Campfires, Wine and Friends

Gadabout spent the weekend in Kitty Hawk, NC, with friends who own a 125 year old farm house nestled deep on a 3 acre waterfront wooded lot. It was not the first time I had been invited to visit and enjoy the great outdoors and take advantage of admiring the calm waters of the inland water way, but it was the most rememberable. Elayne and Hugo’s house is indeed special; and during this particular trip we were treated to turtles, woodpeckers, rabbits, dragonflies, snakes, egrets and many more varieties of nature. Above all, though, we capped off the night with our usual after dinner campfire, and it was delightful.

Campfires are uniquely special for city dwellers, such as Gadabout, because fire has a hypnotic effect on the human condition unlike any other sensually aided diversion of everyday life. Campfires, alcohol and friends go together like corvettes, dry roads and cheap gas. It is not often we are afforded campfire opportunities, and when they do arrive it is a period of bliss and reflection. Stories are told by campfires, stories that are long forgotten and rekindled by heat, smoke and flames. Moments of silence are acceptable by a fire. Fire silence is not an uneasy period as in an urban dinner setting when a group has lost its way. No, it is a time when everyone is remembering and embracing a past memory and each person is individually cherishing that memory. Perhaps the passing reflection will be shared, or possibly it will simply be smiled upon and neatly placed back in memory. People smile to themselves around a fire.

If it has been over a year since your last campfire, then you are depriving your soul of a special gift from the creator. If you have made it to the end of this short note, then you have by now reflected on past campfire experiences and are longing for your next opportunity. Campfires are good, bring you closer to god and make a great setting for sipping wine. What are you waiting for? Get out there and start playing with matches!