walk around the perimeter of the camp, he said, "Okay, 
kids. You can go ten paces outside of the cleared area. Explore all 
you want."

The kids went searching around the edges of camp. For them, this 
was a new world and one that presented something of interest with 
every step. From across the campsite, Ed watched the kids follow a 
bug. Little John got down on all fours and watched as a beetle 
crawled along the ground. It was a Tiger Beetle, the copper 
coloring making it a very pretty insect. Beth knelt over, resting her 
hands on her knees, watching the beetle with a lot less interest than 
Little John exhibited.

Curious, Beth asked, "What kind of bug is that?"

Smiling up at his big sister, Little John said, "It is a Tiger Beetle. 
They aren't all that common around here."

"How do you know?"

"I read about them in a book at the school while you were reading 
those boring math books."

"My math books aren't boring," countered Beth in the same 
manner that she always responded when he made that comment. 
Interested in the bug because of its pretty coloring, she asked, "Are 
all Tiger Beetles like this?"

"Not all of them are like this. There are lots of different kinds. I 
think this one is a Cicindela Repanda," answered Little John trying 
to remember the name of the insect. He had just finished reading 
the book on beetles. 

Even though they were facing away from the children, Kelly and 
Linda listened to the conversation from their chairs. Surprised by 
the revelation that her children were reading, Linda mouthed, 
"Math books?"

Kelly shrugged to indicate her puzzlement and mouthed, "Tiger 
Beetle?"

Standing where he could see everyone, Ed smiled at the kids 
knowing full well that they spent hours in the library reading the 
books within it. Each would wander off to a different section and 
spend as much time as they could huddled over a book studying it 
with great care. One afternoon, Ed had found the book Beth had 
been reading. The math book opened to the bookmark placed in the 
section dealing with quadratic equations. He was curious if she 
actually understood the math, but thought better than to try and test 
her knowledge of it directly.

William tugged on the blouse of Linda trying to get her attention. 
Looking down at him, she saw that he looked her straight in the 
eye to let her know that he wanted to be fed. With her free hand, 
she undid her shirt and pulled it open giving William access to her 
breast. Contented the child nursed silently as a look of sadness 
crossed her face while looking down at the child at her breast. 

Kelly understood the look and it tore her heart in two. The question 
was no longer when William would make a noise, but if he would 
ever make a noise. Almost as if he knew her thoughts, he stopped 
nursing and looked up at his mother. Linda kissed her finger and 
touched it to his forehead in a gesture of love. Satisfied, he went 
back to nursing.

Losing interest in the beetle, the kids went on to look at other 
natural wonders. A butterfly landed on a tree near them. Beth said, 
"Oh, look at that."

Little John looked at the butterfly and frowned. Butterflies were 
the hardest of insects for him to identify accurately. This particular 
butterfly was a swallowtail, but without catching it and comparing 
the arrangement of spots and colors, he couldn't identify which 
particular kind it was. It was a swallowtail, but it could have been 
any of a number of different species. He said, "It is a swallowtail."

"Any particular species?"

"I can't tell. I would have to catch it and take it back to the college 
to compare it against the pictures in the books." Little John really 
wanted to be able to identify the butterfly and wondered how he 
could achieve that. Looking over at his father, he asked, "Could I 
have a book on bugs so that next time I can identify them without 
having to capture one?"

"I shall see what I can find for you," answered Ed thinking there 
was probably a better way to accomplish the same thing. Rather 
than bring the bug to the book or the book to the bug, it seemed 
like it would be easiest to bring a picture of the bug to the book. Of 
course, it was quite possible that Little John wouldn't be able to use 
the camera at his age.

The constant references to books were making Kelly very curious. 
She asked, "Do you two read books?"

Little John turned and looked at her for a second. The look in his 
oriental eyes reminded Kelly that Ed was his father and Ling his 
mother. Somehow, the result was a very penetrating and 
unflinching look that seemed to examine far more than was 
normally seen. He answered, "Yes, we go to the library all the 
time."

Beth shrugged her shoulders and said, "He likes books on animals. 
I think it is because of all the pictures. I like math books."

"I like the books on animals because they are interesting."

When it looked like Little John was going to launch into a tirade 
about boring math books, Ed interrupted, "You have to respect 
each other's areas of interests."

Kelly looked at Ed and asked, "Who let them have free run in the 
library?"

John and Leroy stepped out of the woods from behind the women. 
John answered, "I'm afraid that it was me."

"And how did that happen?"

"I was in the library with them one day when something came up. 
The librarian said that she would watch them for a while. When I 
came back after ten minutes, the kids had their noses buried in the 
books," replied John as he removed his backpack. Setting it down 
on the ground, he looked around the camp taking in the tents and 
the firewood.

John was wearing blue jeans and a work shirt like the first time 
that Ed had met him.  Leroy was wearing the Arizona Jones outfit 
sans bullwhip. When Ed noticed, he laughed which prompted 
Leroy to comment, "Hey, it's a good hiking outfit."

Shaking his head, Ed replied, "I created a monster!"

The wives laughed as Leroy paused for a moment to pose 
heroically at the fire pit. With the same practiced move as John had 
used, Leroy removed his backpack and set it on the ground next to 
John's. Both packs were light since Ed had carried the heavy stuff 
in the back of the carriage.

After looking around the campsite, John said, "Wow, look at this 
campsite. I've never camped with this much gear before."

Nodding his agreement, Leroy added, "I'm wondering where the 
kitchen sink is stored."

Ed was embarrassed by how much stuff they had brought with 
them on this little camping trip. This overnight outing had required 
four separate trips to a local sporting goods store to get tents, 
sleeping bags, inner tubes, a fusion battery, and a portable air 
pump. There wasn't a single item that he had purchased for this trip 
that he had ever used when camping before this trip. 

John came over to him and patted him on the back in a comforting 
fashion. With a smile, he said, "We are packing for a family now. 
My parents used to do stuff like this when I was younger. They 
even had a camper that they pulled behind the car."

Raising an eyebrow, Ed asked, "A camper?"

"Yeah, it was one of those fold out ones with the canvas top. They 
stopped going out when my brother and I started to get in trouble. I 
was the only one in the family that continued to go camping," 
answered John. The reminder of his misbegotten youth brought 
back memories, both good and bad. He got quiet as he considered 
those early days with his family.

The rest of the family waited patiently giving John a chance to 
continue with what he was saying. Their effort was ruined when 
Kelly let loose a scream. Little John had found a small garter snake 
and had surprised her by holding it in front of her face. Beth was 
laughing at the reaction of her mother to the little snake and the 
puzzled look on Little John's face. 

John looked at the scene and started laughing as he had done the 
same thing when he was a little kid. There was something about 
finding a garter snake and showing it around that seemed to run in 
the gender. Leroy went over to look at the snake with a 
professional eye as Ed watched the scene. It didn't take long for 
Kelly to calm down and reach out to pet the snake on the head. 
Since beginning her service to the Goddess, she had become much 
more accepting of the trials and tribulations of nature seeing the 
Goddess as the beautiful woman and the woman that humans were 
turning her into. 

Ed came over and examined the snake to make sure that it was not 
poisonous. It was a bluish color with darker blue stripes and a light 
yellow underbelly that gave it a very pale appearance. His 
experience with snakes usually included a rattle at the end and the 
difference was significant. The little garter snake flicked its tongue 
out exploring its surroundings without showing the least concern 
about being held by Little John. 

Leroy asked, "Did it bite you?"

"No," answered Little John as the snake rubbed its head against his 
thumb.

"It didn't release a bad odor?" This was unusual behavior for a 
garter snake. Usually, it would bite and release a foul odor to 
discourage being picked up. The bite was only dangerous to 
earthworms and small amphibians. 

"No musk smell," answered the little boy. Looking up at Leroy, he 
said, "The snake knows."

Looking over at Little John, Ed said, "I know the snake knows that 
you are a friend of the Goddess. Still, you have to be careful. You 
have seen all of the little scars around Daddy John's ankles?"

"Yes."

"Those were done by snakes after John entered the service of the 
Goddess."

The news gave Little John pause to consider the idea that not all 
animals would respect a servant of the Goddess. After a while, he 
set the snake down and watched it move through the grass to return 
to the woods. He turned to Ed and said, "I knew that it wasn't 
poisonous, but I shall be more careful from now on."

Ed rubbed the boy on his head and said, "That's all we ask."

Little John winked and then ran off to explore more of the 
wilderness around him. He stopped under a tree and pointed up at a 
bird sitting in the branches above him calling out, "Look, it's a 
Black Throated Blue Warbler."

Beth joined him under the tree and said, "Wow. That is a very 
small bird."

"Not really, there are lots of smaller birds that are common around 
here." The bird flew off, heading deeper into the woods. Little 
John was ready to follow, but Ed clearing his throat reminded him 
of the boundaries established by the family. 

Ed returned to where he had set his saddle, bedroll, and saddlebag 
noticing that the backpacks and bedrolls belonging to John and 
Leroy had joined his stuff.  Kelly and Linda were still sitting in 
their chairs, enjoying the nice morning sun. Kelly said, "They went 
out to check out the stream to see if it was really all that great for 
tubing. They'll be back in a minute."

Jiggling nervously, Linda asked, "Where's the outhouse that you 
said was here?"

Ed smiled and pointed to the road that they had taken to get to the 
campsite. He answered, "It's about twenty feet up the road and ten 
into the woods. You can't miss it."

Needing to use the outhouse, Linda set William down on the 
ground and made her way down the road. William stood on unsure 
legs and wandered around the campsite. Although his motions 
were jerky and unsure, his eyes sought out all of the strange new 
wonders around him. Sitting in Linda's chair, Ed watched the child 
squat to examine the fire pit with total attention to detail. 
Frowning, he turned to Ed and looked at him for a moment.  

Watching the child, Ed was sure that if he could talk he would ask 
about the fire pit and why it was there. Knowing that the child 
would understand later when they started a fire, he chose not to 
answer the unasked question. Instead, he said, "Later you will 
know."

Satisfied with the answer, William left the fire pit and looked in 
the tents. Ed could see from where he was sitting that John or 
Leroy had put the sleeping bags in the tent the wives would use 
during the night. William went into the tent and lay down on one 
of the sleeping bags. Within minutes, he was sound asleep taking a 
late morning nap. 

Curious, Kelly asked, "Do you think the children understand the 
stuff they are reading?"

"Little John seems to know the insects and reptiles in this area. 
He's never been out here to see them before. I do know that he's 
been looking at the books on wildlife in North Carolina," answered 
Ed. 

Licking her lips thoughtfully, she asked, "Who taught them to 
read?"

A chill went down Ed's spine at the question. It was a very 
interesting question and one that he didn't know how to answer. It 
was going to be a very informative discussion around the campfire. 
He answered, "I don't know."

Her hand went up to stroke the medallion around her neck as she 
asked, "Do you think?"

"I don't think so."

The adults were quiet listening as the kids made noise exploring 
the enivornment. The oohs and ahs were like music to the ears of 
the adults. John and Leroy returned from their hike along the 
stream satisfied that they would have a fun afternoon of tubing 
down it. To assure and afternoon of fun, the two men got busy 
inflating the inner tubes with the air pump that Ed had purchased 
for that purpose. The fusion battery had more than enough power 
to run the pump, but the pump was the only thing that required 
electricity that they had brought. 

Little John, hearing the noise of the pump, came running over to 
watch what his fathers were doing to create so much noise. The 
inner tubes were something that he had never seen before and his 
curiosity drove him to ask, "What is that?"

"It is an inner tube," replied John as his finally filled with air. He 
handed the hose to Leroy who started to fill another inner tube.

"What is an inner tube?"

Smiling at Little John, John answered, "In the old days, tires used 
to have one of these inside them to keep the air inside the tire. 
Modern tires don't require them anymore."

"Do we need that because the carriage is so old?"

Leroy heard the question and laughed in a good-natured manner 
before answering, "No, we brought them to use in the stream. We 
are all going in the water an hour after lunch to have a little fun."

"So you mean that is a toy?"

"You bet," answered John looking forward to floating down the 
stream resting inside the inner tube. By the end of the afternoon, he 
knew that none of the kids would want to leave the water.

Lunch consisted of simple sandwiches. Ed and the two kids had 
peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with potato chips. All three of 
them were quite happy with the selection. The others ate ham and 
cheese sandwiches with various kinds of chips. They had Tang 
with their lunch. William ate a large jar of pureed vegetables, 
looking satisfied in his choice of meals. 

After lunch, everyone settled down for a short nap. The warm 
weather kept everyone out of the sleeping bags, but didn't prevent 
the wives or the kids from closing the doors of their respective 
tents. From outside, the men heard the giggles the kids made while 
they played a bit before falling asleep. Ed smiled at Leroy and 
John while making a gesture towards the tent bringing attention to 
the kids. His husbands nodded back at him with large grins on their 
faces.

Later, Ed returned from the outhouse to find that the camp was 
alive with activity. The kids had awakened from their naps and 
their excitement about going to play in the water woke everyone 
else. It didn't take long for every to get undressed and in the water. 
Together, they walked up the stream. The men carried two inner 
tubes each, with Kelly carrying one and Linda carrying William. 

After walking up the stream for about two hundred yards, Ed set 
one of the inner tubes in the water and helped Little John get into it 
while John helped Beth get into another. Leroy had set down one 
of the inner tubes in the water for Linda, who climbed into it 
carefully while Kelly held William. Once she was in the inner 
tube, Kelly handed William to her wife and watched as the pair 
floated lazily down the stream. 

Leroy got into his inner tube and followed behind Linda. Once he 
was a little distance down the stream, John and Ed released the 
inner tubes with the kids in them. The slow moving water carried 
the kids down stream, pausing occasionally as the inner tubes 
encountered rocks in the water making them spin a little. John and 
Ed were right behind the kids in their inner tubes. 

Little John was yelling his pleasure at the sensation of freedom that 
he felt in the water. The ride to the campsite was only about ten 
minutes and once they reached it the kids were ready to go 
upstream again. The wives wanted to stay in the water near the 
campsite, but William started slapping the inner tube.

Together the family made four trips down the stream before the 
wives decided that they were definitely staying in the water by the 
camp. William raised another fuss, but the three men and two kids 
went up stream leaving him behind with the wives. The action as 
they rode the stream to camp included lots of laughter as the kids 
discovered that they could splash their fathers while floating in the 
inner tube. The fathers had just as much fun splashing back.

At the campsite, the group got out of the stream and went over to 
the cooler to drink some Tang. After a glass each, they returned to 
the tubes only to find William, with hands on his hips, standing 
between them and the inner tubes. John asked, "Do you want to go 
again?"

William nodded his head in a very clear indication that he wanted 
to go. From his stance, it was clear that he intended to create a 
problem if he didn't get to go with them. John reached down and 
picked up William as he said, "I'll take you little guy."

With a large smile, William nodded his happiness. John picked up 
an inner tube and waded into the water. Ed looked at Beth and 
Little John and said, "You know, you'll be able to do this even after 
we get tired if you can carry the inner tubes instead of us."

It took Beth a few minutes to figure out how she could get the 
inner tube up the stream. She found that if she stood it up on end, 
the water would support the weight and she could just pull it 
upstream by herself. Little John copied her so that together they 
went upstream each with their own inner tube. Ed used the 
freedom to get the inner tube away from John so that he only had 
to carry William. 

They made several more runs downstream before William was 
satisfied and the men were tired. Leroy stayed up at the top of the 
stream to keep the kids from going too far upstream while Ed 
stayed at the bottom of the run to keep the kids form going too far 
down stream. Between them, they let the kids made two more runs 
before their energies ran out.

After enough time had been spent in the stream, the family 
gathered around the fireplace getting dressed. It was still a couple 
of hours before the sun would set, but Kelly sent the kids to their 
tent to take a late nap so that they could stay up a little later and 
enjoy the time around the fire.

While the kids slept, Ed and John built a fire in the fire pit. It was 
going to take some time for the wood to burn down to nice coals, 
so they sat around the campsite watching the thin clouds move 
across the sky. Even the wives chose to sit quietly rather than talk 
the entire time. The wood slowly burned down to coals and Ed 
went over to smooth them out. John went over to the carriage and 
retrieved a grill to set above the coals. In the mean time, Leroy 
went over to the cooler and removed five steaks and four hotdogs.

The wives spread a blanket for everyone to sit upon while eating 
their meal. The enameled plates and cups that Leroy favored when 
camping were set out. Kelly got out the canned peaches and 
canned corn while Linda searched for the buns, ketchup, and 
mustard for the hotdogs. In the process, she discovered the package 
of giant marshmallows that Ed had slipped into the food hamper. 
Tempted to get angry, it dawned on her that she actually wanted 
them for desert herself. 

When dinner was almost ready, Kelly went into the small tent and 
woke the kids. Little John and Beth charged out of the tent, their 
little bodies recharged from the hour long nap. William took his 
time coming out of the tent, having a little trouble with the door. 
Once out, he went over to the fire pit and looked at it for a long 
time. John noticed and said, "We built the fire there so we could 
cook diner."

Everyone gathered on the blanket and waited as Ed and John 
served up the meat. There were the normal comments about how 
cooked each piece of meat was. Leroy made his normal 
moderation in all things speech. The kids expressed surprise at 
their first hotdog cooked outdoors, realizing that it wasn't boiled 
like normal.

Leroy came over with the heated corn and put a little on everyone's 
plates. Kelly went around with the large can of peaches and fished 
out a couple of peach halves for each plate. William looked at the 
food that the other two kids were eating and started to frown. His 
frown turned to a smile when Linda opened the can of Vienna 
Sausages. 

The sun set a little after the men had finished cleaning up the 
dishes and putting the food up in a tree to keep any bears from 
getting to it. As the night slowly settled, John built up the fire to 
cast a nice warm glow around the campsite. Leaning back, John 
asked, "So how did you learn to read?"

Surprised by the question, Beth answered, "You taught me."

"I did?"

"You and Daddy Ed and Daddy Leroy."

The replied surprised everyone, as none of the people she named 
remembered ever teaching the kids how to read. Ed asked, "How 
did we teach you?"

"When you read to us, you run your finger under the words. You 
point to the word and then you say the word," answered Little John 
surprised that they didn't know the answer to the question.

Kelly shook her head and said, "I guess that answers that 
question."

Nodding his head in agreement, Leroy said, "I guess it does."

Noticing all of the nodding heads around him, William nodded his 
as well. Linda glanced down at William wondering if he 
understood or was just mimicking them. Looking around, she said, 
"It sure gets darker here than out in the desert."

John pointed to the trees overhead and said, "No sky above. It's 
shady here even in the middle of the day."

The sounds of frogs calling out for mates started in the 
background. It was a calming noise that was occasionally shattered 
by the sound of an owl hooting somewhere in the distance. Lying 
on his back, Leroy said, "I used to hike along the Appalachian 
Trial. It's not too far from here, but the night sounds here remind 
me of when I would hike there."

Ed laid down on his bedroll and said, "The sounds are so different 
from the desert. I keep waiting to hear the sound of a coyote 
howling. The frogs make a noise like nothing else."

A bullfrog sounding from near the stream was startling in its 
volume. It was amazing that a frog could produce so much sound. 
Ed, never having heard one before, asked, "What was that?"

Kelly smiled and said, "That was a bull frog."

Shaking his head, Ed commented, "I thought all frogs just went 
ribbit."

Looking up from the fire, Little John said, "No. Every species of 
frog makes a unique sound to attract a mate."

Interrupting the conversation, Linda asked, "Who's up for desert?"

At the question, Ed grinned and said, "I am!"

She smiled at Ed and said, "I take it you know where they are. 
Why don't you bring them here for us?"

Ed went to where they had hung the food and lowered the food 
hamper. In minutes, he returned to camp with the bag of giant 
marshmallows. He stopped by the carriage and removed a handful 
of roasting forks on which to cook them over the fire. Handing out 
the forks, he said, "Be careful. We don't want any accidents."

"What are these for?"

After grabbing a marshmallow from the bag, Linda speared hers 
and immediately set it over the fire. Seeing what she had done, the 
kids quickly followed her example. It wasn't long before there 
were a number of burning marshmallows in the fire. None the less, 
the entire bag was consumed as the kids learned how to cook them 
to a nice golden brown. William even had fun eating little pieces of 
uncooked marshmallows.

The activities of the day, the late hour, and the excitement took its 
toll on the kids. One by one, they cuddled up against one of their 
fathers and fell asleep. Looking around the campsite at his family, 
Ed couldn't think of a better feeling than having shared such a 
wonderful day. With a sigh, he said, "This is the life."

Leroy echoed, "Amen to that."
<1st attachment end>


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