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Canoe Trip Story-All Invited

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Billie marvelled at what a great hostess this delightful woman was. Hot cocoa out in God's country. What a blessing!

She asked her hostess what she did for the rest of the year. Lake Champlain, one could drive a car across it in the dead of winter,she'd been told. Bucky had been a great one to divulge the most interesting tidbits of information. He was eighty five years old, after all. So he shared what he knew about this Lake of his home. (He lived there all year in a cozy winterized cabin.)
 
Ahhh.. so hot cocoa was called for.. Farine waggled a finger... "You'll like it.. " It was a special recipe of her mother's that was lovingly preserved. The hot water was already steaming through the vent in the coffeepot... and this had to be mixed with a little bit of cooler water so that she wasn't serving a scalding mixture to her guest. A hint of vanilla could be detected in it as well. And the mystery in the young woman would remain thus.. Farine was an outfitter and an author.. nothing more. Being an author meant cash flow woes. And that was something she addressed in a variety of ways. The joys of the art of writing collided with the cruel, hard facts of the business of publishing. And outfitting was the lubricant that kept her from 'losing her mind' as she balanced the two spheres of her life..
 
Angelo meanwhile was on the shores of this jutting bit of land alone. And actually happily so for the time being. He sometimes felt the urges to be single even in the midst of some of the happiest times of his life. This outfitter time was often punctuated with long stretches of time when he was 'fishing' when in truth he was being single in a socially acceptable manner. She didn't mind. And that was why he was keeping her. There was a joy in her that flowed from her time at the keyboard 'alone' writing... and that coincided with the joy in him that came from his time fishing. And they just happened to hit upon the exact right recipe of their aloneness which meshed with each other's needs. Voila! Instant bliss! So right now, Farine had no need to check up on him... or wonder how he was doing.. or some how try to 'reel him in'. She knew EXACTLY why he was out here. And she blessed it. He was doing his role, though. Scanning the horizon for the other party to arrive momentarily. And should they arrive, he would instantly become the gracious host and do everything to secure their comfort and enjoyment. RIght now? He was blissed out... the whole place catering to his needs and requirements.
 
Billie pondered what her future might be like, hearing about another artist's career. She had always loved
museums. She dreamt often about being a curator for a museum or gallery. She had many talents that could land her such a great job. She had been thinking that like her mother, she'd need a Master's degree, at least in Art History. She'd probably return to Pratt Institute, her Alma Mater, for that.
 
"Finally, we are here! It's getting late, so Mizzy help me get the canoe off the roof, and get it packed, Nia commanded. The two women, worked together, as if this was nothing new to them....and it wasn't. A canoe trip was something they did every year. It was their mother daughter trip. Nia called off the checklist of must haves,.....water....cooler....dry food............matches.......sleeping bags......phone......tent.....camera.........meds......while Mizzy visually made sure they were packed. "Looks like we have everything," yelled Mizzy! The floating cooler is attached to the back of the canoe, and cold drinks are an arms length away. I got most of our dry food, emergency flashlight and silverware in there, too!

"I'm so excited, Mizzy!" Can't wait to get on the water. Look! A bald eagle.....we have met our first acquaintance on this year's trip! exclaimed her Mom." They pushed the canoe in the water, with the cooler dragging behind, and the bald eagle led the way. Remember, we are packed for a five day trip. William is picking us up on Sunday at the Big Rock putout.

"Mom stop thinking about Sunday....," we need to hurry to get to the other side so we can make camp before sunset. It's too bad we got delayed getting out on the water," said Mizzy. With Nia in the front of the canoe, and Mizzy at the stern, they paddle in almost perfect synchrony.

Nia and Mizzy had been paddling their canoe hard and fast since they had left shore.... afraid they wouldn't make the other side of the lake in time to set camp and eat before there was no light. Mizzy vaguely thought she saw someone canoeing, way off in the distance but her eyes must be playing tricks at dusk. Mom, is there someone ahead of us?
Billie was getting a bit anxious about the other guests who would be traveling with them. Where were they? She hoped Angelo would have a flashlight with him while he waited on the shore for them.
 
Farine handed the finished cup of hot cocoa to Billie urging her to enjoy on behalf of her absent mother somehow invoked in the making of it. The sunset was building up on the sky canvas.. Farine took a moment to take in the picture as it was developing. Artists couldn't make up the majesty of such a scale where every item in the environment participated in such glory. After that moment of respect to its arrival, she considered Billie's options with the freedom that she herself would not live and die with the choices made. This was a vacation from life after all. Her parents were RIGHT THERE ... and that was their role. Her thought was to offer something hard won from a lifestyle dodging adult responsibilities with a vengeance. "Billie? Lifestyle has to be sharply examined. "Then she paused. This might be too much for this moment. Her eyes were carefully on Billie's face. If she had any kind of negative reaction, Farine would instantly change the topic.

Then she took a sip of her own hot cocoa with its warmth circulating in her system. She was feeling not only warmer but getting directly energized by this conversation. In the back of her mind was a host of entertaining stories .. part of her role was to be diverting. At any time she could provide that service.
 
Angelo could hear bits and snatches of the conversation from the campfire group up the hill. Oh, nothing as distinct as actual words, but tone and pacing certainly filtered through to him. He was delighted that there was a pleasant hum and that told him that Farine was 'in her glory'... entirely immersed in her extreme form of extrovert nature and filling her cup to the brim. The challenge for him was to stretch this interval as long as possible and yet seem on the surface that this was somehow an inconvenience. It was not. His eyes had been adjusting to the low light, but the moon had not yet shown itself. This was the first night he actually had bothered to check the phases of moon.

The desires to absorb all the serenity were being fulfilled. His cup was filled.. He enjoyed seeing a turtle wander along the shoreline. A long legged shore bird was getting a last bit of snail picked out of its shell before flying God knows where to rest for the night. The loons were singing to each other. He could still see the other group pushing towards them. They were alright. And they'd arrive when they did. If he wanted to, he could boom out a message to them and they'd likely hear him. But that would break the very stillness he was so enjoying. So he contented himself with noticing all of the things around him.. this was what was missing in his regular life in the city and it had to last him awhile after he got back.
 
The magical and powerful words were said... Billie actually asked for more information. This took the form of permission. There was a quiet glance at the parents who were immersed in their own activities. They could respond at will and the fact that their of age daughter asked was a type of insurance for Farine. The fire was becoming ever more of a presence as more wood was added to it and the glow took on more importance. Apart from man's options, there was no other light source in these parts. Nights could get so dark one could not see one's own hand before one's eyes. The stars though, on a clear night, seemed to be able to touch the earth. It didn't surprise Farine who knew some folk tales of various places that there was myths of stars doing just that. She often distracted herself. This was the question posed to her..
So tell me about lifestyles?"

"The best way to think about lifestyles is in units of comfort and convenience. It's a sliding scale where the more comfort and convenience you desire, the higher the cost and so the more you must have on a continuous basis." Then she paused. Was Billie the type who loved to have her nails professionally done? Did she yearn to have fashion needs met at a high level? And did she have a yardstick of success that meant others admired her? In fact.. the whole CONCEPT of yardsticks to measure something was a pet topic of hers. She reminded herself in Angelo's absence that she was on duty. Surely if he were here, he would be sending her a guarded message through their own private system of communication.
 
Billie mentioned that she was a tomboy. No fancy cloths or nails. Camping was the perfect example. Simple food, strong but simple cloths, maybe a few nice outfits if they were going someplace special when they got back to land side. (She kept those in the car). She did not have expensive tastes.
 
The owl hooted again and this confirmed Billie's earlier observation. Farine wondered what other wildlife Billie would help them see. As the firelight dimmed between the intake of new fuel, a spark of conscience flared up in her soul. This was neither the time nor the place to have this kind of substantive conversation. She shifted in her seat as if a change of topic also meant a change of posture.

She took another sip of the hot cocoa as it was rapidly cooling off. Soon it would just be lukewarm chocolate milk. "Billie.. " Farine said with acknowledgement of her college dollars at work.. "You'll have to consult others for that kind of wisdom. May I interest you in finding out what you would like to do tomorrow?" She left behind all of the blueprints by the wayside that she used to free up hours for research, plots, characters and backstory. If this young woman was truly determined to forge her own way through what was a jungle. metaphorically speaking, she'd have to first forge her resilience and creativity. And maybe a canoe trip could help or maybe it couldn't. At least she could help insure that Billie could catch her own fish, enjoy scenery of a spectacular quality, avoid issues that would lessen her enjoyment and create experiences that would live on as memories.
 
"What do you suppose happened to the others?" Billie was thinking the worst. What if they had capsized or something? She tried to keep her thoughts on the topic at hand, but she couldn't. She asked what did they do in situations like this, then suggested that maybe the other guests had changed their plans.
 
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