My wife and I are seniors, and like most senior citizens we also like to be entertained. While we have a lot of free time and no fear of social gatherings or being in public, we also like to be appreciated. After all, being elderly and having to rely on social security only compounds the problem. That is why, as a couple, we are determined to have an enjoyable outing during the summer months.
Whenever the two of us go out to enjoy something cool, we try to find a cool enough location that no one will mind us carrying our bags. May be we go to the beach, the local park, the local mall, or even an empty public restroom. Our most successful outings have been places that were completely out of people’s way, yet they still had lots of amenities we could use.
During the last summer, two of my best friends and I traveled a total of 16 hours north on a winding mountain road through Idaho. It was a leisurely trip through green valleys, some flat and muddy, but mostly slow and peaceful. We visited a few historical sites, including a historic homesteads in varying states of preservation. The most memorable part of the trip was when we stopped to have dinner at a favorite restaurant called “The Red Rooster”.
That meal was an memorable one. We heard the epithet “red royal Rose” repeatedly. The food was delicious and plentiful. Although the pair of us was not particularly adept in the kitchen, we managed to prepare a meal that was worth every moment we spent there. We were impressed. We bought fish and Albufe crabs, but put them on a really thin slice of rolls that we crushed under our feet in the boat. We ate them right out of the boat, on our blanket in the moonlight, and watched the crabs anchor themselves on the mud when we pulled the boat in. One of the best things about a crabbing trip is the time spent covering the crabs. The cover creates a soft scrunching ground that the crabs can’t escape from. Crabs have a hard shell that makes them unable to climb out of the cover, and Staffordshire crabs will hunt insects and small vertebrates.
We also crunched on Malligator tails, which are short, thin, and go wherever you want to go, much like the ones you find in the American south. I can remember effortlessly tossing and turning and wanting to roll over in my sleep. This was the early 1970s. Back then, we did all the crazy stuff. Today, crabbing is what we do.
When we had completed our crabbing, we untied our safety chains and stowed our gear. Then we sat down equipped with our mats, fish and crab. We filled our blue plastic bags with fish. We took turns feeding the crabs, always with the utmost respect and care. Our goal was to help create a memorable family tradition. Our first Act had been stocking the gear in the boat, and this was only the first of many that would follow.
Knowing that our favorite pastime involved fish, we sometimes went down to the river, or to a bate, lake or stream. We wouldTake a walkCatching some fish!
Our favorite place was the foothills of Sierra Nevada mountain. We would take our canoes and fish in the morning. If we had caught enough fish, it would be a good day’s reward.We had caught enough fish!
Just as happy were the people we met along the way. We spent many hours together scanning the countryside for signs of wildlife. We would get our rain coats and our sleeping bags and spend a cold night staring into the headlights of the cars.
Something that I found interesting was that no matter where we went, people always had the same problems. Management of the parks were good, but there were always complaints to be made.
We would load up our food and toys and our own food and do the cooking over an open fire. If we burned any wood, it would contribute to the pollution and thus the destruction of the natural beauty we all depended on.
Well, I am old enough to remember when my parents took us camping. My mother always made sure we had plenty of mosquito repellent, a flashlight or lantern, a first aid kit and our own food. We seemed to be good preachers to each other. We read the Bible and told each other how to take care of our situations. It was a wonderful time. God was my witness. There were plenty of reasons to do it.
I would like to believe that God still speaks to millions of people each day. I also know that Russell was right. This church will be around forever. No matter what happens, God will always be in charge. I also know that God loves me just the way I am.
