A Good Fire

I love a good fire.

Sure, you can cook on it and warm yourself by it, but the best thing about a good fire is that it generates conversation and introspection. It makes me feel good.  Plus, I love the smoky smell of my clothes after sitting by a fire.  It stays trapped in my clothes until they are washed.

Many of my best memories took place around a fire.  I think of camping in the Big Bend with my children.  I think of hunting trips with my brother.  I think of young Marines huddled around a warming fire along the Columbia River, and those same Marines huddled together on the banks of the Canadian River north of Amarillo.  Boy, those were some cold nights.  Maybe the coldest of my life. 

I love a good fire.