Adventure 145: Stumpy Celebrates Sixty-Eight on the Joe

Birthday Cedars

From last we met, life and cribbage have continued. We have enjoyed a glorious summer filled with gardening, biking, sailing, and general "laking". At one point, the Wily Cager, who remains a profoundly successful card shark, had a match with Douglissimo at Priest Lake. She was up to her usual tricks, and then some. After one deal, Douglissimo was over celebrating a fortuitous hand when amazingly, the Cager reached over and picked up his uncounted crib. What happened next should be cause for sending the children to safety. After much noise and confusion and at least one reloading, the Cager was a stumpy mess. All ten of her toes and eight of her fingers were picked off as Douglissimo expertly fired one round after another. When the smoke cleared and the acrid smell of gun powder settled, the scene was a bloody carnage of severed toes and fingers. The bottom line is that the Cager has a new name: Stumpy. Undaunted, Stumpy settled in for the beginning of birthday month in a little grove of cedars along the St. Joe river. Though damp the first night, the remainder of the stay was punctuated by clear skies and warm temps. The only other guests along the river were  fly fishermen and a lone bald eagle that flew upstream about twenty feet off the ground following the contours of the river. I don't imagine he had a catch and release policy in mind. During our three day stay, Stumpy was on fire (I'm not sure she even cheated) as she tallied one double figure hand after another. She was so cute, holding her cards between her thumbs and her single remaining digits. Cute quickly changed to killer as she spanked me 8-2. I'm as generous as the next guy on birthdays, but this is carrying it a bit far. The purpose of our trip to the Joe was to shake down Fric and Frac after a dormant summer in preparation for this winter's return to the wilds of the Southwest. Beginning mid October, we plan to travel for three weeks far enough to get below the snow line. We'll store the truck and trailer somewhere near San Jose until January. Mid November, Stumpy will have knee replacement surgery, and as soon after the new year that she is ready, we'll return to Fric and Frac to begin our second season of winter traveling. For now, remember that life is good, especially today.


 Stumpy can "hold" a book, but page turning is more difficult.

 Frac shedding water like a silver water bird.

 Damp and gray, but also fresh and clean.

 The first night we enjoyed the rain pecking steadily on the trailer.

 The next morning brought the sun.

 Frac in his glory.

 Not too bad after sixty-eight years.

 Frac's tailgate provided a nice painting spot.

 The shadowy St. Joe as interpreted in 2014.

 The gallery from inside the front window.

 Stumpy, her sly grin showing, but notice--no hands.

 Her weapon.

This gentleman said he has fished this spot for twenty years.