River Walk

The face of the water, in time, became a wonderful book -- a book that was a dead language to the uneducated passenger, but which told its mind to me without reserve, delivering its most cherished secrets as clearly as if it uttered them with a voice. And it was not a book to be read once and thrown aside, for it had a new story to tell every day.
-- Mark Twain

Friday, November 27, 1998
One year ago: Thanksgiving

Jack and I woke up and walked across the yard to the house. Jack's mom and his sister T---- had gone off at 4:30 in the morning to hit the sales at Walmart with his other sister. We chatted a bit, then dozed back off to sleep (what a relaxing vacation!), me on the living room couch and Jack on the recliner opposite.

After I was reassured that the large window next to the sunken bathtub was one-way glass, I took a shower and got ready for the day. I found out later that this wasn't true! and the bathroom is right next to the front door! Luckily, it's an extremely remote area, and no one happened to drive up while I was performing my ablutions. We waited for Jack's mom to come back from the sales -- Super Nintendos for a really low price! People fighting in the aisles over Furbees! I'm so glad I wasn't there -- then she joined Jack's dad, Jack and me on a breakfast excursion.

This meant a drive up to Goldendale, all the way up to the top of the Klickitat gorge and beyond. The hills and bluffs surrounding us in the river valley had some tree cover (scrub oak, pine), but were mostly grassland, with impressive layers of volcanic rock exposed by the river over the years. We drove up a two-lane or no-lane road that gradually curved its way up to the top of the valley. We left the range country (where livestock can roam free?) and continued through the wheat fields to the small town (is it the county seat?) where Jack had his first job dealing with computers, working for the city in the 80s. He pointed out the building where he had fallen through the ceiling and messed up his knee, stringing computer cable.

We ate at the Homestead restauant attached to the motel, then drove back home. I think originally there had been plans to drive up to Mt. Adams or somewhere else to see elk, but I don't know if this would have been for my benefit or because Jack's father had wanted to do it and plans changed. He's recently gone through back surgery and hadn't been able to do the hunting that he usually does. I was just nodding and agreeing to any proposal or plan.

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We relaxed again during the middle part of the day, then Jack and I took a walk down the river where the old railroad tracks had once been. I was glad that he only had enough pipe tobacco for one bowlful. Smoking a pipe is an occasional indulgence of his; maybe he partakes once a month or so. In the background you can see the bridge across the river; the house is right nearby.

Jack didn't grow up on this property, but he's spent a lot of time here over the years. We did find a few things he hadn't noticed before, like an apple tree with small but tasty apples on it, growing along the old track bed.

The weather was partly cloudy, cool but not too cold. I had to remind myself to switch between watching my feet -- we were walking over river rock much of the time -- and looking up to see the more general picture. Jack's intended goal for the walk was to get to some artesian wells that are dotted along the Klickitat, which were built in connection with an enterprise where they made dry ice out of the carbon dioxide bubbling in the well water.

We both tasted the water, me for curiosity's sake, Jack because he rather likes it, despite the sulfur and iron dissolved in it. Jack admitted that he would have been walking twice as fast if he'd been on his own, but I think I kept up well enough. The picture with both of us was done using the timer feature on my camera. The only problem was finding a place to set the camera, where I could make a dash to the intended spot in front of it!

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I'd co-sponsored a pizza dinner with Jack's sister T-----, to get Jack's mother out of the kitchen after all her work on Thursday. T---- had been gone all afternoon, at the movies with Jack's other sister K---- and all the kids. She brought back Papa Murphy's pizza, which you bake at home. This was a good deal in this environment, since delivery of hot pizza wouldn't be possible, and this fresh, premade pizza was much better than frozen.

After Jack, his father, and a friend of theirs watched some boxing match (apparently someone got robbed in the last round), Jack and I watched a syndicated X-files episode -- I'm not really a fan, though -- and "The Army of Darkness" starring Bruce Campbell, which I'd seen before and loved. It was new to Jack, and he was howling with laughter at the silliness and cleverness of it.

I think there were only a few flies left to bug us in the camper. A distinct improvement on yesterday!

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Both Jack's mom and his dad said some very nice things to me during the course of the day -- it's been a while since Jack was in a relationship, and they expressed approval of me. I was glad!