After sleeping in my own bed last night, my back is almost back to normal. I had quite a long weekend; it was interesting and awesome and brutal.
I turned 53 on Sunday, and I took Friday off to make it a long weekend. Since last week started with Memorial Day it was a short work week with a customer visit in Jefferson City, MO and one in Selmer TN.
Thursday night I drove up to Western Kentucky and spent some time with my mother and brother and sister-in-law and their kids. As is my custom I camped outside, enjoying the howls of the coyotes and the croaking of frogs.
The birds get you up early when you sleep outside. It is always great reuniting with family including my nieces, nephews, and cousins, but I left them before noon and headed back to Missouri.
Instead of heading home, I took I-44 to Cuba and then headed south to Steelville, to the Indian Springs resort on the Meramec River.
I realize there are probably many of you who've never been floating. The concept is pretty simple. A bus takes you up river and drops you off. You then take either two-man canoes or rafts and float back to camp.
Unfortunately that simple definition leaves out quite a bit. For example, the rather intense shade of blue sky we experienced on Saturday. The perfectly fluffy white clouds. The contrast between the hot sun and the cool water.
There were four of us who camped Friday night - Brad, Steve,Tom, and myself. We pitched our tents as soon as we arrived, which was fortunate because we immediately experienced a drenching downpour.
The rain ended fairly quickly. We gathered some wet wood and tried to build a fire. Tom is my old college roommate and has ADHD when it comes to campfires. Every time I got a flame going he tried to "help" by adding wet leaves.
We tried drinking a few beers and eventually it worked. With the ADHD in check we built a fire and started arguing about politics. And music. And engineering.
Brad and Tom eventually went to bed, or "ground", and Steve and I continued with a nice long heart-to-heart. He told me about his job and his dad (who got him his job but has since passed) and his kids.
Saturday morning, and again I am awakened by the birds. At some point Steve has driven Brad out of the tent with his snoring. We have breakfast and then we are joined by Mike and Scott and Derek and Sharf. Tom leaves before the float.
There are beer and sandwiches to be packed, sunscreen and bug repellent and sunglasses and hats to be readied. The bus comes and we board with our coolers. After a short drive we get out and find our canoes ready to go.
We take off two at a time, and with perfect precision we all arrive 100 yards downstream at the first sandbar. We all get out to rest and drink beer and tell jokes and stand in the cool water.
And so it goes. We watch the birds and marvel at the turtles and cliffs and the beauty of nature. The sun takes it's toll where the sunscreen missed. The river sand gets stuck in your shoes.
The deli sandwich tastes better than it rightfully should. The beer goes down a little easier. The jokes are a little funnier. And the water continues to be perfect.
We make friends on the river, at least temporary ones. Many are floating with their children and their dogs, all of them seem happy to be there.
Eventually the float ends and we find ourselves back at camp. There is dinner and music and laughter and debate. And stories of our time at college, which is our common bond. We all attended the University of Missouri Rolla, now MST.
We share an interest in politics and philosophy, but we don't all see eye-to-eye. Brad is our resident Liberal on the left, Sharf does not believe in government and calls himself a voluntaryist. Scotty is a conservative, and I am a libertarian/minarchist. And yet we actually agree on a substantial number of things.
Some of us are married, some are divorced. We discuss our children and wives and ex-wives and jobs.
The cell phone doesn't have reception. There are no TVs. There are no chores to do except keeping the fire going. Some years the raccoons put on a show but not this time. With nothing left but ourselves and our own conversation we connect with each other.
Scott talks about trains, and Sharf explains to me about fuel injection. Derek discusses cities and managing priorities. And Mike and I realize once again that farts are funny.
And then Brad talks to me about Nicaragua. Wait, what? It seems he is on the board of a charity that has been helping poor people in Nicaragua. He has been there several times and this last time took his son with him. They go down and actually help build infrastructure for a village.
It is called the Rainbow Network, and Brad got involved through his church.
Here is a link if you would like to help.
Eventually the day grows long for each of us and we find our way into tents and sleeping bags. Steve's snoring entertains us through the evening. And once again we are awakened by the birds.
After a quick breakfast we pack up our things and say our goodbyes. I am home before lunch, dirty and a little sunburned. My lower back is stiff and I am thankful for my riding lawnmower as I tackle the lawn.
After a shower and a meal I stretch out on the couch with my dogs and talk to my wife and daughter. My mom and my sons call.
I lie on the couch reflecting on the value of friendships and long term relationships. Everyone needs good friends, especially those that will put up with your crap and still care about you. When you put in the time and make the effort you build memories and relationships that can help you keep things in perspective.
And everyone needs a break from cell phones and television from time to time. We need to be able to connect with nature and experience the wind and sun and water.
We can meet friends for dinner, but spending an evening or two in close proximity takes the connection to another level and breaks down barriers. And we will probably learn things beyond the superficial.
What a great birthday.
No comments:
Post a Comment