Anticipation

In a little over a week, my oldest son and his family will be visiting Deb and me. I am looking forward to seeing my oldest and youngest granddaughters, the second of whom, I have never met. I am also happy I will be seeing my son, even if our meetings are always awkward, at best as he continues to both irritate and lick the wounds I inflicted when he was young. It will also be good to see his wife.

Visiting with him always comes at a price. I am forced to measure every word so as not to "offend" him. I do this less for him than for my wife as I refuse to be responsible for causing a rift between those two.

Thus the upcoming visit will be both enjoyable and emotionally arduous.

In a little more than a month, though, I will be leaving for the trout fishing camp-out attended only by men or men almost as 14 is the youngest allowed on the trip. We figure if a 14 year-old breaks his neck, cuts off a finger or drowns, the men have no real culpability as no one is there to babysit. The Indiana/Illinois group will include:

Myself - Committed

Joe - Committed

Al - Half-way Committed

Travis - Maybe Committed

Charles - Checking his calendar

Colton - Committed

Brayden - Likely

Ross - Committed

Hector - Committed

Hector's 14 year-old son - Committed by his father.

The Michigan crew includes:

Bret - Committed

Andy- Committed

Lance - Maybe

Scott - Maybe

We will rendezvous in Paw Paw and travel north on 131 to the Deward Tract where we will camp as near the river as we can.

This is the place the Manistee is born; where the water is crystal clear and the trout wild.

While we all hope to catch fish, I am not sure that is the main purpose for the excursion.

Everyone going is a Mormon so we don't have to worry about things said or done that make us feel guilty. Guilt born of either weakness or too much strength. As Mormons, we all have a common headwater. There will be no shortage of conversation and in those conversations bonds will be formed that will last forever.

Where we are going there is little to no cell phone signal and only an occasional modern toilet. In the process of this "roughing it", we will all leave the world we worry about to its own devices as we create memories that will sustain us until the next time.

My one regret is that none of my sons will be going. One because of distance and expense and the other two because they would prefer being somewhere else - although they can both use distance and expense as an excuse.

In spite of that regret, my plan is to wallow in outdoor indulgence as I forge new and deeper friendships. I also plan to sleep in and nap between casting flies, feeding myself and solving the problems of mankind in our small council of men as we exchange ideas around a campfire.

I will write a lengthy report after I recover from the adventure.