The day had ended and it was time to relax. I grabbed some kindling and placed it in the fire pit. I then reached for three pieces of wood, that would be the main fire and stood them on end. I made sure they stood over the kindling as I prepared to light the night's campfire. The day had been warm and humid, each of us sweating by just walking. We had spent most of the time in the near by river, keeping our bodies cool from the sweltering heat. I pulled out a match and struck it, watching as it sparked to life. The small blaze engulfing the end of it, I watched as I carefully lowered it to the kindling.. I slid the match into the kindling, watching as the smaller pieces started to catch fire. Larger and larger the fire became as a small breeze fanned it gently.
I soon heard the crackling of the wood I had placed over the kindling as it was slowly catching on fire. I watched as little sparks bounced up from the fire and disappeared, like the lights of a lightning bug on a warm mountain night. I could hear an owl in the distance, his sound penetrating the darkness that was quickly falling. The fire blazed now, the heat filling the air around us as we sat there. Some of us thought of the day that had passed. I took a long stick and poked at the larger pieces, watching them fall down into the campfire that was deffinitely not going to go out on us. The scent of burning wood filled the air around us and I leaned back and inhaled. I loved the smell of a campfire along with the scrackling of the wood.
I reached down and placed the wired grille, that we had brought, over the fire. This would be the bed for our food that we would cook this night. All of us had eaten lightly during the day, knowing there would be a feast prepared for the night meal. I turned as I heard a noise behind me and I felt my lover as she slid her hands down over my shoulders. She bent down, placing her chin on my shoulder as she kissed my cheek. Reaching up over her I ran my hand over her head, turned slightly and kissed her lips. I could see from the smile on her face that she was as content as I was. We both loved being out in the woods with the dogs, relaxing and listening to nature and doing whatever we felt like.
She asked if the fire was ready for the food and I nodded. A quick kiss and she was gone to get it out of the cooler and bringing it to me. There would be no pots and pans to wash just silverware as we would cook right on top of the grille. Soon I had the grille loaded with big, thick, mouth watering steaks and we listened to the hot metal searing in the juices. The aroma of the cooking meet filled the air, mingling the scent of the smoke from the wood. My mouth was watering just thinking about sinking my teeth into that meat. Occupants from the adjacent campsite had come over and with them they brought their guitar. Slowly he strummed on the strings playing folks songs which we all sang to. This was the only way to enjoy the summer, camping and being surrounded by friends.
I reached out and checked the steaks, making sure they were cooking just right. I leaned back in my chair just in time to catch my lover as she sat down across my lap. There I sat with her in my arms, her head resting lazily against my shoulder as she watched the flames of the fire dance. Shadows played lazily on the trees around us as we filled the air around us with music and song. We were sure to keep any wild animals away with the tunes we were carrying. I knew the actual singers of these songs would be pulling their hair out if they heard us. I was so comfortable right then and there that nothing could have disturbed me unless it was an emergency. My lover slid her arm around my kneck, bent over and gave me a kiss, telling me that her mind was wandering and I would like where it was going. I looked up at her and smiled as her hand brushed away her hair hanging in her face.
The soft glow of the fire outlined her beauty and I wrapped my arms a little tighter around her as we listened to the music. The smell of the meat told me that I needed to turn it over to cook the other side. I leaned forward and with a long fork I flipped each piece over, again hearing the sharp sizzle of raw meat as it seared itself closed. It would not be long now before we were all enjoying a meal fit for a king. The women went and readied the picnic table with all the side dishes of salad, fruits, beans and other tasty delights. I waited for about another half hour and pulled the grilled food onto a platter and moved to the table. Placing the dish down in the center of the table I sat down beside my lover as we started filling our plates. Soon the supper meal was gone and we all returned to the campfire, letting the food settle.
More music was played as other campers walked by our site, stopping for a few minutes to listen. We invited in as many as would accept, figuring the more the merrier. The large logs we had placed became welcomed sets for those that came as we all joined singing folk songs. I looked around to all the joy each person was having and deep inside I was smiling. This was the true camping experience, I thought to myself. Just then a bag of marshmallows dropped into my lap and I looked up and saw my lover standing there smiling. She knew that to top off a campfire dinner there had to be marshmallows roasted. I got up and walked over to our supples and pulled out a handful of sticks that I always brought along each time we came camping.
I walked around the fire handing out sticks to everyone that wanted one. Bags of marshmallows had already made their ay around to people. Soon the smell of browning marshmallow filled the air around us. I watched as one got a little too close and burst into flames, the woman pulling it back and anxiously blowing on it. One the end of her stick now sat a charcoal coated delightful treat and I watched as she pulled the sticky sweetness from the stick. She slid out her tongue and placed the tasty treat on it and slowly drew it into her eagerly waiting mouth, savoring every bit of it. More and more marshmallows were consumed until all the bags were emptied. As the night moved along more and more people made thier way back to their own camps and turned in for the night.
With the last group gone the fire was enjoyed by just me and my lover. We laid there on the chair cuddled in each others arms, kissing deeply and passionately. I felt her hand slide down my back as her fingers moved back and forth, gently rubbing my back. I asked her to give me a minute as I sat up and stirred the few remaining coals and poured water on them to make sure they were totally out. I turned to her sitting there on the chair watching me and swooped her up in my arms and carried her toward the tent. This had been a great night and we both knew that before we went to sleep we would top the day off in our own special way. We knew camping trips were made to be enjoyed in more ways then one.
(C) Tall Mountain Dreamer May 31, 2007
