big chill style reunion, lots of folks old and new – sharing houses and meals, homemade napkins, homemade bread w/ bicycles etched into the dough before baking – giant plate of all the leftovers in the fridge thrown together – hugs at the door and five dogs colliding and strangers looking on at the old friends re-uning. boxes of wine and adding the candles to the table
walking among the tall snow covered trees – 100 ft tall cedar and doug fir (mouse tail pine cones), western hemlock, moss-covered, snow covered rain forest, roaring river, dogs here and there obeying commands (heel and stay, wait), footprints on the trail, stepping rock to rock to log to rock through the river, getting kala to ridgepole, rolling in elk poo, hopping out on logs and hovering over the river (maybe I should do this in the story?)
re-gathering late at night, fire ring in the trees, headlamps bobbing around illuminating green fuzzy branches and reflecting against sparkles in the snow… paw tracks on the trail imagining they’re bear, warm blankets and flasks of whiskey, listening to the river rush past. playing a round robin stupid party game (in my picnic basket?…)
midnight walk through the golf course, climbing up rock w/ tree on it, starlight on the snow, through the tunnel how dark it was without the stars (no moon), kicking up powder snow and retying my scarf.. taking off my hat and gloves because it was too warm – stuffing them in my pocket – sticky peanut butter doggie treats. my breath freezing on the air with stars in the sky like i haven’t seen in years. getting a handle on nathan being surprised what he’s about and listening to him on the phone w/ his employer etc
stars at home in mass. out drinking w/ friends at night shalini and i peeing uphill on mt monadonock, kyra running uphill in the dark w/ ben shapiro and zach, staring at the stars (orien – is there another constellation to reflect mother? cancer? sisters?)
last new years: awkward silences.. dazed brain and memories.. chris & tayo showing up w/out doggles, melissa curled up in the chair talking to silence, drinking whiskeys, wandering around out on the golf course, brett holding my hand out in the snow, drinking too much and going to bed early
new years after graduate school w/ e– challenging me over celebrity or truth or dare or whatever game was going on and being played – me telling on cr— for drinking wine (him as a fire jumper losing the last steady coupling of grad school etc)
bag game, me winning, one foot on floor – balance, breathe – nathans voice telling me to breath – doubting in the beginning whether or not i should even play, so glad i did – dogs interupting the game of play and knocking folks off balance
e– in bed naked in the morning w/ carl – funny guy