Getting Primal

I spent the weekend, away from the city, hustle and bustle, and even internet. The family and I were at my wife's cousin's cabin in the middle of nowhere... for a wedding.

I had been messaging a little, with @dreemsteem, before the weekend... it's been a weird few weeks, with her being sick, and fighting the Covid battle. Anyway, her big advice, was, "Go, have fun with family, reconnect, and Laugh, and Dance.

'Yeah, yeah, ok...' I really should know by now, but...

It's been a long 19 months, now, since the pandemic shut down my industry... and many other personal events, too. We've not seen much of extended family. Not since The Before Times!

No Weddings. Two very small gatherings for some that passed away... no birthday parties for extended family, no real big family get-togethers at all.

Reconnecting, to so many!

Saturday night, before the wedding, my daughter decided to head outside to the firepit, next to the cabin and build a fire. She's built many on the beaches, and at the Camp she used to work at, so I thought nothing of it. Last thing I said, before she left the cabin was, "take lots of Kindling."

No Sparks...!

The thing is, it's been raining for weeks, off and on. The ground is wet, the trees, the pine needles, the broken branches and ground clutter, too. So, wet wood, wet everything.

A few minutes later, my daughter's cousin came inside, and said, "she needs help, can you help her get the fire started?"

I was reading a book, and for a (guilty) moment, I thought, no. Of course, that's not what happened... book, down, I went outside. I grabbed a few pieces of birch bark, from a nearby tree, and some really small dead branches from up above, in trees.

Breaking the branches into tiny bits, no more than 10 centimeters, a couple inches, and then, I began rubbing the birch bark, into a dust, over one larger piece. I also made strips of birch bark, and kept processing. It's all about fine dust, and fine dry sticks. PLUS, birch has a great, flammable oil inside.

A task at hand, I forgot about the book. I started sending her to collect more of the tiny sticks, from trees, NOT from the ground (where they soak water). Soon a big pile, next to me, and the birds next to me, birch dust and bark at hand, I grabbed a small stick in her fire, with a glowing ember. There was barely a few embers, but still, she had something started. I placed the ember into the nest of dust and bark, and began softly blowing. Soon, a smoldering smoke... and then, a tiny flame.

Fan The Flames!

Once the smoldering smoke began, it's a simple matter of blowing and fanning the flames. Once a flame is there, then, add more bark strips. Bigger flames. Add more bark and some small twigs. Pencil sized. NEVER put more sticks on, until the flame is above the last batch. Add slightly larger sticks, and wait for flame. Add more and more... until suddenly, the sticks are as large as your wrist. Keep adding, until there are embers like the picture above.

I keep up this narrative, with my daughter. Reminding her, how to build a fire. She knows, after a decade of doing this. But, we both have not seen woods in forever. Since The Before Times!

We ended up outside, chatting for a few hours, well passed midnight. And not only did we discuss how to make a great fire, but, we let the conversation ramble all over.

Oh, yeah, and the wedding? This pasty, old mansy, who usually spends the weddings, shooting a few hundred to a few thousand images, actually shot less than a 100! I was too busy dancing and laughing.