Podcasts about adirondacks

In this episode, native Vermont hunter Erick Erickson sits down with Austin, Brian, and Bob to talk about his early days hunting Vermont and Maine, and about how his move to New York opened up the world of Adirondack big woods he now explores. He also talks about his experiences in the Catskills, the Midwest, and hunting out west for elk, and how all of these experiences helped him hone his skills with remote hot tent hunting. Learn more about hunting deer, moose and more in the Big Woods, find informative articles and the best wool and gear at https://www.bigwoodsbucks.com Minus33 wool base layers and socks: https://alnk.to/aLIUpax  Seek Outside Tents: Use code "BWB10" for 10% off of your order at this link https://alnk.to/biuxP3W  Big woods land and camps for sale: www.landandcamps.com  Grayl water filter: https://alnk.to/4MBtYKl  Save 20% on your OnX subscription with code ‘BWB' https://www.onxmaps.com/hunt  Hal and the Big Woods Bucks Team's Gear: https://www.bigwoodsbucks.com/Wool Hal's knife: Buck Knife 102: https://alnk.to/eDRDphL

durée : 00:51:36 - Le Masque et la Plume - par : Laurent Goumarre - Un tour du monde sur des stacks ; une disparition dans les Adirondacks, et une plongée au fusain dans le Berlin hitlérien sur la genèse de M le maudit, des nouvelles primées par le Goncourt ; un premier roman lauréat du prix des lectrices de ELLE… - invités : Laurent CHALUMEAU, Hubert ARTUS, Alice Develey, Jean-Marc Proust - Laurent Chalumeau : Journaliste rock, scénariste, dialoguiste, romancier, Hubert Artus : Journaliste et chroniqueur littéraire (Lire, L'Optimum), Alice Develey : Journaliste au Figaro Littéraire, Jean-Marc Proust : Auteur et critique (Slate) - réalisé par : Guillaume Girault Vous aimez ce podcast ? Pour écouter tous les autres épisodes sans limite, rendez-vous sur Radio France.

(Aug 1, 2025) A festival honoring Michigans - Plattsburgh's culinary delicacy - will take place this weekend;  for the last games of the Tupper Lake River Pigs baseball season this weekend, we meet the team's unofficial mascot...and Santa Claus; the Quebec man accused of killing his 9-year-old daughter and hiding her body in a Ticonderoga pond earlier this month was arraigned in Essex County Court Wednesday; New York's legal marijuana industry is reeling after more than 100 dispensaries have been told they may have to move because they're too close to schools; and, a cooler but sunny weekend ahead in the Adirondacks.

(Aug 1, 2025) Seasonable temperatures this weekend. Some lower water paddles will be impassable. Belfry Mt. Fire Tower temporarily closed due to large active wasp nest.

On this episode of The Bigfoot Report, we bring you another previously recorded episode from 2021. Wayne sat down with Jeremiah from New York State to discuss his experiences in the Adirondack mountains. If you would like to be a guest on The Bigfoot Report and share your encounter with Sasquatch or other Cryptids, email either wayne@paranormalworldproductions.com or tiffany@paranormalworldproductions.com https://youtube.com/@thebigfootreports?si=dvSe-l8Ice5JKhVbhttps://www.tiktok.com/@thebigfootreport?_t=ZP-8vYdWzwa9de&_r=1https://www.instagram.com/the_bigfoot_report?igsh=MW1ndTJzOXp3MDhldQ%3D%3D&utm_source=qrBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/the-bigfoot-report--5016307/support.

What really happened that night on Glastenbury Mountain — when something large walked between two tents in the dead of night… and vanished without a trace?In this gripping episode of Bigfoot Society, we sit down with Dave, a retired police detective and lifelong hunter from southern Vermont. Dave shares his chilling encounter from the late 1980s, when he and his brother camped deep in the infamous Bennington Triangle — a region haunted by legends of disappearances, strange lights, and Bigfoot sightings. What they felt walk through their camp changed how they saw the wilderness forever.But it doesn't stop there. Years later, in a remote Adirondack hunting cabin, something strange happened again — screens ripped open 11 feet high, a man waking up outside with the door still locked, lights in the sky, and guttural howls echoing from the treeline.This episode will take you from Green Mountain shadows to Adirondack isolation — where something big is still watching.

(Jul 28, 2025) The Adirondack Hotel, and its commanding view up Long Lake, is one of the Adirondacks' iconic landmarks. The business is changing hands but is staying in the family. We take a tour with longtime owner Carol Young. Also: Business leaders in Northern New York say recent data confirms a summer tourism downturn due to fewer Canadian tourists.

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Carrie and Mark settle in to everyday life.by T. Foxal. Listen to the ► Podcast at Connected.“Oh Mark. I have never been made love to like that ever. It was perfect. Everything you have done so far has been perfect for me. I don't think you have one selfish bone in your body. I need to know though, are you scared of all of this?”“Carrie, I have never been more scared in my life. Not even over in the sandpit, with bullets flying all around. Had you not said I love you back to me, when I made my declaration, I would have been crushed. I've never, ever let anyone into my heart, like I have let you in. Am I scared now? A little. I know you said it the other night. Well, you told me to catch up with you because you were already there. But over time, I thought you may have some misgivings for saying, since we were in the heat of the moment then. But all the little things you have been doing, or saying, led me to believe you really were. And, I wanted to make it special for you. This whole day when you weren't around me, all I could think of was you. I wondered what you were thinking when you took your bath before, or what you were doing and thinking when you left this morning. Let's face it, we haven't been alone with our own thoughts for a week now.”She leaned in and kissed me lightly on the lips, then said, “Mark. I knew from that first kiss. Then when we made love the first time, I was in heaven. It wasn't sex between us. It was more. Since that time, we have done nothing but make love and my heart races every time I see you. I was so scared when I said that the other night. Did I push you away from me? Would you just say, screw this, I'm outta here. But the big thing for me was when we were at the winery, and you went up to the bar to get us those samples. Your eyes smiled at me the whole time. You didn't even look at that girl, who I thought was really hot, but just kept looking at me. You made love to me right then. Am I scared. Yes. I want this more than anything, but I don't want to be hurt again. I lived that. But, you are not him. You are so much more than he could ever be. I was eye candy for him, and a fuck, and nothing more. My heart is now yours, please don't hurt it.”I rolled to my side and looked deep into her hazel eyes, then kissed her. “You know what turned me on the most today?” “No, Baby, I don't” “When I saw you after you came back from your day in town. My God, you looked so sexy and stunning to me. You are such a beautiful woman, and not just physically, but all around. I wanted to take you then, but then that would have downplayed this evening. I never tried to be romantic with anyone before, and I so wanted to seduce you tonight.”She giggled. “Well Mr. Marine. You succeeded in every way tonight. I'll tell you. When I saw the robe, then the candles lit by the bathtub, I got super horny. I wanted you so bad then. Then when I shaved down there, I felt incredibly sexy. I even came after that. But when we took off our robes and I saw you in those boxers, I damn near raped you. But dancing really did me in. I almost told you then I loved you. But I am glad I waited now.”As she talked, her hand was now on my cock, stroking it back to life. When I was hard again, she leaned in and kissed me, then pushed me to my back. She kneeled and straddled me and slowly sat down on me, engulfing me with her velvet like inner walls of her sex.“Baby?” she whispered. “This has been an amazing night. But now I need to be a little naughty. A couple should be able to let loose some and enjoy sex too. I love lovemaking, but I also love to fuck Mark. But only with someone I want to give myself too, completely. I want to fuck your beautiful cock. I want to feel your cum spray deep inside me and, I want cum all over it. Fuck me Baby. Make me your Lover.”I arched my back up and drove in deep in her. “Oh Fuck. You are so deep.” She started moving up and down, faster and faster. “Oh god I love this. My favorite position too.”She leaned down and started smothering me with kisses. Moaning as we fucked. I did too. Her head slipped to the side of mine and whispered. “You like my tight little cunt, don't you Babe. Your cock is a perfect fit for it. My cunt loves your cock. Oh God Mark. ““Oh God Babe. Your cunt is so tight. I love it and always will. Fuck me Carrie.”She sat up and started grinding hard on me now. Neither of us was going to last long. I sat up and took her one tit in my mouth and sucked hard.“Oh Christ. Suck my tits Baby. I Love that so much”She started pounding me harder now, as I continued sucking it, then switched to the other. Her arm went behind my head and pulled me in tighter. My hands were holding her luscious ass as I did this. My one hand went exploring and touched her ass, which made her moan really loud. I slipped it down to her cunt and got it wet as the finger rubbed against her lips and my cock. Then I brought it up to her brown hole and slipped it in.“Oh Fuck Baby. Yes. God I love you”She started cumming a minute later. Her head and body shook as she came hard, but somehow, she maintain the rhythm we had going. I was now getting close myself and could feel my balls tighten up, signaling my impending orgasm. “Oh Shit Carrie, I'm going to cum” I yelled out.She slammed down one last time, and then jumped off. Her mouth was over my cock in no time and was starting to suck me, when I erupted in her mouth. I had to have shot 5 or 6 good ropes into her hungry mouth. She didn't spill a drop, except at the end, a little dribbled out the side.She was kneeling now, getting ready to wipe her mouth, when I grabbed her wrist and gently pulled her to me and I licked it off of her face and then kissed her. The kiss was so hot and passionate. We were lost in that kiss for minutes, until she broke away, panting hard.We both lay on our backs now, still in a euphoric bliss from our love making. Carrie was very quiet. At first I thought she fell asleep, until I felt her hand grasp mine and squeeze it.“Are you  okay Carrie?”, I asked. “Actually, I am on cloud nine, as they say. I've never been made love too, like this, then opening up and letting go like that. I just hope you don't think I am some sort of slut. I want to explore all there is with you sexually and lovingly too.”“Babe. You are hardly a slut. Sex to me, is supposed to be fun too. You were amazing. But our love making, well, it's beyond words. To me, you are an angel. Quite the lady too. In bed, we can do whatever we please, as long as we both agree on whatever we do. One thing though, I can never share you with anyone. I don't believe I get jealous, but I could never share you with anyone, man or woman. I knew a couple in the service that did that. Got into swinging. No way. Not with someone I love and respect, like I do you. But just so you know, I really enjoyed the naughty Carrie. She is fun.”“Umm.. I may have to let her out more often then. Cuz naughty Markie, was turning me on too. But, you will never have to fear me wanting another. I am quite happy with who I am with. I will never deny you in bed either. Except, when I am sick, or you are sick. Sex just doesn't seem like fun then. But that's about it.”“Yeah, being sick and wanting sex, just doesn't seem to go hand in hand. I will never deny you as well. But, I'm a guy, so the prospect of me saying no is quite low.”She giggled, then said, “Well. Mister. You better never hold out in the oral department anymore. Oh Christ. That was unbelievable. I could take that all day long. And, I love giving too. I love how you taste.”“You're turning me on again Honey. How do you feel right now?” I asked“Horny” she giggled then. “Honestly. And don't freak when I say this. But I feel as though I am on a Honeymoon and you took your virgin bride to sexual highs she never knew existed.”I did chuckle. “Nothing wrong with that. To me, you are a virgin, or at least were. I don't care about your past. You are my first, and dare I say, only love for me.”“I like that” she replied. Then said, “Where do you see us in a year?”“Honestly. I never look to the future too much. But, I have been lately. I hope that you will be with me in a year, and maybe, just maybe, if you haven't tired of my Jarhead ass, we are right back here, spending it as a true honeymoon”She folded into my arms and kissed my cheek. “I think that could be a real possibility. This Squid actually has thought about it, and she doesn't think she'll ever tire of you. Piss me off at times, Yes, but never tire.”I then laughed, and she asked what was funny. “God, if your Dad could see us right now. He'd hang me.”“Nah. He knows I like you a great deal. He doesn't know we professed love yet. But he does like you, Mom told me that. Jenny knows too. I talked with her this morning. I sent her a selfie, after I got my hair done. She called right after seeing it. Then she starts out by saying, “Damn Mom, you look hot. I think someone is in love.” She's a pretty smart girl actually. I was supposed to face time with her earlier, but someone had me a tad busy. She wants to see you and talk with you.”“Oh great. She's the one person that scares me the most, and I want on my side. More so, than even your parents. Go ahead and call her now. It's only 10pm.”She giggled again. “Uh No. We better wait until tomorrow. This is the first time her and her boyfriend Alan have been alone for a long time. He was with his family last weekend. They have dated for a year now, so I am pretty sure, they are in the same place you and I are right now, naked and in bed.”“You  okay with that? I asked. “Oh yes. I like him a lot. He treats her with so much respect and I know they love one another. He's a good kid and dotes after Jenny. His world revolves around her. He is studying to become a food scientist. If they can last the ups and downs of college and still remain in love, I could easily see them married one day. Only time will tell. And don't worry about her liking you, she will. She knows I do, and so far have made me extremely happy.”She got up then and walked to the bathroom. Then came back with our robes. “Let's go cuddle on the couch, enjoy some wine and TV, before we call it a night.” And so we did.Chapter 15.It was morning now, almost 8:30. I never sleep this late. The only reason I was up was because I had to pee so bad. Carrie was still sound asleep. She was curled up and looked so peaceful. My thought was, “What in God's name does she see in me. I'm nobody special. Yes, I am in good shape and I do treat her with respect, but she is absolutely beautiful and had I known of her, somewhere else, I would have never even attempted to approach her. I wasn't in her league, or so I thought”But here I am, one week after meeting her, and totally in love. I could not even fathom life without her in it. But reality would soon be creeping up on us. I knew she would be leaving mid-week. Would this all end after she left, and had time to really think this through? Only time will tell.I padded to the kitchen and made coffee. As it brewed I stood looking out the back door window. The skies were an ugly gray. Rain was falling. We knew this was coming, after viewing the weather report last night. Today and tomorrow, rain.I then toasted a few bagels, and got out the cream cheese. Made us both coffee, and took it to the bedroom. As I walked in, Carrie was yawning and stretching. Her tit were in plain view, and look so delicious to me. She sat up, not bothering to cover up. “Good sign” I thought.“Good Morning Sweetheart. I thought you may enjoy some breakfast in bed” I said to her.“Oh Wow. I could definitely get used to this. Especially if you lose that robe.”We sat and enjoyed our breakfast. We also started talking about this coming week. Since it was raining today, we decided to go into town and take in a movie and then dinner at some restaurant. On Monday, we were to hike Algonquin Peak, but if it is raining, we'll need to find something else to do.She then said, “You know I leave Wednesday. I have a doctor's appointment on Thursday that I made months ago, and I can't reschedule. It just takes so long to get in to see her.”“I know you were leaving then. But, I also am going to leave that day, with you. No sense hanging around here. Be bored to death, and I know me, all I'll think of is you the whole time.”“Awe. You are so sweet to me. But this is your vacation and you had it all planned out. Stay and at least hike some more of these mountains. I'll feel bad if you miss out on that.” she said with a pouty face.I just smiled at her and told her no, it was best I do head home. I had some major cleaning to do at my place. The house I have is actually an older farm house that was my grandparents. My grandmother outlived my mom and when she died, it was left to me and Ann. Ann didn't want it, so to be fair, I paid her the half she would have received, if we had sold it.The house was nice, but very outdated. Even the furniture was from the 60's. To me, it was cool, but my needs are simple. Ann has been bugging me for almost a year now to at least get some new furniture, if not update the whole place. My office is actually the dining room.I tell you this because I have never brought anyone there, especially a date. So bringing Carrie there, as it looks right now, is totally out of the question. As I told her this, she just laughed. She asked if I keep it clean, or was I a typical guy, and let things go until I can't stand it anymore. I told her I always keep it clean, it's just very outdated.“You big lug, I don't care about stuff like that. I will care if it smells like the gym on board a ship smells like. That is so gross.” and we both laughed.We finished our coffee and bagels, and set our cups and napkins on the nightstand. She pulled the cover down and asked me to slide in. We started kissing and making out some, when her phone rang. “Perfect timing” I thought. She looked at the phone and said, “It's Jenny. Hope all is alright. She is never up this early.”“She hit some button and I saw Jenny's face appear on the screen. Luckily, Carrie had the sheet up above her tit, and I was safely off to the side.“Hi Sweetheart”“Hi Mom. Hope I am not disturbing you.”“No Sweetie. You're good. We were just having breakfast.”“Oh. In bed too. I take it Marine guy is nearby.”Carrie laughed, “If you must know young Jen, he is right here, and his name is Mark, not Marine guy. But you knew that” “Hey just giving you a hard time. Hi Mark.” Carrie moved the phone over to where I could see her and she see me. I had just put the robe back on, so I was decent.“Hi Jenny. Very nice to meet you. I must say, you are as pretty as your mother.”Jen smiled; “Thank you. I hope to get to meet you when you two get back from your little vacation.”“I would say that is a very good possibility, unless your Mom gets rid of me by then. Lots of mountain tops she could push me off of, up here.” I said with a laugh.Carrie turned the phone back to her and said, “What did you two do this weekend? Is Alan still there?”Jen smiled this sly smile “Yeah. He is still asleep. We went to dinner and a late movie, then came back here. The main reason I am calling is that Papa called a bit ago, or I'd be sleeping too. He and grandma are coming up next weekend”My eyes got real big, but Carrie just chuckled, “That's great. When are they coming in?”“Friday evening, and staying here for a few days, then going to aunty Bev's for a few days. And Mark. Papa had a message for you. “Don't crap where you eat son.” He said you'd understand completely.”I just shook my head. Great. He's gonna shit when he hears his daughter and I are now dating.Carrie was laughing now. Jen wanted to know what that was about. Carrie said she'd tell her when she sees her this week. They carried on for a few more minutes as Jen filled her in on stuff. Now Jen did look somewhat similar to her mom, from what I could see on the phone. That same light caramel color, with long flowing brown hair, and a gorgeous smile. Alan should consider himself a very lucky man. They signed off then after saying goodbye's and Jen saying bye to me too, telling me to take very good care of her mother, or else.I asked, “Are you sure she isn't your blood daughter? You two look so much alike.”“I wish she was. But No. Her parents were Puerto Rican, so the skin color is close. She shorted too, only 5 foot 3. She is an angel. You think Dad dotes over me? Wait till you see him around Jenny. I feel bad for Alan. He's met Dad twice now and is scared shitless of him. But Daddy wants only the best for his girls.”“Yeah, well, I am wondering now what is he going to say about us being together. He still scares the shit out of me.”She laughed, “Oh I don't know. I'll let you know after I tell him how you been having your way with me this whole week.” then laughed some more. She then opened his robe, grabbed his semi stiff member and stroke it.She giggled, the looked at him and stated, “Umm, I wonder what he'd say if he knew I was doing this.”, as she lowered her head to my manhood and sucked the head in.“Oh God Carrie.”The PromiseCarrie and Mark settle in to everyday life, once they return from their week and a half camping and hiking trip, after finding love in those mountains.I asked, “Are you sure she isn't your blood daughter? You two look so much alike.”“I wish she was. But No. Her parents were Puerto Rican, so the skin color is close. She shorter too, only 5 foot 3.. She is an angel. You think Dad dotes over me? Wait till you see him around Jenny. I feel bad for Alan. He's met Dad twice now and is scared shitless of him. But Daddy wants only the best for his girls.”“Yeah, well, I am wondering now what is he going to say about us being together. He still scares the shit out of me.”She laughed, “Oh I don't know. I'll let you know after I tell him how you been having your way with me this whole week.” then laughed some more. She then opened my robe, grabbed my semi stiff member and stroke it.She giggled, the looked at him and stated, “Umm, I wonder what he'd say if he knew I was doing this.”, as she lowered her head to my manhood and sucked the head in.“Oh God Carrie.”Chapter 16.The rest of that day, and into Monday, it did nothing but rain. So exploring any of the mountain tops was curtailed. We pretty much hung around the cabin in just our robes that day. The only time we dressed was to go to dinner, down into town. Neither of us felt like cooking. It was very hard for me to resist getting Carrie naked and just making love all day, but she needed to know that our relationship, that we both professed our love for each other, was more than just a physical thing, but also emotional.You see Carrie is a very beautiful woman. She is 5 foot 7, 130 pounds, with caramel colored skin, almost like Halle Berry skin tone. Her hair is short now too, with blonde highlights mixed in with her brown hair. Totally sexy in my eyes. She has amazing legs that are long and toned and a great ass. What turns me on the most is her tits. They are a large A, or small B cup. I love a woman with small tits.I am 5 foot 10, 175 pounds, and been told by many, a handsome man. I keep in shape, and that is because after spending 20 years in the Marines, you get used to working out. It's just ingrained into your fabric. I was single too, for all of those years. Never had a serious relationship, except for a semi one, back in my 20's, when I lived with a girl for a few months. But she didn't enjoy my deployments too much and wanted more. It was mostly a sex thing for us, and a place for us both to crash, when we were screwing.But now, a week and a half later, I am totally in love with this goddess, and she with me as well. What is funny too, I know her parents, or to be more specific, her father. He was a Master Chief in the Navy, and was on the aircraft Carrier Lincoln at the same time I was, years ago, when I was a Staff Sergeant in the Marines. Great guy too, but could scare the hell out of you. Carrie too, was in the Navy back then, but I do not think we ever crossed paths, since she worked on base, and, was also married back then to a Seal, which she now divorced from.Like I said earlier, we only got dressed that Sunday for dinner, then that Monday, a day we were supposed to visit another Adirondacks peak, it rained as well. We did go driving around and admired the countryside and had a fine dinner at the Italian restaurant we found the previous week.Then on Tuesday, we decided to go horseback riding. We found a place about 20 minutes from the cabin, near Lake Clear. We had a great time exploring the area by horseback. I have to admit, my ass was quite sore by the time we got through, as was Carrie's. There was a few times I would hang back, behind her and admire her ass as it bounced up and down in the saddle.She looked back one time and caught me. “God, don't you ever tire of looking at my big ass?”I just chuckled and told her, “Hell No. I love your ass, and it is hardly big. Remind me later to massage it for you, because if mine is sore, I know yours has to be.”“Maybe I will let you. Not sure if I want you touching it later. Now get up her next to me.” then whispered to me, after I got close, “You be a good boy, and I'll let you see it naked later.”, then laughed and rode away from me.After our ride, we stopped in this tavern that also featured home cooked meals. We both decided on burgers and fries. Normally, we both try to stay away from fried foods, but, as we both found out from talking, we like to cheat on occasion.By the time we got back to the cabin, nighttime was upon us and this was our last night together. I know we both pledged our love to one another, but after tonight, she may get a dose of reality when she got back home, and say, “No way” to being in a relationship. For me, I was all in. I never wanted anything more in my life, than to be with this beautiful, smart, witty and energetic woman.After getting into the cabin, I started a fire in the fireplace and Carrie went off to the bedroom, to get ready to shower. After I had a nice fire going, she came out in her robe and asked me to join her. As we washed each other down, removing the horse smell from our bodies, we kissed and held each other. We both took turns drying each other, then donned our robes and made our way to the couch. Before I sat down, I went and got us each a glass of wine.“Mark?” she said, and I looked at her. She had a tear on her cheek, for which I lightly brushed away. “What's wrong Honey?” I asked.“This is our last night here. This has been the best vacation I have ever experienced. Had you told me two weeks ago that I would meet the man of my dreams, I would have said you are so full of shit. But here I am, sitting next to you. I am so in love with you and I am also scared silly about tomorrow.” she explainedI knew what she meant, when she said she is scared. I am too. We get back to our real lives and the fantasy just fades away. She was deeply hurt all those years ago and opening up and allowing someone in, has to be tough for her to do. For me, it is a new experience. One I have never had before. If it does end, it will hurt, but I know I can move on from it, I think.“Carrie. I'm scared too. Once we are home and reality sets in for you, you may say, screw this. I have never opened up to anyone in my life, except for you. I just hope that you will grow with me. I'm going to make mistakes. You may want something, but I'm too stupid to know and understand, but like anything in life, you learn. One thing I will promise you and this is I will always be true to only you. I love you and will never do anything to hurt you.”“Oh Mark. No man has ever made me feel this way. We'll take each day as it comes and just know I will never hurt you as well. But be forewarned now, I can get bitchy. I don't mean to be, but it happens and when it does, just leave me be, and I will be fine. I think the hardest part of tomorrow is going to be not being with you, especially at night. After a week of sharing a bed together, and feeling so close to you, it is going to suck not having your arms around me tomorrow night, or this weekend. If I didn't have that appointment Thursday, I'd let you stay with me tomorrow, but I know us, we make love, and since this is a gynecologist I am seeing, sex wouldn't be the most prudent thing for me to do. And then this weekend, with my parents in town, I'm not sure what they'd say about us sleeping together.”I laughed, “Yeah, I could just see the look on your dad's face when we told them goodnight and padded off to bed. As for sex. We don't always have to have it you know. I mean I'll never turn it down, but I also know there is more to us than just sex. But tomorrow after we get home, and then at night, we'll probably both be too tired to do anything. Plus, like I said, I need to straighten up the place. One thing though. On Thursday, I would like to take you and Jenny to dinner, Alan too. That way, she has someone there who she is comfortable with, just in case she can't stand me.”“Oh Stop. She is going to love you. I'll call her tomorrow and set it up. Now! Take me to bed for the last time here and hold me Baby. I want to fall asleep in your arms.”Chapter 17.We got up early for some reason, and took a shower together. I still marvel at this exceptionally beautiful woman. She makes my heart race anytime I am near here. And when we are naked, it quadruples in magnitude. We did not have sex, but we did hold and caress each other until the water started turning cold.We were then packed and on our way home. She drove in front of me for the next 4 hours. We did talk on the phone a couple of times. The last time was just before my exit, which is a couple before hers. I called her and told her I would call her later and that I loved her. I could hear in her voice, a hitch, just like I had in mine. I missed her already and I had just exited from the roadway.Once I was home, I did a load of laundry, then went and started dusting and vacuuming the place. Not a thing I do a lot of. Of course my sister always comes over and does it at times, and bitches me out when she does. I then cut the grass, which was needed after two weeks of not touching it. It takes two hours to cut this lawn, and that's with a tractor. While I was cutting, I did miss a call from Carrie. She also texted me, just saying she was thinking of me and loved me. I texted back apologizing that I didn't answer her and explained why, and that I would call her later.We did talk around 6 that evening. She too was busy with housework and laundry. She strip the beds, not knowing which bed Jenny and Alan slept in. I had to laugh at that. She chuckled too but said, “It's one thing to sleep in our wet spot, but I'm surely not sleeping in theirs.” Which made me laugh hard.About 10 that night, I called her. She was lying in bed, reading a book. She conveyed to me that Jenny was ecstatic over meeting us for dinner and really happy I had included Alan. They were going to meet us at Carrie's at 6pm tomorrow. I told Carrie we would try Delmonico's Steakhouse, which was kind of close to her.She chuckled and said, “Oh fancy place. You know, you don't have to take us there. There's a nice restaurant right down the street from us.”“That's cool. But I want too. How many college kids can go to a place like this. Plus I have always wanted to try it, but, I'm not going alone. Ann said the food is excellent there.”“Speaking of Ann, did you call her and inform her that you are bringing someone Sunday?” she asked.“Oh yeah. She is so excited now. She can't wait to meet you. I told her that your parents were going to be in from Florida and I didn't know what plans they had that day. She said to bring them along too. The more the merrier.”Carried giggled, then said, “I don't know if your sister has a clue what Dad can be like. Just don't bring up politics. He thinks they are all thieves and liars.” which made me laugh.Then she got quiet. “Anything wrong? You are quiet now “ She sighed, “No, just missing lying next to you, with your arms around me. I feel so safe then. I love you Mark”“I love you too, Carolyn, and I do miss being with you. It was a very long day without you near me.” I told her.“It was a long day for me as well. I don't know how or why this happened between us, but I am so happy that you are in my life now. Maybe tomorrow night, you can spend it here with me, if you want too.” she said.“I think that can be arranged. You know what I do miss? You calling me Jarhead. When you say it, it means something to me.”“I told you, after last weekend, I was done calling you that, but if you insist, I'll just call you JH.”“I insist Squid. Now get some sleep. Just know, I love you Carrie and I am holding you in my dreams tonight.”Chapter 18.I knew Carrie had an appointment at 11am, so I didn't want to bother her, but did send her a text, after I got up and said good morning and I love you. She replied instantly to it, saying she was about to shower and get ready and she loved me too.I was pretty proud of myself. I dusted and swept the whole house. Not that I am a slob, but those are two jobs I really don't enjoy doing. Hell, living alone and never having people over, except for my sister, afforded me the luxury of not caring too much to do that. But with Carrie in my life, I guess I need to change my way of thinking.I then immersed myself in a project that I had been working on for this one company. I needed to do something to keep my mind occupied, since I would not be seeing her until later in the afternoon. I was surprised though, that by 3pm, I hadn't heard anything from her. I hope all went well with her doc appointment.I had told her that I would be over by 5:30, so we could spend some time alone, before Jenny and Alan showed up. By 4:30, I was shaved, and showered, then dressed for the evening. Since it was cool out, I wore dark blue pants, and lighter blue shirt, with a dark blue sport coat. I wanted to look good for when I met Jenny, and convey, I'm not some unkempt slob, who was dating her mother. I'm generally a jeans and t-shirt, or sweatshirt, kind of guy.I couldn't stand the wait any longer and decided to arrive a bit sooner. I got to her house at 5:15, so just a little bit early. After ringing the doorbell a few times, Carrie finally opened the door. Although she smiled when she let me in, I could tell something was amiss with her. After a brief hug and quick kiss on the lips, we stood back from one another.Carrie was wearing a burgundy pleated dress. It came to just above the knees. The neckline plunged just a bit, with white lace around the edges, with short sleeves as well. She looked radiant.“Wow. You look absolutely beautiful Sweetie.” I told her. She just said thanks, but that was it. Then said she had to finish getting ready. My antennae was now up. I could sense something was wrong. This girl was always so bubbly, and that definitely was not the case now. So I just walked around her living room, looking at pictures on the wall of Jenny, and her parents, and some people I had no clue of who they were. Then just took a seat and waited for her.For me, this was something new. I did not know what to say or do. Did I do something wrong, that may have upset her? Who knew, but this was not the Carrie I just spent almost two weeks with, had fun with, and made love too on many occasions. So I'm basically a fish out of water now. I made up my mind to just go with the flow, and when she is ready to talk, I'll be there, and hopefully, understand what is going on.Of course, my fear was she was going to end this between us. She had time to reflect and said that this wasn't worth it. If that is how she felt, then who was I to pursue it any further. I don't want to be with someone who did not want the same as me. Sitting there waiting, makes your mind think weird ass things, like I just did. Then again, maybe it wasn't anything and she is just having a bad day, or is nervous about me meeting Jenny.She finally emerged from wherever she was in her condo. When I saw her, she looked the same, so I have no idea what else she could have been doing. She walked into her kitchen and got a bottle of water, then asked if I wanted one too, which I kindly said no too.I finally got the courage to ask, “Is there something wrong?”She looked at me and had a sullen look on her face, then finally said “No. Guess I am just tired from all the prodding and poking today. I'm sorry I am not more upbeat.”I got up and went to her and wrapped my arms around her, “If you want to cancel tonight, that would be okay with me. We keep go out with them some other time, when you are feeling more up to it.”“No. No. I am fine. It will be fine. We'll go have a fun night with them. Jenny is so looking forward to meeting you.” she said, as she pulled away from me and went into the living room. “We'll talk later tonight, when we get back.”I knew from how she stated it, something was wrong. But, being a dumb man, I have no clue as to what. I didn't want to piss her off by asking questions. Maybe something at the doc's. I guess when she is ready, she will let me know. I walked up next to her and grabbed her hand, just to let her know I was there for her. At that point, her front door opened and in walked Jenny and Alan.Jenny was definitely a looker. I would say 5 foot 3, maybe 110 pounds, brown hair and eyes, and the cutest dimples. She did have bigger boobs than her mom, but since she was adopted, that made sense. But the irony of how much the two looked alike was uncanny. Alan was a good looking guy too. He had that German look to him. Blond hair, blue eyes, chiseled face and stood about 6 foot, but maybe weighed 170 pounds, if that.After making the introductions and some small talk, we left her condo and headed to dinner in my truck.At dinner, Carrie seemed to be her normal self. Well, at least the normal I had seen for the last two weeks. Jenny was regaling us with stories from her college life and some of things her and Alan had been doing of late, except for the sex part. I don't think Carrie, or myself, needed or wanted to know those details.As dinner was finally coming to an end, I had to admit, I was kind of quiet. I just let the three of them guide the evening and the conversation. Jenny did inquire what I actually did for a living, so I explained it to her. She was impressed, as was Alan. I tried not to let my concerns for Carrie, or our budding relationship ruin the evening. In my heart though, I had a bad feeling, this would be the last time I would see these three people.Near the end of dinner, Carrie announced that she needed to use the ladies room. Alan also said he need to use the facility, which then left just me and Jenny. I wasn't sure what to say to her, so I let her make the first move on talking.  “okay Mark. What's up with mom? Did you two have an argument or something?” Jenny asked.I shook my head, “Jenny. I have no idea what is wrong tonight. When I arrived this evening, she was down for some reason and won't tell me why. Yesterday we were fine, but ever since her doctor visit, she has changed. Maybe she has done some thinking and decided a relationship is not what she wants. Until she tells me, I am in the dark.”Jenny reached over and touched my arm. “I don't know either, but I do know that she and I talked last night for an hour and she is head over heels in love with you, and says you are with her as well. Are you Mark? Are you in love with my Mom?”“Nothing has changed for how I feel for your mother Jenny. I am in love with her. But, if she has had a change of heart, then I will abide by her wishes. Maybe we moved too fast. I don't know. To be honest Jenny. I have never been in love before, so this is a new territory for me. But if she had time to reflect now, and feels this isn't what she wants, well, I don't want to force anything like that on her. I just want her happy.”Jenny just shook her head, “I can't believe her mind could change like that. Something must be wrong and she just needs time to process it. Maybe you two can talk later. When we get back to my mom's, Alan and I are going to leave, and give you two some space to talk. Oh, and by the way, Papa really does like you. He thinks you are a good man.”Just as she said that, Carrie was walking back. Alan came a minute later. The waitress came around and asked if any of us wanted dessert, but we all begged off, since our meals were so filling.On the way home, Carrie was pretty quiet. In fact, you could probably cut the tension with a knife, that was between us. Jenny and Alan were pretty quiet too. I'd have done anything to hear some funny story either of them may have had right then.After arriving back at Carrie's condo, we all got out and Jenny said that they needed to get going. Carrie said she wished they could stay longer, but the kids said they had some homework they needed to finish up, but would see us this weekend. Of course my mind didn't think I would be involved with this family get together.As they left, Carrie turned and headed to her door, and I followed. Once inside, she asked if I wanted anything to drink, which I kindly declined. She went to the kitchen and got a bottle of water then rejoined me in the living room. I wanted to get this over with, so I started it off.  “okay Carolyn, please tell me what is wrong. I need to know.” I said in a somber voice.“Let's sit” she said, and we both did. She faced me and I could see a tear starting to form in her eye. My stomach became a knot now. My fears were now becoming reality, at least in my mind.“I wish I knew where to start, but I have to say, that no man has ever made me feel the way you make me feel. But I really think we need to step back and take a break for now.”, then she started crying. I reach for her, but she backed away. That made it feel like a knife was just plunged into my heart.“Carrie. How can you go from being so in love, to wanting to take a break, just like that. There is more than what you are telling me. So please tell me what has caused this sudden change in feelings.”She was still sobbing, trying to get her emotions under control, then finally looked at me and said, “Mark. They found a growth on one of my ovaries today. After the Pelvic exam, she did and ultrasound and found it. They want me to see a specialist next Tuesday then do some testing.” then started crying again. This time she let me pull her towards me. I knew this isn't good, but this is also something that can be taken care of. I had a cousin once have something similar to this and they removed a cyst the size of an egg from her, and she was fine then.“It's  okay Carrie. I'm sure it's nothing that medicine or an operation can't take care of.” I told her.“And what if it isn't Mark? What if it is cancer. Why should you be saddled with that in your life. We've known each other not even two fucking weeks. Although the best two weeks of my life. But this is not something you need to be part of. Your best bet is to turn around, walk away and get on with your life, like I never existed.” and started crying again.I pulled her into me again and held her tight. Her head was buried in my shoulder, and I caressed her hair and let her cry. I mean, if I was in her position, I'd probably tell her the same things. But I may not know her completely, but what I know of her already, she has a fierce loyalty to people she cares for and loves, and I know she wouldn't walk away either.After letting her sob some more, I gently moved her back, and away from me, so I could speak to her. “Sweetheart. There is no way I am letting you do this alone. Granted, we have only known each other for two weeks, but in these two weeks, you have captured my heart with every fiber of your being. I am in love with you Missy. People who love one another don't turn tail and run because of something traumatic happens to the other person. You stand with them, be their support and showed them love, for that is the only thing that can help get you through this. I have been a Marine for all of my adult life and one thing that is ingrained in us, from the time of our first day in boot camp, is that you never let the man next to you, or when you are a sergeant, your platoon, you never abandon them. No man is ever left behind. You're wounded Honey, so I will not leave you behind, so get used to that. When this is all over and you still feel this way, then you can tell me to hit the bricks.”She just stared at me, and while trying to compose herself, she gripped my hand in hers. “It's not fair to you Mark. What if it is cancer and it can't be fixed, then what? You going to just wait around and watch me die? You could be out finding that right person, instead of babysitting me.”“Stop it Carrie. You have no idea what it is. It could be a simple cyst, that meds could take care of. But one thing I do know, I will be with you this Tuesday, and any other day you need to have something done. I will be the first person you see when you wake up. But I will be there and I will always be there for you. I love you.”“Mark. It's not fair.” she shouted, then started crying again. “You're right. It's not fair. But who said life is. But I am not walking away. In fact I am more in love with you now, than I was 20 minutes ago. I don't know about you, but I have every intention of growing old with you. We have too much to do with our lives. So baby doll, I am not leaving you, Not ever.”“Carrie. Do you love me?” I asked. “Damn you Jarhead. You know I do.” she said. “Good. Don't you ever hold back something like this again from me. I won't either from you. But Babe, we can only help one another if we are open and honest with each other. Why don't you go get ready for bed. I'm not going home tonight, but I will sleep on the couch.”She shook her head and got up. As she did, she reached for my hand, “You are not, nor will you ever sleep on the couch. Your place is beside me in bed. I'm so sorry for ever thinking you would want out of this. I do love you Mark. More than you will ever know”She led me up the stairs to her bedroom. We both stripped off of our clothes. I had on the white silk boxers she got me. She put on this long t-shirt with a Minion on the front. She looked cute. We both used her bathroom then climbed into bed, where she snuggled up to me and let me hold her close. Her head rested on my chest.“Mark?” she said softly. “Carrie?” I answered back. “I am sorry. I promise never to do that to you again. I'm also sorry I was a Debbie Downer tonight at dinner, and even before. I'm sure Jenny could tell something was wrong.”“Oh yeah she could. She thought that you and I had an argument. Your daughter is quite perceptive. After meeting her now, I have to say, you two do favor one another. Alan is one lucky man and judging how he dotes on her, he knows it too. They do make a nice couple. I just hope I made a good impression with her. I wasn't to talkative tonight.”“Well, I think you'll get a few more chances this weekend to really win her over. But I can tell she likes you already. If she talks a lot, she likes you. Had she just sat there and not talked much, then that means she doesn't want anything to do with you.”“You know, last night, I was so lonely without you next to me. I hugged my pillow thinking it was you. Except your body is a bit more muscular. I had so many plans for tonight, with us ending the night in bed making love. I want too, but I don't want to do that until we know what is going on down there.”My hand was stroking her back, when I said, “I don't know about you, but this is making love Baby. I'm not in this for the sex. I'm in this because of love. Holding you close, telling our feelings to each other, that is true love making in my book. I'm not too good with stuff like this, but I have never felt this way for another human being. We'll have plenty of time for lovemaking, and dare I say, some naughty sex.”She snuggled even closer and let her hand rub on my chest and belly. “Thank You. You make me feel so loved. I love you Mark. Oh and I like what you wore under your pants. You do look sexy in these boxers.”“I love you too Carolyn. Now get some sleep. We have a long weekend ahead of us. That is if you want me around all the time.”“Of course I want you around the whole time. Not sure about sleeping together. Daddy may have a hard time with that one.” then giggled.Chapter 19.In the morning we agreed to take separate showers instead of together. We both agreed it would be too tempting, had we gone in together. She did tease me though by removing her shirt and slowly saunter into the bathroom, giggling the whole way. I would say My Carrie was back.Her parents flight was due in at 4pm. I told Carrie I needed to catch up on a few things at the house, but would be back in time to go with her to pick them up. She must have texted me twenty times, just saying I love you. That made me feel good.I picked Carrie up at 3pm and went to the airport to meet her parents. She was very happy today. A far cry from yesterday's somber mood she was in. She was wearing a maroon cashmere sweater and black slacks. I too had black slacks on and a blue crew neck sweater. The whole trip there she held my hand, as she did once we were there and waited.Like all airports now, you had to wait down in the baggage area. It took about 10 minutes after their plane arrived, before we saw them coming down the escalator. Once Carrie spotted them, she pulled me along until they were on top of us, and went and hugged her mom, then her dad.Then Mrs. Reynolds gave me a hug and a kiss, and said I still looked like I did when we met in Norfolk all those years ago. Chief shook my hand then said, “You ain't giving me no damn hug son.” I just laughed and told him, “Not in your life you crotchety old bastard.” which made us all laugh.After arriving back at Carrie's, we saw that Jenny was there waiting for us. Alan was with her, but I could see the tension in his face. The old man did scare the shit out of him. I took him aside and told him, just to relax, but show no sign of fear to the chief. He eats that shit up. He sort of laughed and said, oh sure, easier said than done Mr. Roberts. I told him for now on, call me Mark. Save the mister for the other guy.We all then went to dinner, after the couple relaxed a bit after their flight. It was one of those chain restaurants. We all had a good time and of course, Chief had to regale us with stories when I was aboard the Lincoln. That's when Jenny asked about the “don't shit where you eat comment”, but cleaned it up some because of her mom and grandma there. Chief went on to explain about this one newly appointed petty officer I had an eye on. After he finished, everyone laughed, only because he made sound more colorful than it actually was.After we got back to Carrie's, the girls busied themselves in the kitchen, leaving myself, Alan, and the Chief alone in the living room. I could see Alan was a bit apprehensive about being in there. I'm sure he was never prepared for anything like this in college.  “okay you two Shitbirds.” chief started out. “Those three fine ladies in there mean the world to me. And two of them, for some ungodly reason happen to like you two. All I ever wanted for those two is complete happiness. If you can't give them that, leave now, otherwise, I need a promise to never ever hurt them, no matter what.”“You have my word on that Chief. Never doubt that.” I said, as the chief then nodded once to me. Alan then looked at him and said, “Sir, my only intention is to make Jenny happy, so I promise.” Chief just glared at him. Alan was unsure of what he said, but knew he didn't like something. I looked at Alan and said, “Alan. Relax. Just don't call Mr. Reynolds sir. Non Com's, noncommissioned officers, like we both were, do not like getting called sir, by anyone. And Chief, chill out, he isn't military.”Chief just chuckled. “Yeah, and don't call me Mr. Reynolds. Makes me feel old. Call me John for now on, or at least until you guys make it legal between those gals in there, then we'll figure out what you call me then. And Alan, you did good kid. You didn't break, like so many Seaman have, right out of boot camp.” then just smiled.Just then the girls came back from the kitchen with drinks. From that point on, the mood was light and cheerful. I just sat back and watched how this family interacted. They are like most families, I guess. Since it is just my sister and myself, except for an uncle and aunt and three cousin's, I really couldn't tell you what a big family is like. Mine though, is quite boisterous and not afraid of speaking their minds on any subject.About an hour went by when Jenny and Alan said their goodbye's. They were going to the football game the next afternoon and wanted to get some sleep. We sat up a bit more with John and Connie, telling a lot of what we did up in the mountains. Well, not everything, or I am sure, he'd have killed me by now.I was getting up, so I could make my leave too, when Carrie asked me to join her in the kitchen. I had no idea what she wanted, but went with the flow and followed her in.“I don't want you going back to your place tonight. You are sleeping with me, unless you don't want too.” she said, giving me her little pouty face she likes to do now and then.“I'm not sure how your parents will feel about that. I don't want to cause any trouble for you, or me either.”Carried just chuckled, “Don't worry about them. I am 41 you know. Plus, me and mom talked out here. She knows you and I have slept together from almost the beginning of us meeting. She is fine with it, and she'll take care of dad. As she put it, “That boy is over the moon for you Honey. Treat him good and he'll treat you like a queen.” So don't worry. But, we can't play around. That would be too weird.” and we both laughed softly at that.Carrie then grabbed my hand and walked towards the stairs, to go upstairs. “Night you two” she said as she passed by them. Her mom said night, but Chief just grunted something. I am pretty sure I will get an earful, next time we are alone.Once in the bedroom, Carrie went to her dresser and opened a drawer, pulled out pajamas. They were blue, red, and white checkerboard style print. She said she went shopping today and got these. She is wearing the top and the bottoms were for me. She stripped down to just her panties, which for once, were not thong style. She still looked sexy as all get out. I stripped too to my boxers and t-shirt. She then went to the bathroom and came out a few minutes later. I followed suit and did my business. She let me know there was a toothbrush on the sink for me, that she just got too.When I came back out, she was already in bed and awaited me. I crawled in next to her. We kissed and held each other close. Like I said when the first time we slept in a bed together, I could definitely get used to this.“Mark Honey. I need to apologize for yesterday. I was so wrong to try and push you away from me. I would have been crushed had you just said  okay, and left. But you didn't. That told me right there how much you love me. So thank you for being here for me. I love you Mark. It grows stronger every minute of the day. I wish right now we could make love, but until I know what is really up with this, we're going to have to take a rest from that. I hope you understand.”I leaned in and kissed her forehead and pulled her tighter to me. God, I love the way she feels.“Sweetheart, you need not apologize for anything. It has to be a shock to you, that is for sure. But, I will always be there for you, no matter what. We'll see this through, together. As for making love right now. This is making love, I believe. The sex is just the icing on the cake, so to speak. Plus, if you think I would have sex with you, with your parents just down the hall, you are crazy.”Carrie was just about to say something, when we both heard a light thumping sound. I started to chuckle, but Carrie said shush. It was definitely a rhythm thump going on.I chuckled and said, “You're kidding right?” Carrie laughed quietly and said, “Oh yeah. I think dad and mom are doing the horizontal hula. Trust me Hun. As far back as I can remember, they are one horny couple. I hope when I am their age, I still want it that much.”Carrie's hand reached under the waistband of my bottoms and boxers and started playing with Mr. happy. “God, I wish this was inside me now. “ She stroked it a few times so it was now almost hard. Then she rolled over on her side, so we could spoon. I too lay on my side and pulled her into me, so our bodies melded together. My hardness nestled up against her beautiful ass, which she then wiggled a bit. My arm lay over her and rested on her tummy. She took that hand and brought up, and inside her top and placed it on her one tit. My hand instantly enveloped her tit and held it gently. “God. I love your hand there” she cooed. “Night Mark. I love you” “I love you too Carrie”To be continued, by T. Foxal.

Quaranteam-Northwest: Part 5 Lab work. Based on a post by Break The Bar. Listen to the ► Podcast at Explicit Novels.   Time went quickly, but also seemed to go nowhere at all; only three days after the final demise of the house we'd moved the RVs four times and I decided we needed to figure out something at least semi-permanent. Even a week in the same spot would be preferable to constant movement. The space where my house had stood was now full of stacks and pallets of supplies, and Vanessa had a crew of almost two dozen of her 'gorillas' working to erect what would become the first of a dozen temporary bunkhouses for the incoming construction workers. She still seemed to be the only foreman on site, so I went looking for Vanessa. I found her at the water truck, splashing some water onto the back of her neck as she took a quick break. It had turned even hotter over the week, spring slipping fully into summer, and we were all starting to boil when we were outside. I'd quickly abandoned the feeling of needing to 'dress up' for everyone and I was down to athletic shorts and one of my sleeveless workout shirts; one of the few that were still 'mine' considering both Erica and Ivy had taken to wearing them as well. Vanessa was the boss however and had to set the example for the rest of the crew, so she was still wearing the jeans, long-sleeved t-shirt and her reflective vest of a dutiful construction foreman. "Hey, got a second?" I asked. "Oh, hey Harrison," she said, looking up as she continued splashing water onto the back of her neck. "Sorry I haven't come to check with you and the girls today, we had three more loads this morning of barracks pilings I had to get sorted, and the fucking surveyors are still bitching about not knowing where the sewage lines are going to come onto the property, as if I can fucking answer that question for them or something." "When's your Dad supposed to finally get on site?" I asked. Her father was supposed to be the General Manager of the entire construction project, but so far I had yet to have seen him. "Fuck, a few days still at least," Vanessa sighed. "I'm getting tired as shit of the phone tag." "Well, sorry if this is a big ask and causes you more headaches; any chance we could project ahead a bit and figure out where we can stash the RVs and everything where we're not going to need to move them for a while? Moving everything around is annoying by itself, but I've also noticed some of your guys are spending a lot of time wandering by the RVs whenever the girls are outside." "Fucking gorillas," Vanessa grunted and grimaced. "I mean, on the one hand, I get it; they are either cooped up in the motel or here working. I'm not exactly thrilled with the situation either. But they could keep it in their fucking pants too, ya know?" "Look, if we can find a spot, the way I see it we can use the RVs and Containers to set up a yard for us that's blocked from view. Then we can have some privacy and not feel cooped up in the RVs, and your guys aren't tempted to let their eyes wander," I said. "I figure it's a win-win." Vanessa smiled and patted my arm. "Harri, as long as you keep the fucking indoors, I'll see what I can do about getting you guys some more privacy." "What do you mean?" I asked, suddenly a little worried that Erica and I might have gotten caught at the Willow tree after all, or that maybe a surveyor had wandered up near the Spring without us hearing. "Nothing, nothing," Vanessa said. "I just; you know we can see the RVs rocking a bit, right? And I don't know who it is, but someone over in your camp is a screamer. We can hear her when she really gets going. Once the guys even gave you a standing ovation." "Fuck," I coughed, shaking my head. "I'm sorry. I think it's something to do with the vaccine. I've had more sex in the last four days than I have in the last four years. Honestly, I don't even know how I'm doing it; I ain't old, but I'm not a teenager either." "Well, god bless the vaccine I guess," Vanessa smirked. "And good for you. Just do me a favor and keep it inside the RVs 'till we can get you that privacy. We don't need the entire site shutting down to listen to you fucking your girlfriends." I shook my head again with a self-deprecating smirk. "Um, deal. I hope." That made Vanessa chuckle, and we parted ways for the afternoon. The next day, she came back in the morning and explained the plan she had worked out with the Surveyors and one of the tree-clearing crews. By mid-afternoon, a new swathe of the back end of the hill was bare of trees, and a bulldozer scooped dirt into the holes left by ripped-up stumps. By the time Vanessa left that evening, two of the storage containers had been shifted around by the 'gorillas' and positioned in an L-shape for us in the new location, and Leo and I moved the RVs to form the other two sides of a square. When Vanessa came by the next morning we'd hung up some old, heavy blankets at the corners to maximize our privacy, busted out the lawn chairs and barbecue, and were on our way to turning the space into an outdoor living room. Leo and I even went so far as to rig up an old bell we'd salvaged from the barn on a wooden post with a metal knocker on a string to serve as a doorbell. Erica was the one to answer Vanessa's ring of the bell, and she swept aside the blanket curtain. "Welcome to Casa de Black," she declared. "Jesus," Vanessa said, walking into our new home base. "You guys didn't want to wait, did you?" "Why would we?" Leo asked. "We don't know how long we're going to be living like this, so might as well make the most of it." Leo had decided to make one last addition to our current set-up, and had pulled a loose slab of wood from the container holding all his tools and was carving 'Speak Friend and Enter' into it the makeshift sign with his handheld angle grinder. He'd already been talking about using his torch to burn the wood before giving it a clear lacquer coat. "What can we do for you, Vanessa?" I asked. "Need some breakfast?" "Actually?" Vanessa chewed on the inside of her cheek for a second and peeked back outside the yard. "Breakfast would be fucking great. They're feeding us at the motel, but it's been the same instant oatmeal every fucking morning." "Well, we've yet to have our egg hookup dry out on us," I said. Old Mrs. Branston lived about fifteen minutes down the highway and had been selling eggs to three generations of my family; through the pandemic and quarantine we'd set up a system where I called ahead and she dropped off two dozen eggs at the end of her driveway, and I left a ten dollar bill in her mailbox. "How do you like them? I think I'm getting pretty good at using the grill with a frying pan." We hosted Vanessa for about fifteen minutes as I fried her up some over-easy eggs and some toast to go with it, and she started devouring the first two so quickly that I put another two in the pan for her immediately. While I cooked, she shared the most recent gossip running through the construction crews. "So the latest group to come in said they got tested four times before even leaving the airport," she said around a mouthful. "They were basically flown into Portland, put in little hygienic pods inside the terminals until they'd tested negative all four times, then escorted to military transports. I guess the army is our taxi service or something, and there are members of the national guard currently standing watch at all of the motels. It's kind of fucked up and feels like a prison, honestly. We're not even supposed to mingle outside with each other, despite the fact that we all work together here all day." "Who's feeding you all?" Danielle asked. "Just the people already working out there seems like a lot." "Some catering service is making these prepackaged meals," Vanessa said. "The breakfasts are shit, and the lunches are whatever. The dinners are Okay though; microwavable, and waiting for us when we get off shift." "Have you heard anything else out there about the vaccine?" I asked. "Hmm-Hmm," Vanessa shook her head. "But I mean, I spend my time working." "I'm still not seeing much online," Leo said. "Little whispers on social media, but then it disappears before it gets going." "That's kinda fucked up," Erica said. "We know it's real. The government must be censoring the information or something. "Well, whenever it happens, I don't know what I'll do," Vanessa sighed. "I like working too much, being my own woman. I bring in more cash in a year than almost every other person I graduated high school with, I've been doing it for years, and I don't have any debts. I can't just get tied down to some guy." "You would be surprised, Vanessa," Ivy spoke up. "I am this way too, no? I left home to make my way, and I am happy doing it. But now I am happy here, and am also safe from the sickness. It is not how I saw my life going, but c'est la vie, non?" Vanessa shrugged, and we moved on to some other topics until her radio squawked and she had to run off back to her work. By lunchtime I'd already done another two quick guides into the hills for the surveyors and Leo had gotten his nerd-sign carved out and torched, and he was spray lacquering it outside the yard with a facemask and safety goggles on to cut the strong fumes. He stopped the sprayer when he saw me approaching and stepped away from the sign. "Hey, you able to help me out with hanging this tonight?" he asked me. "Of course," I said. "I gotta help you fly your nerd flag somehow." "Yeah, says the guy with the Lord of the Rings concept art cycling as his desktop screen," Leo rolled his eyes. "It's for my work," I said. "Top-notch inspiration." And then I realized I hadn't opened my laptop in days; not since I'd finished the questionnaire that had led to Erica choosing me. And Ivy for that matter. I hadn't checked emails, I hadn't reached out to contacts. Fuck, I hadn't even sent in my last work-for-hire backgrounds. "Whatever," Leo laughed and punched me in the arm. "Look, when you go in there, just know it wasn't my idea, Okay? I only helped them move the stuff." "What does that mean?" I asked. "You'll see," Leo said cryptically. I ducked through the blanket door and immediately saw what Leo was talking about. Space had been cleared in the center of our sheltered yard for three of the heavy Adirondack deck chairs, and laying in those chairs were Danielle, Erica and Ivy. Each of them was wearing a bikini and were glistening with sunscreen and sweat from the sun as they tanned. They had a Bluetooth speaker playing songs from their phones; I suspected Erica was trying to convince the younger two women of the virtues of mid-2000s pop punk. "Oh, good," Erica said, grinning as she saw me coming into the yard. She lifted her glass. "Um, excuse me, waiter? We could use a top-up, please." I snorted and shook my head, walking over. All three of the women were in two-piece swimsuits, though I suspected Danielle and Ivy's were possibly part of their stripping gear rather than actual bikinis. Both of their suits were more string than fabric and left little to the imagination. Erica's was a bit more conservative, though really not by that much because of her swathe of cleavage. "What are we drinking today, ladies?" I asked. "I made up a pitcher of sangria," Erica said. "It's in the fridge in our place. You would be the absolute love of my life if you were to go get it for us, please?" "I thought I already was the love of your life?" I asked with a smile. "You are," Erica smiled back. "But this will get you to the front of the line for my next life, too. How about that?" "Does that go for all of you?" I asked. "Absolutely," Ivy grinned. "I think I could definitely do worse," Danielle grinned. "But I think Leo might have something to say about that." "Harri can take my brother," Erica chuckled. "Don't worry, Danni. Just sell your future soul to Harri, what's the worst that could happen?" "Fine. My future love life for a refill of sangria," Danielle giggled. I fetched the pitcher and poured for the three women, unable to wipe the grin from my lips as I watched and listened to them bantering back and forth happily. By mid-afternoon, the tanning was over and after a quick fuck in the RV Erica and I were lounging in the Adirondacks, each of us with a sketchbook in hand. "What are you working on?" I asked. "I know you've been as frustrated as I have over the last month." "A tattoo design for Ivy," Erica said, her brow creased as she tapped her pencil against her lips thoughtfully. "Now that I have a future canvas, I feel like I can concentrate again. Plus the sex helps a lot." You laughed and nodded. "Got your creative juices flowing, huh?" "Got all my juices flowing, baby," she grinned at me. "What about you? I've got Ivy, and Danielle wants me to design something for her now, too. What's got you drawing again?" I smiled a little and shrugged. "Just figured out my muse," I said. "And what's that?" she asked. "Come on, don't be shy." I turned my sketchbook around so that Erica could see the portrait I had been sketching of her. She looked at it and blushed, biting her lower lip. "Just the most beautiful thing in the world," I told her. "You know," Erica said. "It kinda looks like you're drawing me naked." "That's cause I'm drawing you from the shoulders up," I said. "Yeah, but would you?" she asked. "Would I what? Draw you naked?" "Or Ivy?" "Are you asking me to draw you like one of my French girls?" I asked. Erica barked out a laugh at the reference and threw her pencil at me. "Yes, maybe I am," she said. "Now give me back my pencil." "You threw it at me," I said, fetching it off the ground. "Come and get it." We ended up in each other's arms and making out, me halfway to taking her back into the RV for round two, when someone rang the doorbell. "Who is it?" I shouted over the wall. "It's me," Vanessa called and ducked through the blanket door without waiting for a response. "Sorry, but we've got a problem," she said. "I think I'm going to need you down at the road again." "Fuck," I said. "Is it Kara?" "It's a lot more than that bitch," Vanessa said. I changed and this time Vanessa drove us both down in her company-branded pickup truck. Erica, having already staked her claim on me in front of Kara in her eyes, decided to hang back and let Ivy finish what I'd started. I was sure sending me away with that picture in my mind was done on purpose. As we were nearing the bottom of the driveway, I could hear the noise of the protest through the closed windows and over the engine of the truck. "Fuck me," I said. "Yeah," Vanessa nodded. The end of the driveway was packed with people, shoulder to shoulder, blocking traffic. They were three rows deep and singing a protest chant. Every single one of them was dressed in bright colors, showing their allegiance to the Band and proudly shouting for all they were worth. Opposing them, about ten feet up the drive, was a slim, single row of burly construction workers just watching the protest happen. "Those guys really can't let themselves get baited," I said. "If something happens, it doesn't matter who said what or what can hold up in court. There'll be big, scary motherfuckers showing up wanting to do some damage and I don't think your boys are ready for that." "I know, I already told them," Vanessa said. "But I'll tell them again. You'd be surprised how much threatening someone's big, fat bonus checks can keep them calm and focused." We got out of the truck and I walked down to the line of workers, rubbing at the stubble on my chin as I considered the protestors. There were easily fifty of them blocking the driveway, and there was already a backup of two flatbed trucks on the highway, plus a half dozen cars that looked more like they just wanted to get by rather than come in. Another thirty or so protestors were strung out on either side of the highway in both directions, holding up signs and doing the organizational things to keep the protestors going. "Pretty good turnout," I said offhandedly. "A lot bigger than last time." "When was the last time?" Vanessa asked. "Five years ago," I said. "Kara tried to sue for an injunction on my father's Will, and about a dozen protestors showed up to the courthouse the day she got shot down." "Any chance they'll get tired and go home?" Vanessa asked. I scanned the crowd and the vehicles parked up and down the highway. I already knew there were about thirty military-age males in the protest, and I could see people opening the backs of vans where I spotted supply caches of water and food. I could also see the determination on the faces of the crowd, and hear the declarations of a couple of different women holding loudspeakers. The rhetoric, and emotions, were ramped up more than usual. The anti-government hate was high, and now that they knew they weren't fighting Me but rather the Government it seemed to steel their resolve. "Not a shot," I said. I stepped forward and the shouting got louder. Likely every single person in that crowd knew who I was, while I had no idea who most of them were. But with every step I took, they shouted louder. Finally, halfway between the lines, they seemed to be at a fever pitch and I just stopped and waited. They kept going for a good five minutes before Kara pushed her way through and walked up to me, masked behind those bandanas again. "I told you this would happen," Kara said over the shouting and chanting. "You didn't think I could do it, but look at us. Look at us, Harrison! We will not let this happen to our land." "Kara," I said loudly. "How do you think this ends?" "Only one way," Kara shouted. "The Feds surrender to our rightful claim, and stop their colonization efforts, and we take back what's ours." "This is dangerous, Kara," I said, gesturing at the crowd. "What?" she shouted back. "I said this is dangerous, Kara," I shouted. "Every person here is in danger." "Are you threatening us?" Kara shouted, playing it up for the crowd behind her. "Going to kill us, like your family has done for generations?" "Jesus fuck," I said, shaking my head. "Kara, this doesn't end the way you think it does. I'm going to pray for you, honest to God." Kara just held up her middle finger at me, pointed her other at Vanessa behind me, and turned and walked away to the cheers of her people. I shrugged and went back to Vanessa. "Yeah, they aren't leaving," I said. "I already called my Dad," Vanessa said. "He's coming down and will want to meet with you." "Sure," I nodded. "If they let him through." About thirty minutes later the protesters were still going strong, and another three flatbeds with either supplies or heavy machinery were backed up on the highway, along with dozens of cars. Vanessa was doing as much as she could to keep her workers at least a dozen yards away from the crowd of protestors; the last thing she wanted was for them to need to get quarantined waiting on a half dozen new tests. Or worse, actually catch something. I did my best to help her juggle phones, calling various General Foremen to get incoming trucks rerouted to staging areas and to keep those that were stuck in the traffic in their cabs or else they couldn't enter the site. Eventually she got a call, spoke quickly and then hung up. "Harri, this might be a big ask, but could you do me a favor?" she asked. "The government paid me a lot of money for my land and doing favors," I said. "But you've gone out of your way plenty for me and Leo and the girls. Favors come free to you, Vee." She rolled her eyes. "Who told you my brothers call me that?" "No one, just felt natural," I chuckled. "I call Erica 'E' sometimes, and I'm sure I'll end up calling Ivy 'I've' at some point." "Alright, well, 'H,'" she said. "My dad is parked down at the edge of the property on the highway and doesn't want to get too close to the traffic. Could you hike out to him and bring him back?" "Sure," I said. I looked up at the sun and then out at the woods. "Um, from here... it's probably faster if I grab an ATV. Would he be squeamish about riding double with me?" Vanessa snorted. "He probably wouldn't be, but he's also got a gut the size of your ATVs so it would be a tight fit." "Alright, guess we're hiking. I can rough it and reach him in about twenty minutes," I said. "I'll take a smoother way back for him, so we'll get here in under an hour." "Got it, I'll let him know you're on your way. Thanks," she said, patting my arm. "Try to take it easy on him, he growls like a bear but he's still my Dad." "Hey, he's the big man in charge. Gotta keep him happy or else I'll find myself with the worst workers for my house, right?" "Very true," she laughed. I started hiking back up the driveway a little ways, and then diverted into the woods, hoping that the protestors would miss that I was skirting away from them. I was very glad I had changed from my lounging around clothes; rough jeans and my hiking boots were a lot sturdier in the rocky bush than athletic shorts and sandals. The raucousness of the protestors was quickly muffled by the forest to a dull roar, and it felt good to get away from them. It was weird. After spending months in isolation with Leo and Erica, we'd been getting used to so many people around again with the workers and adding Ivy and Danielle to our weird little family dynamic. But a crowd like that, all packed together? That was exactly what the quarantine orders were warning against. "Harrison!" My name cut through the muffle of the trees and shrubs, and I turned and saw Kara quickly jogging through the woods to catch up with me. "Kara, what the fuck are you doing? You're trespassing," I said. "So throw me off your land," Kara said, coming to a stop about ten feet from me and putting her hands on her hips. "Oh wait, that's right, it's not your land anymore." I rolled my eyes. "You can take off the bandanas if you want. We're fine this far apart." She did so, pulling them down to hang around her neck. Kara was still as beautiful as the day we'd broken up, though she'd grown up a lot. Where I was such a mix that it was hard to tell I had any Native American in my bloodstream, she had that classic warm skin tone and thick black hair. She'd been taking care of herself well, fit and a little thinner than Erica was, but with a similar strong jawline to my girlfriend. Her lips were as full as I remembered though, and I could almost feel her kissing me again like all those years ago behind the corner of the biology classroom in high school, or laying out in the back of my old beater pickup under the stars. "What's going on, Harri?" she asked me. "I thought we'd at least hit a status quo or something." "Oh, the one where you file a lawsuit against me every couple of years, and the judge shuts you down, but I keep having to rack up legal fees?" "No," she said. "Well, sort of. I thought we were keeping things above board. No games, no gimmicks. Not getting historical." I grimaced. "Well, we did," I said. "So what the fuck?" she said, throwing her arms wide. "What the fuck is all of this?" "Kara, think about it for one fucking second without your prejudice. Imagine I'm not just doing this as a 'Fuck You' from my family tree to the Band," I said. "A week ago I wouldn't have thought any of this would be happening. A week ago I was happily living my life and would have stayed that way straight through the end of the world if I had to. Do you seriously think I've done this on some whim?" "Why, then? What are they doing? What are they offering you?" she demanded. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you," I said. "And even if you did, I think you're too far into this already to walk it back with your people." "Try me," she said. "If you ever cared about me,” "Stop," I interrupted her. "You've used that line twice on me before, Kara. You used it when you broke up with me, and you used it again right after my father died. That line didn't work when I was at some of the lowest points in my life; do you seriously think I'll respond well to that here?" She grimaced, and I saw the realization in her eyes that I was right. That she had used that line before, and it had been pretty fucked up for her to do that. "I'm sorry," she said, and only partially through gritted teeth. "I shouldn't have done that." "Thank you," I said. My heart was pounding in my chest and I felt like I was in combat, just having this verbal sparring contest with her. I fucking hated her, but I also still knew she was the first girl I'd ever loved. The one that had broken my heart. The one that 'got away.' "Just explain it to me," Kara said, trying to be more even about it. "Please." I took a moment to breathe deeply. I wasn't barred from telling her anything. I'd tried to warn her when she'd shown up at the driveway before, but the thought of all those protestors at risk for the virus pushed me over the edge of trying to warn her again. "Kara, the government gave me the choice of accepting a huge payout for the land, or them kicking me out and taking it by eminent domain. Either way, they were going to take it and take it fast. I could either ride it, or die fighting it." "So what are they doing with it?" she asked. "Building homes," I said. "A whole gated community, it sounds like. Part of my payout was housing for myself, Leo and Valerie." "What the fuck? Why do they want a gated community way out here?" she asked. "Worst-case scenario shit," I said. "You mean the pandemic?" she asked. "Are you for fucking serious?" "Serious enough that my house got bulldozed a couple days ago," I said. "Gone. Like it was never even there." "This can't be real," Kara said. "This is absurd." "I told you that you wouldn't believe me," I said. "Well, if you were too much of a cunt to stop them, we will," Kara said, steeling herself again. "We'll have the local news down here by tomorrow, and if the Feds show up we'll have national news coverage by the end of the week." I had to try one more time. "Kara, this doesn't end the way you want it to. You're a dreamer, and I loved that about you when we were teens, but you know the real world doesn't just work like that." Kara narrowed her eyes. "Where are you going right now?" "What does that matter?" I asked. "Because I just followed you out into the woods after your little construction girlfriend was talking to you," she said. "She's not my girlfriend," I rolled my eyes. "Tell her that. She's flirting with you hard enough," Kara said. "I can see her doing it." "Even if she was, what does that have to do with you?" I asked. I knew I'd landed a blow because she got angry again. "Nothing," she said. "But I still want to know what you're doing." "I don't have to tell you that, Kara," I said. "I don't answer to you, I don't owe you anything, and I don't worship the ground you walk on. All I've got to say now is that you should go send all those people home, and hope that you haven't organized some super-spreader event here. For all the shit you've given me and my family, I don't want to see them all dead. I don't want to see you dead." Kara raised her bandanas again. "We're fighting the good fight. We're on the right side of this, Harrison. You're not." She turned and started walking back towards the road. "Fuck me," I sighed, shaking my head. That woman could still push my buttons almost fifteen years later. I pressed through the forest, making for the edge of the property and then diverting towards the road. When I reached it, I found a white and brown heavy pickup identical to Vanessa's idling on the gravel shoulder. The big guy in the driver's seat rolled down his window a crack. "What's up?" "I'm Harrison Black," I said. Another guy got out of the passenger seat and came around, slapping the hood. "Head on back to the motel," he said to the man in the truck. "I'll catch a ride back with my daughter." The guy in the truck nodded and waited for us both to back away before pulling a U-Turn and taking off down the highway. "So, you're the land guy, eh?" the man said, turning and offering me his hand. He was exactly as Vanessa had described; portly to the point of obese, with a gruff exterior that spoke of years handling his business in a rough industry and getting shit done. "I am," I said, taking his hand and shaking it firmly. "Your daughter has been fantastic to work with. Helpful and on task, and she keeps her guys in line." "I have no doubt," he said. "She grew up bossing her older brothers around and got the best of her mother and me. I'm Brent Peters, by the way. I'm sure we'll be speaking every once in a while through this project." "Good to meet you, sir," I said. "And I'm sure we will." I led Brent into the brush and got us through the roughest part until I could get us to one of the more used trails. It got a lot easier for him there, and once he had a chance to catch his breath he seemed to actually enjoy the chance to stretch his legs. He didn't know, or at least wasn't forthcoming, with any more information than Vanessa had been able to give about what was going on, but he did enjoy hearing about the sordid history of the land, my family and the Band. It took a little longer than I'd thought it would to get back to the driveway, Brent needing a couple of breaks, but we made it eventually. Vanessa grinned when she saw her father in a way that made me think she was going to run to him and hug him, but she never made the move. I had to assume that was a hard-trained response from her years working with the man; hugging your pops on a job site would probably lead to taking a lot of shit from your coworkers. Brent quickly got updated on the last hour of developments from Vanessa, and I saw his managerial side take over. Soon the line of construction workers were twenty yards back from the protestors, and he was stride-waddling forward with a medical mask stretched over his face. Kara met him halfway, and whatever they said seemed to go about as well as the talks I'd had with her myself. Again, she ended it by showing off for the protestors by giving him the double-birds. "Well, that went well," Brent sighed as he came back. "You were right, Harrison. They're stuck in. Wouldn't even help us get those trucks room to move or get out of the way of traffic." "She feels like she's got leverage," I guessed. "And they haven't had that on us for years now." "Well, I've officially done what I can," Brent said. "Time to do what every good GM does when shit like this happens." He took out his phone and started walking up the driveway away from Vanessa and me. "What's that?" I asked. "Call the client and tell them to un-fuck the situation," Vanessa smirked. The rest of the afternoon and evening was a long fucking day. There was no good way to get the workers on site off of it, and no good way to get new ones on, so Leo and I ended up walking several groups through the trails to get to the road in places out of sight of the protestors. And since the big crew vans were parked on site, Brent ended up getting access to school buses to come and pick up his guys. The second to last bus dropped off a dozen men who would take over watching the driveway and the protestors overnight; we'd already seen them breaking out tents and lanterns to hold their vigil; and the last bus out had Brent and Vanessa on board. "Client will be by in the morning," Brent said, and winked at me. "Don't you worry, bucko. You hold down the home front tonight, and the cavalry will be here in no time." "You got it," I said. "But whoever is coming, I suggest you make sure they know to take this seriously. The Band is riled up, and now they smell blood in the water. This isn't going away easily." "I'll pass that on to the Lieutenant Colonel," Brent nodded. He shook my hand again and stepped onto the bus. "See you tomorrow, H," Vanessa grinned at me. "Not if I see you first, Vee," I chuckled. She stepped up into the bus and I heard her voice raise immediately. "Alright, you Gorillas. Grab your fuckin' seats and stay there. I swear to Christ if one of you pisses me off, I'll confiscate your fuckin' dinner, got it?" I laughed, and could see the construction workers grinning in their seats as the bus did a three-point turn and pulled away. The sun was getting low when I finally hiked out of the bush and back into view of our little compound. Erica was waiting for me with a smile and a plate of stir fry. "What's the word, Harri?" "They're still down there," I said. "There are some workers keeping an eye on the driveway. Could you throw on a big pot of coffee for me and dig one of the thermoses out of storage?" "Harri, if they've got some of their workers down there, it's not your job to supervise. I'm sure Vanessa and her Dad left someone in charge." "They did," I said. "And I'm not going down there. I'm staying up here." I shoveled the stir fry down, relishing in the spicy kick Erica liked to cook with. Inside our little compound I gave Ivy a kiss, apologizing that I wouldn't be seeing her in bed for the night. Then I went to the storage container closest to my RV. The one with my gun safe. "What's the word?" Leo asked me when he found me. I had a lantern flashlight on and was loading rounds into my father's Model 700. "Jesus, Harri. What the fuck?" I doubted he was commenting on me loading the Remington hunting rifle. We'd used it plenty when we were hunting during deer season; it was a solid, reliable tool. No, I knew he was reacting to the other firearms I had out. My M9 was already holstered on my hip, a copy of my service sidearm that had served me so well through my tour and as an MP, and my DDM4V1 was laid out, waiting for me to do a quick check it was still in good order. "Just taking precautions," I said. I was already trying to get into the right mindset. "What does that even mean? What are you doing?" "There's about a hundred protesters down there, last I counted. More keep arriving," I told Leo, loading the last round into the 700 and checking the safety before setting it down. I fished a handful more.308's out of the ammo box in the safe and fed them into the bandolier shoulder strap for the hunting rifle. "Problem is, they're pissed off. Not just about the construction, but at all the other shit going on right now. And pissed-off people do dumb shit." "So what, you're going to go all Alamo on us?" Leo asked. "For real, Harri. Nothing's going to happen. They're down there, we're up here." "Leo," I said. "I'm not asking you to do anything you don't want to. The Bear shotgun is in my RV. Do me a favor and keep it handy tonight. If I miss something, I'd rather you have it than not." "Harri,” "Dude, just stop," I said. I'd finished with the.308s and started taking apart the DDM4V1 and giving it a quick clean. It was a budget purchase that I'd made prioritizing reliability over flashy shit, and the 'scary one' in my collection when it came to civilians. Erica hadn't even liked the idea of me owning it when we gave her the tour of my firearms and taught her the safety protocols for them. Leo had only ever fired it once. Both of the siblings had said the same thing; 'If you have the rifles and shotguns and the handgun, why do you need a machine gun?' This sort of thing was why I needed it. And it wasn't a 'machine gun.' "I'm not planning, or hoping, to kill someone tonight. If I have to use the DDM4 or my sidearm, something has gotten really fucked," I said. "But I'm also not taking any chances. Sometime tonight, there's going to be people sneaking up into the construction yard to cause mischief, and they aren't going to know the difference between the construction yard and where we're living. Maybe they hear us and they stay clear, or maybe they don't. I'm not taking that chance." Leo watched me cleaning my rifle, and glanced out at the darkening sky, and then back to me. "What should I do?" he asked. A wave of relief washed over me; it had been years since I'd served, and every instinct I had was telling me to do what I was doing, but that civilian part of my brain was second-guessing everything. Leo agreeing told me I was being logical, even if he didn't like it or I turned out to be wrong. "Just be with the girls tonight," I said. "I can handle the yard, you stay with them. Think of it like a shitty tower defense game. If I do my job, you'll never have to do anything." He nodded and left me to my work. Surprisingly, it was Danielle who came to see me next. "What can I do to help?" she asked. Her Australian accent was sounding stronger, the California valley girl part of it dropping with her serious demeanor. "Nothing, I've got it," I said. She'd caught me as I was strapping on my ghillie suit; another item that Leo and Erica had found silly to own considering we didn't need it for hunting deer. It had honestly been more of a gag item in my collection than anything until tonight. "Harrison, I'll remind you that my Dad was military, yeah?" she said. "I grew up outside the city. I know how to work a firearm." I took a breath and looked at her. Even at night, by the light of a lantern, she looked like an elven beauty despite the cutoff denim shorts and zippered knit sweater. "Can you handle a handgun?" I asked. "I've shot the head of an Eastern Brown from ten paces away when it was threatening to bite my dog," she said. "I assume that's a snake?" "A fucking poisonous one," Danielle said. "Alright," I nodded. "Under the passenger seat of my truck is a gun case with my pop's old 1911 and a couple of magazines. Hang on to it for tonight. Try not to freak out Erica or Ivy, and if you hear shots tonight don't let Leo come looking for me, let alone Erica and Ivy. If they leave the RVs it'll just make things worse." "Okay," she said with a serious nod, then stepped towards me, hugged me and gave me a kiss on the cheek. "Thanks." "For what?" I asked as she stepped back. "For being the man I figured you were," she said. "Leo's all mine and I'm happy with that, but like I told you; you remind me of all the good parts of my Dad. I'm glad I have Leo and you around." She left to fetch the pistol, and I finished strapping on the ghillie suit and slung my two rifles over my shoulders and closed the gun safe. When I was finished slamming the storage container closed, I turned around to find Ivy and Erica both looking at me with their arms crossed. "Both of you, huh?" I asked. "Yes, both of us," Erica said. "United front," Ivy said. "Look,” "Shut up, Harrison," Erica said, and then they were both hugging me while being careful around the firearms. "Just be careful." "Extra careful," Ivy said, burying her face into the strings of the ghillie suit in my chest and then immediately pulling back with a wince. "Ugh, this smells terrible." "Yeah, well it's not exactly the sort of thing you clean very often," I shrugged. "Whatever," Erica said and kissed me. Ivy kissed me as well, looking at me with those big eyes of hers with concern. "So you're not going to try and convince me this isn't necessary?" I asked. "Wouldn't do anything except lead to a fight we couldn't win," Erica said. "You're too stubborn not to do it." "And too brave," Ivy added. "That too," Erica smiled sadly. Then she handed me the big thermos of coffee. "Come back to us in one piece." "I will," I said. "Don't worry. But if you two hear anything tonight, if there's any gunfire, don't come looking for me. Just stay in the RVs and hunker down from the windows. If you come looking for me, you'll add more danger and not take it away, alright?" They both agreed, though I could tell Erica didn't like it. I could only imagine her sprinting across the construction yard, bullets flying everywhere, screaming my name as she worried I'd been shot. Hell, she'd probably pick me up and carry me to safety if it were true, but she'd also likely never get to me in the first place if things were that bad. I kissed them both again, then stalked off into the night. I ended up settling into a nook on the side of the hill to the south of the construction yard, with a clear view of about two-thirds of the yard and most importantly the RV compound. I unslung my rifles and carefully positioned myself in a comfortable prone position I was going to be able to manage for a long time. I'd never gone through Sniper training, but I'd picked up enough from my Bootcamp, talking with other soldiers and from movies to know a thing or two; not to mention years of hunting. So I cracked the thermos and took a sip of the hot, strong coffee, and started my watch. I saw them moving through the trees at around 02:30 in the morning down on the east side of the yard near the driveway. They must have skirted around the construction worker picket line and followed the driveway up, but they were still in the shadows so I couldn't tell how many there were, or what they were carrying. The only reason I spotted them early at all was because someone was flicking a flashlight up occasionally. I had the 700 cradled in my arms, and I slowly rolled into position but didn't sight down the scope yet. I didn't have any night vision gear, and while the simple Leopold scope easily gave me the range to tag anything moving down there, I wouldn't know what I was hitting. They stopped at the edge of the tree line, and I could only imagine the nerves they were feeling looking out over the open area. There were seven portables set up holding various offices now, and half a dozen big crew vans that had been left behind for the night along with some of the company pickup trucks. The pilings and supplies to erect the bigger barracks were also looming in the big, open space. "Just take a look and leave," I muttered quietly to myself, willing whoever was down there to not make this worse than it could be. Five minutes went by before a figure began to creep out of the tree line, crossing the rise of the hill and slipping towards the yard. From the distance I was at, I couldn't see them clearly enough other than to tell they were probably wearing a backpack; not a big deal in and of itself, but my training was screaming at me. 'Anything' meant anything. That backpack could hold weapons, or communications equipment, or even an I E D. I sighted in on the figure. It was a man, military age but young. I couldn't see much of his face between the black bandana over his nose and mouth and a ball cap backwards on his head. My finger tightened just a fraction on the trigger when I saw the flash of metal in his hand, but my hesitation saved his life; he was carrying a can of spray paint. He reached what he thought was the shelter of the first building; and it was shelter if he thought a guard was patrolling inside the yard. But I wasn't inside the yard, and instead I was looking at him dead on along the length of the building as he took off his backpack and then turned, motioning back towards the tree line. A half dozen more figures began quickly creeping across the hillside. I had a choice; if that backpack was full of spray-paint and that was all they were there to do, it would be annoying vandalism at worst as long

Carrie and Mark settle in to everyday life.by T. Foxal. Listen to the ► Podcast at Connected.“Oh Mark. I have never been made love to like that ever. It was perfect. Everything you have done so far has been perfect for me. I don't think you have one selfish bone in your body. I need to know though, are you scared of all of this?”“Carrie, I have never been more scared in my life. Not even over in the sandpit, with bullets flying all around. Had you not said I love you back to me, when I made my declaration, I would have been crushed. I've never, ever let anyone into my heart, like I have let you in. Am I scared now? A little. I know you said it the other night. Well, you told me to catch up with you because you were already there. But over time, I thought you may have some misgivings for saying, since we were in the heat of the moment then. But all the little things you have been doing, or saying, led me to believe you really were. And, I wanted to make it special for you. This whole day when you weren't around me, all I could think of was you. I wondered what you were thinking when you took your bath before, or what you were doing and thinking when you left this morning. Let's face it, we haven't been alone with our own thoughts for a week now.”She leaned in and kissed me lightly on the lips, then said, “Mark. I knew from that first kiss. Then when we made love the first time, I was in heaven. It wasn't sex between us. It was more. Since that time, we have done nothing but make love and my heart races every time I see you. I was so scared when I said that the other night. Did I push you away from me? Would you just say, screw this, I'm outta here. But the big thing for me was when we were at the winery, and you went up to the bar to get us those samples. Your eyes smiled at me the whole time. You didn't even look at that girl, who I thought was really hot, but just kept looking at me. You made love to me right then. Am I scared. Yes. I want this more than anything, but I don't want to be hurt again. I lived that. But, you are not him. You are so much more than he could ever be. I was eye candy for him, and a fuck, and nothing more. My heart is now yours, please don't hurt it.”I rolled to my side and looked deep into her hazel eyes, then kissed her. “You know what turned me on the most today?” “No, Baby, I don't” “When I saw you after you came back from your day in town. My God, you looked so sexy and stunning to me. You are such a beautiful woman, and not just physically, but all around. I wanted to take you then, but then that would have downplayed this evening. I never tried to be romantic with anyone before, and I so wanted to seduce you tonight.”She giggled. “Well Mr. Marine. You succeeded in every way tonight. I'll tell you. When I saw the robe, then the candles lit by the bathtub, I got super horny. I wanted you so bad then. Then when I shaved down there, I felt incredibly sexy. I even came after that. But when we took off our robes and I saw you in those boxers, I damn near raped you. But dancing really did me in. I almost told you then I loved you. But I am glad I waited now.”As she talked, her hand was now on my cock, stroking it back to life. When I was hard again, she leaned in and kissed me, then pushed me to my back. She kneeled and straddled me and slowly sat down on me, engulfing me with her velvet like inner walls of her sex.“Baby?” she whispered. “This has been an amazing night. But now I need to be a little naughty. A couple should be able to let loose some and enjoy sex too. I love lovemaking, but I also love to fuck Mark. But only with someone I want to give myself too, completely. I want to fuck your beautiful cock. I want to feel your cum spray deep inside me and, I want cum all over it. Fuck me Baby. Make me your Lover.”I arched my back up and drove in deep in her. “Oh Fuck. You are so deep.” She started moving up and down, faster and faster. “Oh god I love this. My favorite position too.”She leaned down and started smothering me with kisses. Moaning as we fucked. I did too. Her head slipped to the side of mine and whispered. “You like my tight little cunt, don't you Babe. Your cock is a perfect fit for it. My cunt loves your cock. Oh God Mark. ““Oh God Babe. Your cunt is so tight. I love it and always will. Fuck me Carrie.”She sat up and started grinding hard on me now. Neither of us was going to last long. I sat up and took her one tit in my mouth and sucked hard.“Oh Christ. Suck my tits Baby. I Love that so much”She started pounding me harder now, as I continued sucking it, then switched to the other. Her arm went behind my head and pulled me in tighter. My hands were holding her luscious ass as I did this. My one hand went exploring and touched her ass, which made her moan really loud. I slipped it down to her cunt and got it wet as the finger rubbed against her lips and my cock. Then I brought it up to her brown hole and slipped it in.“Oh Fuck Baby. Yes. God I love you”She started cumming a minute later. Her head and body shook as she came hard, but somehow, she maintain the rhythm we had going. I was now getting close myself and could feel my balls tighten up, signaling my impending orgasm. “Oh Shit Carrie, I'm going to cum” I yelled out.She slammed down one last time, and then jumped off. Her mouth was over my cock in no time and was starting to suck me, when I erupted in her mouth. I had to have shot 5 or 6 good ropes into her hungry mouth. She didn't spill a drop, except at the end, a little dribbled out the side.She was kneeling now, getting ready to wipe her mouth, when I grabbed her wrist and gently pulled her to me and I licked it off of her face and then kissed her. The kiss was so hot and passionate. We were lost in that kiss for minutes, until she broke away, panting hard.We both lay on our backs now, still in a euphoric bliss from our love making. Carrie was very quiet. At first I thought she fell asleep, until I felt her hand grasp mine and squeeze it.“Are you  okay Carrie?”, I asked. “Actually, I am on cloud nine, as they say. I've never been made love too, like this, then opening up and letting go like that. I just hope you don't think I am some sort of slut. I want to explore all there is with you sexually and lovingly too.”“Babe. You are hardly a slut. Sex to me, is supposed to be fun too. You were amazing. But our love making, well, it's beyond words. To me, you are an angel. Quite the lady too. In bed, we can do whatever we please, as long as we both agree on whatever we do. One thing though, I can never share you with anyone. I don't believe I get jealous, but I could never share you with anyone, man or woman. I knew a couple in the service that did that. Got into swinging. No way. Not with someone I love and respect, like I do you. But just so you know, I really enjoyed the naughty Carrie. She is fun.”“Umm.. I may have to let her out more often then. Cuz naughty Markie, was turning me on too. But, you will never have to fear me wanting another. I am quite happy with who I am with. I will never deny you in bed either. Except, when I am sick, or you are sick. Sex just doesn't seem like fun then. But that's about it.”“Yeah, being sick and wanting sex, just doesn't seem to go hand in hand. I will never deny you as well. But, I'm a guy, so the prospect of me saying no is quite low.”She giggled, then said, “Well. Mister. You better never hold out in the oral department anymore. Oh Christ. That was unbelievable. I could take that all day long. And, I love giving too. I love how you taste.”“You're turning me on again Honey. How do you feel right now?” I asked“Horny” she giggled then. “Honestly. And don't freak when I say this. But I feel as though I am on a Honeymoon and you took your virgin bride to sexual highs she never knew existed.”I did chuckle. “Nothing wrong with that. To me, you are a virgin, or at least were. I don't care about your past. You are my first, and dare I say, only love for me.”“I like that” she replied. Then said, “Where do you see us in a year?”“Honestly. I never look to the future too much. But, I have been lately. I hope that you will be with me in a year, and maybe, just maybe, if you haven't tired of my Jarhead ass, we are right back here, spending it as a true honeymoon”She folded into my arms and kissed my cheek. “I think that could be a real possibility. This Squid actually has thought about it, and she doesn't think she'll ever tire of you. Piss me off at times, Yes, but never tire.”I then laughed, and she asked what was funny. “God, if your Dad could see us right now. He'd hang me.”“Nah. He knows I like you a great deal. He doesn't know we professed love yet. But he does like you, Mom told me that. Jenny knows too. I talked with her this morning. I sent her a selfie, after I got my hair done. She called right after seeing it. Then she starts out by saying, “Damn Mom, you look hot. I think someone is in love.” She's a pretty smart girl actually. I was supposed to face time with her earlier, but someone had me a tad busy. She wants to see you and talk with you.”“Oh great. She's the one person that scares me the most, and I want on my side. More so, than even your parents. Go ahead and call her now. It's only 10pm.”She giggled again. “Uh No. We better wait until tomorrow. This is the first time her and her boyfriend Alan have been alone for a long time. He was with his family last weekend. They have dated for a year now, so I am pretty sure, they are in the same place you and I are right now, naked and in bed.”“You  okay with that? I asked. “Oh yes. I like him a lot. He treats her with so much respect and I know they love one another. He's a good kid and dotes after Jenny. His world revolves around her. He is studying to become a food scientist. If they can last the ups and downs of college and still remain in love, I could easily see them married one day. Only time will tell. And don't worry about her liking you, she will. She knows I do, and so far have made me extremely happy.”She got up then and walked to the bathroom. Then came back with our robes. “Let's go cuddle on the couch, enjoy some wine and TV, before we call it a night.” And so we did.Chapter 15.It was morning now, almost 8:30. I never sleep this late. The only reason I was up was because I had to pee so bad. Carrie was still sound asleep. She was curled up and looked so peaceful. My thought was, “What in God's name does she see in me. I'm nobody special. Yes, I am in good shape and I do treat her with respect, but she is absolutely beautiful and had I known of her, somewhere else, I would have never even attempted to approach her. I wasn't in her league, or so I thought”But here I am, one week after meeting her, and totally in love. I could not even fathom life without her in it. But reality would soon be creeping up on us. I knew she would be leaving mid-week. Would this all end after she left, and had time to really think this through? Only time will tell.I padded to the kitchen and made coffee. As it brewed I stood looking out the back door window. The skies were an ugly gray. Rain was falling. We knew this was coming, after viewing the weather report last night. Today and tomorrow, rain.I then toasted a few bagels, and got out the cream cheese. Made us both coffee, and took it to the bedroom. As I walked in, Carrie was yawning and stretching. Her tit were in plain view, and look so delicious to me. She sat up, not bothering to cover up. “Good sign” I thought.“Good Morning Sweetheart. I thought you may enjoy some breakfast in bed” I said to her.“Oh Wow. I could definitely get used to this. Especially if you lose that robe.”We sat and enjoyed our breakfast. We also started talking about this coming week. Since it was raining today, we decided to go into town and take in a movie and then dinner at some restaurant. On Monday, we were to hike Algonquin Peak, but if it is raining, we'll need to find something else to do.She then said, “You know I leave Wednesday. I have a doctor's appointment on Thursday that I made months ago, and I can't reschedule. It just takes so long to get in to see her.”“I know you were leaving then. But, I also am going to leave that day, with you. No sense hanging around here. Be bored to death, and I know me, all I'll think of is you the whole time.”“Awe. You are so sweet to me. But this is your vacation and you had it all planned out. Stay and at least hike some more of these mountains. I'll feel bad if you miss out on that.” she said with a pouty face.I just smiled at her and told her no, it was best I do head home. I had some major cleaning to do at my place. The house I have is actually an older farm house that was my grandparents. My grandmother outlived my mom and when she died, it was left to me and Ann. Ann didn't want it, so to be fair, I paid her the half she would have received, if we had sold it.The house was nice, but very outdated. Even the furniture was from the 60's. To me, it was cool, but my needs are simple. Ann has been bugging me for almost a year now to at least get some new furniture, if not update the whole place. My office is actually the dining room.I tell you this because I have never brought anyone there, especially a date. So bringing Carrie there, as it looks right now, is totally out of the question. As I told her this, she just laughed. She asked if I keep it clean, or was I a typical guy, and let things go until I can't stand it anymore. I told her I always keep it clean, it's just very outdated.“You big lug, I don't care about stuff like that. I will care if it smells like the gym on board a ship smells like. That is so gross.” and we both laughed.We finished our coffee and bagels, and set our cups and napkins on the nightstand. She pulled the cover down and asked me to slide in. We started kissing and making out some, when her phone rang. “Perfect timing” I thought. She looked at the phone and said, “It's Jenny. Hope all is alright. She is never up this early.”“She hit some button and I saw Jenny's face appear on the screen. Luckily, Carrie had the sheet up above her tit, and I was safely off to the side.“Hi Sweetheart”“Hi Mom. Hope I am not disturbing you.”“No Sweetie. You're good. We were just having breakfast.”“Oh. In bed too. I take it Marine guy is nearby.”Carrie laughed, “If you must know young Jen, he is right here, and his name is Mark, not Marine guy. But you knew that” “Hey just giving you a hard time. Hi Mark.” Carrie moved the phone over to where I could see her and she see me. I had just put the robe back on, so I was decent.“Hi Jenny. Very nice to meet you. I must say, you are as pretty as your mother.”Jen smiled; “Thank you. I hope to get to meet you when you two get back from your little vacation.”“I would say that is a very good possibility, unless your Mom gets rid of me by then. Lots of mountain tops she could push me off of, up here.” I said with a laugh.Carrie turned the phone back to her and said, “What did you two do this weekend? Is Alan still there?”Jen smiled this sly smile “Yeah. He is still asleep. We went to dinner and a late movie, then came back here. The main reason I am calling is that Papa called a bit ago, or I'd be sleeping too. He and grandma are coming up next weekend”My eyes got real big, but Carrie just chuckled, “That's great. When are they coming in?”“Friday evening, and staying here for a few days, then going to aunty Bev's for a few days. And Mark. Papa had a message for you. “Don't crap where you eat son.” He said you'd understand completely.”I just shook my head. Great. He's gonna shit when he hears his daughter and I are now dating.Carrie was laughing now. Jen wanted to know what that was about. Carrie said she'd tell her when she sees her this week. They carried on for a few more minutes as Jen filled her in on stuff. Now Jen did look somewhat similar to her mom, from what I could see on the phone. That same light caramel color, with long flowing brown hair, and a gorgeous smile. Alan should consider himself a very lucky man. They signed off then after saying goodbye's and Jen saying bye to me too, telling me to take very good care of her mother, or else.I asked, “Are you sure she isn't your blood daughter? You two look so much alike.”“I wish she was. But No. Her parents were Puerto Rican, so the skin color is close. She shorted too, only 5 foot 3. She is an angel. You think Dad dotes over me? Wait till you see him around Jenny. I feel bad for Alan. He's met Dad twice now and is scared shitless of him. But Daddy wants only the best for his girls.”“Yeah, well, I am wondering now what is he going to say about us being together. He still scares the shit out of me.”She laughed, “Oh I don't know. I'll let you know after I tell him how you been having your way with me this whole week.” then laughed some more. She then opened his robe, grabbed his semi stiff member and stroke it.She giggled, the looked at him and stated, “Umm, I wonder what he'd say if he knew I was doing this.”, as she lowered her head to my manhood and sucked the head in.“Oh God Carrie.”The PromiseCarrie and Mark settle in to everyday life, once they return from their week and a half camping and hiking trip, after finding love in those mountains.I asked, “Are you sure she isn't your blood daughter? You two look so much alike.”“I wish she was. But No. Her parents were Puerto Rican, so the skin color is close. She shorter too, only 5 foot 3.. She is an angel. You think Dad dotes over me? Wait till you see him around Jenny. I feel bad for Alan. He's met Dad twice now and is scared shitless of him. But Daddy wants only the best for his girls.”“Yeah, well, I am wondering now what is he going to say about us being together. He still scares the shit out of me.”She laughed, “Oh I don't know. I'll let you know after I tell him how you been having your way with me this whole week.” then laughed some more. She then opened my robe, grabbed my semi stiff member and stroke it.She giggled, the looked at him and stated, “Umm, I wonder what he'd say if he knew I was doing this.”, as she lowered her head to my manhood and sucked the head in.“Oh God Carrie.”Chapter 16.The rest of that day, and into Monday, it did nothing but rain. So exploring any of the mountain tops was curtailed. We pretty much hung around the cabin in just our robes that day. The only time we dressed was to go to dinner, down into town. Neither of us felt like cooking. It was very hard for me to resist getting Carrie naked and just making love all day, but she needed to know that our relationship, that we both professed our love for each other, was more than just a physical thing, but also emotional.You see Carrie is a very beautiful woman. She is 5 foot 7, 130 pounds, with caramel colored skin, almost like Halle Berry skin tone. Her hair is short now too, with blonde highlights mixed in with her brown hair. Totally sexy in my eyes. She has amazing legs that are long and toned and a great ass. What turns me on the most is her tits. They are a large A, or small B cup. I love a woman with small tits.I am 5 foot 10, 175 pounds, and been told by many, a handsome man. I keep in shape, and that is because after spending 20 years in the Marines, you get used to working out. It's just ingrained into your fabric. I was single too, for all of those years. Never had a serious relationship, except for a semi one, back in my 20's, when I lived with a girl for a few months. But she didn't enjoy my deployments too much and wanted more. It was mostly a sex thing for us, and a place for us both to crash, when we were screwing.But now, a week and a half later, I am totally in love with this goddess, and she with me as well. What is funny too, I know her parents, or to be more specific, her father. He was a Master Chief in the Navy, and was on the aircraft Carrier Lincoln at the same time I was, years ago, when I was a Staff Sergeant in the Marines. Great guy too, but could scare the hell out of you. Carrie too, was in the Navy back then, but I do not think we ever crossed paths, since she worked on base, and, was also married back then to a Seal, which she now divorced from.Like I said earlier, we only got dressed that Sunday for dinner, then that Monday, a day we were supposed to visit another Adirondacks peak, it rained as well. We did go driving around and admired the countryside and had a fine dinner at the Italian restaurant we found the previous week.Then on Tuesday, we decided to go horseback riding. We found a place about 20 minutes from the cabin, near Lake Clear. We had a great time exploring the area by horseback. I have to admit, my ass was quite sore by the time we got through, as was Carrie's. There was a few times I would hang back, behind her and admire her ass as it bounced up and down in the saddle.She looked back one time and caught me. “God, don't you ever tire of looking at my big ass?”I just chuckled and told her, “Hell No. I love your ass, and it is hardly big. Remind me later to massage it for you, because if mine is sore, I know yours has to be.”“Maybe I will let you. Not sure if I want you touching it later. Now get up her next to me.” then whispered to me, after I got close, “You be a good boy, and I'll let you see it naked later.”, then laughed and rode away from me.After our ride, we stopped in this tavern that also featured home cooked meals. We both decided on burgers and fries. Normally, we both try to stay away from fried foods, but, as we both found out from talking, we like to cheat on occasion.By the time we got back to the cabin, nighttime was upon us and this was our last night together. I know we both pledged our love to one another, but after tonight, she may get a dose of reality when she got back home, and say, “No way” to being in a relationship. For me, I was all in. I never wanted anything more in my life, than to be with this beautiful, smart, witty and energetic woman.After getting into the cabin, I started a fire in the fireplace and Carrie went off to the bedroom, to get ready to shower. After I had a nice fire going, she came out in her robe and asked me to join her. As we washed each other down, removing the horse smell from our bodies, we kissed and held each other. We both took turns drying each other, then donned our robes and made our way to the couch. Before I sat down, I went and got us each a glass of wine.“Mark?” she said, and I looked at her. She had a tear on her cheek, for which I lightly brushed away. “What's wrong Honey?” I asked.“This is our last night here. This has been the best vacation I have ever experienced. Had you told me two weeks ago that I would meet the man of my dreams, I would have said you are so full of shit. But here I am, sitting next to you. I am so in love with you and I am also scared silly about tomorrow.” she explainedI knew what she meant, when she said she is scared. I am too. We get back to our real lives and the fantasy just fades away. She was deeply hurt all those years ago and opening up and allowing someone in, has to be tough for her to do. For me, it is a new experience. One I have never had before. If it does end, it will hurt, but I know I can move on from it, I think.“Carrie. I'm scared too. Once we are home and reality sets in for you, you may say, screw this. I have never opened up to anyone in my life, except for you. I just hope that you will grow with me. I'm going to make mistakes. You may want something, but I'm too stupid to know and understand, but like anything in life, you learn. One thing I will promise you and this is I will always be true to only you. I love you and will never do anything to hurt you.”“Oh Mark. No man has ever made me feel this way. We'll take each day as it comes and just know I will never hurt you as well. But be forewarned now, I can get bitchy. I don't mean to be, but it happens and when it does, just leave me be, and I will be fine. I think the hardest part of tomorrow is going to be not being with you, especially at night. After a week of sharing a bed together, and feeling so close to you, it is going to suck not having your arms around me tomorrow night, or this weekend. If I didn't have that appointment Thursday, I'd let you stay with me tomorrow, but I know us, we make love, and since this is a gynecologist I am seeing, sex wouldn't be the most prudent thing for me to do. And then this weekend, with my parents in town, I'm not sure what they'd say about us sleeping together.”I laughed, “Yeah, I could just see the look on your dad's face when we told them goodnight and padded off to bed. As for sex. We don't always have to have it you know. I mean I'll never turn it down, but I also know there is more to us than just sex. But tomorrow after we get home, and then at night, we'll probably both be too tired to do anything. Plus, like I said, I need to straighten up the place. One thing though. On Thursday, I would like to take you and Jenny to dinner, Alan too. That way, she has someone there who she is comfortable with, just in case she can't stand me.”“Oh Stop. She is going to love you. I'll call her tomorrow and set it up. Now! Take me to bed for the last time here and hold me Baby. I want to fall asleep in your arms.”Chapter 17.We got up early for some reason, and took a shower together. I still marvel at this exceptionally beautiful woman. She makes my heart race anytime I am near here. And when we are naked, it quadruples in magnitude. We did not have sex, but we did hold and caress each other until the water started turning cold.We were then packed and on our way home. She drove in front of me for the next 4 hours. We did talk on the phone a couple of times. The last time was just before my exit, which is a couple before hers. I called her and told her I would call her later and that I loved her. I could hear in her voice, a hitch, just like I had in mine. I missed her already and I had just exited from the roadway.Once I was home, I did a load of laundry, then went and started dusting and vacuuming the place. Not a thing I do a lot of. Of course my sister always comes over and does it at times, and bitches me out when she does. I then cut the grass, which was needed after two weeks of not touching it. It takes two hours to cut this lawn, and that's with a tractor. While I was cutting, I did miss a call from Carrie. She also texted me, just saying she was thinking of me and loved me. I texted back apologizing that I didn't answer her and explained why, and that I would call her later.We did talk around 6 that evening. She too was busy with housework and laundry. She strip the beds, not knowing which bed Jenny and Alan slept in. I had to laugh at that. She chuckled too but said, “It's one thing to sleep in our wet spot, but I'm surely not sleeping in theirs.” Which made me laugh hard.About 10 that night, I called her. She was lying in bed, reading a book. She conveyed to me that Jenny was ecstatic over meeting us for dinner and really happy I had included Alan. They were going to meet us at Carrie's at 6pm tomorrow. I told Carrie we would try Delmonico's Steakhouse, which was kind of close to her.She chuckled and said, “Oh fancy place. You know, you don't have to take us there. There's a nice restaurant right down the street from us.”“That's cool. But I want too. How many college kids can go to a place like this. Plus I have always wanted to try it, but, I'm not going alone. Ann said the food is excellent there.”“Speaking of Ann, did you call her and inform her that you are bringing someone Sunday?” she asked.“Oh yeah. She is so excited now. She can't wait to meet you. I told her that your parents were going to be in from Florida and I didn't know what plans they had that day. She said to bring them along too. The more the merrier.”Carried giggled, then said, “I don't know if your sister has a clue what Dad can be like. Just don't bring up politics. He thinks they are all thieves and liars.” which made me laugh.Then she got quiet. “Anything wrong? You are quiet now “ She sighed, “No, just missing lying next to you, with your arms around me. I feel so safe then. I love you Mark”“I love you too, Carolyn, and I do miss being with you. It was a very long day without you near me.” I told her.“It was a long day for me as well. I don't know how or why this happened between us, but I am so happy that you are in my life now. Maybe tomorrow night, you can spend it here with me, if you want too.” she said.“I think that can be arranged. You know what I do miss? You calling me Jarhead. When you say it, it means something to me.”“I told you, after last weekend, I was done calling you that, but if you insist, I'll just call you JH.”“I insist Squid. Now get some sleep. Just know, I love you Carrie and I am holding you in my dreams tonight.”Chapter 18.I knew Carrie had an appointment at 11am, so I didn't want to bother her, but did send her a text, after I got up and said good morning and I love you. She replied instantly to it, saying she was about to shower and get ready and she loved me too.I was pretty proud of myself. I dusted and swept the whole house. Not that I am a slob, but those are two jobs I really don't enjoy doing. Hell, living alone and never having people over, except for my sister, afforded me the luxury of not caring too much to do that. But with Carrie in my life, I guess I need to change my way of thinking.I then immersed myself in a project that I had been working on for this one company. I needed to do something to keep my mind occupied, since I would not be seeing her until later in the afternoon. I was surprised though, that by 3pm, I hadn't heard anything from her. I hope all went well with her doc appointment.I had told her that I would be over by 5:30, so we could spend some time alone, before Jenny and Alan showed up. By 4:30, I was shaved, and showered, then dressed for the evening. Since it was cool out, I wore dark blue pants, and lighter blue shirt, with a dark blue sport coat. I wanted to look good for when I met Jenny, and convey, I'm not some unkempt slob, who was dating her mother. I'm generally a jeans and t-shirt, or sweatshirt, kind of guy.I couldn't stand the wait any longer and decided to arrive a bit sooner. I got to her house at 5:15, so just a little bit early. After ringing the doorbell a few times, Carrie finally opened the door. Although she smiled when she let me in, I could tell something was amiss with her. After a brief hug and quick kiss on the lips, we stood back from one another.Carrie was wearing a burgundy pleated dress. It came to just above the knees. The neckline plunged just a bit, with white lace around the edges, with short sleeves as well. She looked radiant.“Wow. You look absolutely beautiful Sweetie.” I told her. She just said thanks, but that was it. Then said she had to finish getting ready. My antennae was now up. I could sense something was wrong. This girl was always so bubbly, and that definitely was not the case now. So I just walked around her living room, looking at pictures on the wall of Jenny, and her parents, and some people I had no clue of who they were. Then just took a seat and waited for her.For me, this was something new. I did not know what to say or do. Did I do something wrong, that may have upset her? Who knew, but this was not the Carrie I just spent almost two weeks with, had fun with, and made love too on many occasions. So I'm basically a fish out of water now. I made up my mind to just go with the flow, and when she is ready to talk, I'll be there, and hopefully, understand what is going on.Of course, my fear was she was going to end this between us. She had time to reflect and said that this wasn't worth it. If that is how she felt, then who was I to pursue it any further. I don't want to be with someone who did not want the same as me. Sitting there waiting, makes your mind think weird ass things, like I just did. Then again, maybe it wasn't anything and she is just having a bad day, or is nervous about me meeting Jenny.She finally emerged from wherever she was in her condo. When I saw her, she looked the same, so I have no idea what else she could have been doing. She walked into her kitchen and got a bottle of water, then asked if I wanted one too, which I kindly said no too.I finally got the courage to ask, “Is there something wrong?”She looked at me and had a sullen look on her face, then finally said “No. Guess I am just tired from all the prodding and poking today. I'm sorry I am not more upbeat.”I got up and went to her and wrapped my arms around her, “If you want to cancel tonight, that would be okay with me. We keep go out with them some other time, when you are feeling more up to it.”“No. No. I am fine. It will be fine. We'll go have a fun night with them. Jenny is so looking forward to meeting you.” she said, as she pulled away from me and went into the living room. “We'll talk later tonight, when we get back.”I knew from how she stated it, something was wrong. But, being a dumb man, I have no clue as to what. I didn't want to piss her off by asking questions. Maybe something at the doc's. I guess when she is ready, she will let me know. I walked up next to her and grabbed her hand, just to let her know I was there for her. At that point, her front door opened and in walked Jenny and Alan.Jenny was definitely a looker. I would say 5 foot 3, maybe 110 pounds, brown hair and eyes, and the cutest dimples. She did have bigger boobs than her mom, but since she was adopted, that made sense. But the irony of how much the two looked alike was uncanny. Alan was a good looking guy too. He had that German look to him. Blond hair, blue eyes, chiseled face and stood about 6 foot, but maybe weighed 170 pounds, if that.After making the introductions and some small talk, we left her condo and headed to dinner in my truck.At dinner, Carrie seemed to be her normal self. Well, at least the normal I had seen for the last two weeks. Jenny was regaling us with stories from her college life and some of things her and Alan had been doing of late, except for the sex part. I don't think Carrie, or myself, needed or wanted to know those details.As dinner was finally coming to an end, I had to admit, I was kind of quiet. I just let the three of them guide the evening and the conversation. Jenny did inquire what I actually did for a living, so I explained it to her. She was impressed, as was Alan. I tried not to let my concerns for Carrie, or our budding relationship ruin the evening. In my heart though, I had a bad feeling, this would be the last time I would see these three people.Near the end of dinner, Carrie announced that she needed to use the ladies room. Alan also said he need to use the facility, which then left just me and Jenny. I wasn't sure what to say to her, so I let her make the first move on talking.  “okay Mark. What's up with mom? Did you two have an argument or something?” Jenny asked.I shook my head, “Jenny. I have no idea what is wrong tonight. When I arrived this evening, she was down for some reason and won't tell me why. Yesterday we were fine, but ever since her doctor visit, she has changed. Maybe she has done some thinking and decided a relationship is not what she wants. Until she tells me, I am in the dark.”Jenny reached over and touched my arm. “I don't know either, but I do know that she and I talked last night for an hour and she is head over heels in love with you, and says you are with her as well. Are you Mark? Are you in love with my Mom?”“Nothing has changed for how I feel for your mother Jenny. I am in love with her. But, if she has had a change of heart, then I will abide by her wishes. Maybe we moved too fast. I don't know. To be honest Jenny. I have never been in love before, so this is a new territory for me. But if she had time to reflect now, and feels this isn't what she wants, well, I don't want to force anything like that on her. I just want her happy.”Jenny just shook her head, “I can't believe her mind could change like that. Something must be wrong and she just needs time to process it. Maybe you two can talk later. When we get back to my mom's, Alan and I are going to leave, and give you two some space to talk. Oh, and by the way, Papa really does like you. He thinks you are a good man.”Just as she said that, Carrie was walking back. Alan came a minute later. The waitress came around and asked if any of us wanted dessert, but we all begged off, since our meals were so filling.On the way home, Carrie was pretty quiet. In fact, you could probably cut the tension with a knife, that was between us. Jenny and Alan were pretty quiet too. I'd have done anything to hear some funny story either of them may have had right then.After arriving back at Carrie's condo, we all got out and Jenny said that they needed to get going. Carrie said she wished they could stay longer, but the kids said they had some homework they needed to finish up, but would see us this weekend. Of course my mind didn't think I would be involved with this family get together.As they left, Carrie turned and headed to her door, and I followed. Once inside, she asked if I wanted anything to drink, which I kindly declined. She went to the kitchen and got a bottle of water then rejoined me in the living room. I wanted to get this over with, so I started it off.  “okay Carolyn, please tell me what is wrong. I need to know.” I said in a somber voice.“Let's sit” she said, and we both did. She faced me and I could see a tear starting to form in her eye. My stomach became a knot now. My fears were now becoming reality, at least in my mind.“I wish I knew where to start, but I have to say, that no man has ever made me feel the way you make me feel. But I really think we need to step back and take a break for now.”, then she started crying. I reach for her, but she backed away. That made it feel like a knife was just plunged into my heart.“Carrie. How can you go from being so in love, to wanting to take a break, just like that. There is more than what you are telling me. So please tell me what has caused this sudden change in feelings.”She was still sobbing, trying to get her emotions under control, then finally looked at me and said, “Mark. They found a growth on one of my ovaries today. After the Pelvic exam, she did and ultrasound and found it. They want me to see a specialist next Tuesday then do some testing.” then started crying again. This time she let me pull her towards me. I knew this isn't good, but this is also something that can be taken care of. I had a cousin once have something similar to this and they removed a cyst the size of an egg from her, and she was fine then.“It's  okay Carrie. I'm sure it's nothing that medicine or an operation can't take care of.” I told her.“And what if it isn't Mark? What if it is cancer. Why should you be saddled with that in your life. We've known each other not even two fucking weeks. Although the best two weeks of my life. But this is not something you need to be part of. Your best bet is to turn around, walk away and get on with your life, like I never existed.” and started crying again.I pulled her into me again and held her tight. Her head was buried in my shoulder, and I caressed her hair and let her cry. I mean, if I was in her position, I'd probably tell her the same things. But I may not know her completely, but what I know of her already, she has a fierce loyalty to people she cares for and loves, and I know she wouldn't walk away either.After letting her sob some more, I gently moved her back, and away from me, so I could speak to her. “Sweetheart. There is no way I am letting you do this alone. Granted, we have only known each other for two weeks, but in these two weeks, you have captured my heart with every fiber of your being. I am in love with you Missy. People who love one another don't turn tail and run because of something traumatic happens to the other person. You stand with them, be their support and showed them love, for that is the only thing that can help get you through this. I have been a Marine for all of my adult life and one thing that is ingrained in us, from the time of our first day in boot camp, is that you never let the man next to you, or when you are a sergeant, your platoon, you never abandon them. No man is ever left behind. You're wounded Honey, so I will not leave you behind, so get used to that. When this is all over and you still feel this way, then you can tell me to hit the bricks.”She just stared at me, and while trying to compose herself, she gripped my hand in hers. “It's not fair to you Mark. What if it is cancer and it can't be fixed, then what? You going to just wait around and watch me die? You could be out finding that right person, instead of babysitting me.”“Stop it Carrie. You have no idea what it is. It could be a simple cyst, that meds could take care of. But one thing I do know, I will be with you this Tuesday, and any other day you need to have something done. I will be the first person you see when you wake up. But I will be there and I will always be there for you. I love you.”“Mark. It's not fair.” she shouted, then started crying again. “You're right. It's not fair. But who said life is. But I am not walking away. In fact I am more in love with you now, than I was 20 minutes ago. I don't know about you, but I have every intention of growing old with you. We have too much to do with our lives. So baby doll, I am not leaving you, Not ever.”“Carrie. Do you love me?” I asked. “Damn you Jarhead. You know I do.” she said. “Good. Don't you ever hold back something like this again from me. I won't either from you. But Babe, we can only help one another if we are open and honest with each other. Why don't you go get ready for bed. I'm not going home tonight, but I will sleep on the couch.”She shook her head and got up. As she did, she reached for my hand, “You are not, nor will you ever sleep on the couch. Your place is beside me in bed. I'm so sorry for ever thinking you would want out of this. I do love you Mark. More than you will ever know”She led me up the stairs to her bedroom. We both stripped off of our clothes. I had on the white silk boxers she got me. She put on this long t-shirt with a Minion on the front. She looked cute. We both used her bathroom then climbed into bed, where she snuggled up to me and let me hold her close. Her head rested on my chest.“Mark?” she said softly. “Carrie?” I answered back. “I am sorry. I promise never to do that to you again. I'm also sorry I was a Debbie Downer tonight at dinner, and even before. I'm sure Jenny could tell something was wrong.”“Oh yeah she could. She thought that you and I had an argument. Your daughter is quite perceptive. After meeting her now, I have to say, you two do favor one another. Alan is one lucky man and judging how he dotes on her, he knows it too. They do make a nice couple. I just hope I made a good impression with her. I wasn't to talkative tonight.”“Well, I think you'll get a few more chances this weekend to really win her over. But I can tell she likes you already. If she talks a lot, she likes you. Had she just sat there and not talked much, then that means she doesn't want anything to do with you.”“You know, last night, I was so lonely without you next to me. I hugged my pillow thinking it was you. Except your body is a bit more muscular. I had so many plans for tonight, with us ending the night in bed making love. I want too, but I don't want to do that until we know what is going on down there.”My hand was stroking her back, when I said, “I don't know about you, but this is making love Baby. I'm not in this for the sex. I'm in this because of love. Holding you close, telling our feelings to each other, that is true love making in my book. I'm not too good with stuff like this, but I have never felt this way for another human being. We'll have plenty of time for lovemaking, and dare I say, some naughty sex.”She snuggled even closer and let her hand rub on my chest and belly. “Thank You. You make me feel so loved. I love you Mark. Oh and I like what you wore under your pants. You do look sexy in these boxers.”“I love you too Carolyn. Now get some sleep. We have a long weekend ahead of us. That is if you want me around all the time.”“Of course I want you around the whole time. Not sure about sleeping together. Daddy may have a hard time with that one.” then giggled.Chapter 19.In the morning we agreed to take separate showers instead of together. We both agreed it would be too tempting, had we gone in together. She did tease me though by removing her shirt and slowly saunter into the bathroom, giggling the whole way. I would say My Carrie was back.Her parents flight was due in at 4pm. I told Carrie I needed to catch up on a few things at the house, but would be back in time to go with her to pick them up. She must have texted me twenty times, just saying I love you. That made me feel good.I picked Carrie up at 3pm and went to the airport to meet her parents. She was very happy today. A far cry from yesterday's somber mood she was in. She was wearing a maroon cashmere sweater and black slacks. I too had black slacks on and a blue crew neck sweater. The whole trip there she held my hand, as she did once we were there and waited.Like all airports now, you had to wait down in the baggage area. It took about 10 minutes after their plane arrived, before we saw them coming down the escalator. Once Carrie spotted them, she pulled me along until they were on top of us, and went and hugged her mom, then her dad.Then Mrs. Reynolds gave me a hug and a kiss, and said I still looked like I did when we met in Norfolk all those years ago. Chief shook my hand then said, “You ain't giving me no damn hug son.” I just laughed and told him, “Not in your life you crotchety old bastard.” which made us all laugh.After arriving back at Carrie's, we saw that Jenny was there waiting for us. Alan was with her, but I could see the tension in his face. The old man did scare the shit out of him. I took him aside and told him, just to relax, but show no sign of fear to the chief. He eats that shit up. He sort of laughed and said, oh sure, easier said than done Mr. Roberts. I told him for now on, call me Mark. Save the mister for the other guy.We all then went to dinner, after the couple relaxed a bit after their flight. It was one of those chain restaurants. We all had a good time and of course, Chief had to regale us with stories when I was aboard the Lincoln. That's when Jenny asked about the “don't shit where you eat comment”, but cleaned it up some because of her mom and grandma there. Chief went on to explain about this one newly appointed petty officer I had an eye on. After he finished, everyone laughed, only because he made sound more colorful than it actually was.After we got back to Carrie's, the girls busied themselves in the kitchen, leaving myself, Alan, and the Chief alone in the living room. I could see Alan was a bit apprehensive about being in there. I'm sure he was never prepared for anything like this in college.  “okay you two Shitbirds.” chief started out. “Those three fine ladies in there mean the world to me. And two of them, for some ungodly reason happen to like you two. All I ever wanted for those two is complete happiness. If you can't give them that, leave now, otherwise, I need a promise to never ever hurt them, no matter what.”“You have my word on that Chief. Never doubt that.” I said, as the chief then nodded once to me. Alan then looked at him and said, “Sir, my only intention is to make Jenny happy, so I promise.” Chief just glared at him. Alan was unsure of what he said, but knew he didn't like something. I looked at Alan and said, “Alan. Relax. Just don't call Mr. Reynolds sir. Non Com's, noncommissioned officers, like we both were, do not like getting called sir, by anyone. And Chief, chill out, he isn't military.”Chief just chuckled. “Yeah, and don't call me Mr. Reynolds. Makes me feel old. Call me John for now on, or at least until you guys make it legal between those gals in there, then we'll figure out what you call me then. And Alan, you did good kid. You didn't break, like so many Seaman have, right out of boot camp.” then just smiled.Just then the girls came back from the kitchen with drinks. From that point on, the mood was light and cheerful. I just sat back and watched how this family interacted. They are like most families, I guess. Since it is just my sister and myself, except for an uncle and aunt and three cousin's, I really couldn't tell you what a big family is like. Mine though, is quite boisterous and not afraid of speaking their minds on any subject.About an hour went by when Jenny and Alan said their goodbye's. They were going to the football game the next afternoon and wanted to get some sleep. We sat up a bit more with John and Connie, telling a lot of what we did up in the mountains. Well, not everything, or I am sure, he'd have killed me by now.I was getting up, so I could make my leave too, when Carrie asked me to join her in the kitchen. I had no idea what she wanted, but went with the flow and followed her in.“I don't want you going back to your place tonight. You are sleeping with me, unless you don't want too.” she said, giving me her little pouty face she likes to do now and then.“I'm not sure how your parents will feel about that. I don't want to cause any trouble for you, or me either.”Carried just chuckled, “Don't worry about them. I am 41 you know. Plus, me and mom talked out here. She knows you and I have slept together from almost the beginning of us meeting. She is fine with it, and she'll take care of dad. As she put it, “That boy is over the moon for you Honey. Treat him good and he'll treat you like a queen.” So don't worry. But, we can't play around. That would be too weird.” and we both laughed softly at that.Carrie then grabbed my hand and walked towards the stairs, to go upstairs. “Night you two” she said as she passed by them. Her mom said night, but Chief just grunted something. I am pretty sure I will get an earful, next time we are alone.Once in the bedroom, Carrie went to her dresser and opened a drawer, pulled out pajamas. They were blue, red, and white checkerboard style print. She said she went shopping today and got these. She is wearing the top and the bottoms were for me. She stripped down to just her panties, which for once, were not thong style. She still looked sexy as all get out. I stripped too to my boxers and t-shirt. She then went to the bathroom and came out a few minutes later. I followed suit and did my business. She let me know there was a toothbrush on the sink for me, that she just got too.When I came back out, she was already in bed and awaited me. I crawled in next to her. We kissed and held each other close. Like I said when the first time we slept in a bed together, I could definitely get used to this.“Mark Honey. I need to apologize for yesterday. I was so wrong to try and push you away from me. I would have been crushed had you just said  okay, and left. But you didn't. That told me right there how much you love me. So thank you for being here for me. I love you Mark. It grows stronger every minute of the day. I wish right now we could make love, but until I know what is really up with this, we're going to have to take a rest from that. I hope you understand.”I leaned in and kissed her forehead and pulled her tighter to me. God, I love the way she feels.“Sweetheart, you need not apologize for anything. It has to be a shock to you, that is for sure. But, I will always be there for you, no matter what. We'll see this through, together. As for making love right now. This is making love, I believe. The sex is just the icing on the cake, so to speak. Plus, if you think I would have sex with you, with your parents just down the hall, you are crazy.”Carrie was just about to say something, when we both heard a light thumping sound. I started to chuckle, but Carrie said shush. It was definitely a rhythm thump going on.I chuckled and said, “You're kidding right?” Carrie laughed quietly and said, “Oh yeah. I think dad and mom are doing the horizontal hula. Trust me Hun. As far back as I can remember, they are one horny couple. I hope when I am their age, I still want it that much.”Carrie's hand reached under the waistband of my bottoms and boxers and started playing with Mr. happy. “God, I wish this was inside me now. “ She stroked it a few times so it was now almost hard. Then she rolled over on her side, so we could spoon. I too lay on my side and pulled her into me, so our bodies melded together. My hardness nestled up against her beautiful ass, which she then wiggled a bit. My arm lay over her and rested on her tummy. She took that hand and brought up, and inside her top and placed it on her one tit. My hand instantly enveloped her tit and held it gently. “God. I love your hand there” she cooed. “Night Mark. I love you” “I love you too Carrie”To be continued, by T. Foxal.

Preserving Place: Stories Behind the Adirondack Architecture We LoveStep back in time—and into the future of preservation. In this spirited episode of ADK Talks, Jane and Steve sit down with Erin Tobin, Executive Director of Adirondack Architectural Heritage (AARCH), to uncover the unique and fascinating stories hidden in the Adirondacks' historic architecture.From the rustic grandeur of Great Camp Santanoni to the region's Adirondack fire towers and even its forgotten Cold War missile silos, Erin shares how AARCH, through its inspiring work, saves and celebrates the unique buildings that define the Adirondack Park, a testament to the power of preservation and the stories written in wood, stone, and steel.What you'll learn in this episode:The fight to save Great Camp Santanoni—and the Japanese influence that makes it uniqueHow grassroots activism preserved the Adirondack fire towersWhy federal funding cuts threaten historic preservation effortsAARCH's tours, workshops, and hands-on programs—and why they sell out fastErin's pick for a must-see hidden gem: Debar Pond Lodge, a “fjords-meet-Adirondacks” destinationWhether you're a history buff, a preservation enthusiast, or just curious about the stories told in wood, stone, and steel, this episode will change how you see the Adirondacks.Explore the places mentioned:Great Camp Santanoni Debar Pond LodgeAdirondack Fire Tower ChallengeMeadowmount School of MusicDepot Theatre – Westport, NY Adirondack Experience, the Museum at Blue Mountain Lake Seagle Festival Love the show? Rate & review us—it helps other Adirondack lovers find the show!Subscribe for more insider stories about the best people, places, and history of the Adirondacks.Share this episode with someone who loves history, travel, or the Adirondack Park. Let's spread the love for the Adirondacks together!Got a question about the Adirondacks you'd like us to answer on air? Please send it to info@adktaste.com or use the form available at ADKTaste.com.ADK Talks is brought to you by ADK Taste. We provide insight on the best places to stay, shop, eat and things to do in the 6-million-acre Adirondack Park in upstate New York. Visit our website, ADKtaste.com, and sign up for our weekly newsletter.Your questions and comments are invaluable to us. We'd love to hear from you! Please share your thoughts with us at info@adktaste.comMixed & Edited by Next Day Podcastinfo@nextdaypodcast.com

Deep in the Adirondacks, Jonah Goldberg ruminates over the dangers of nature, wealth's ability to solve problems, and the merits of “tough on crime” policies. Plus: his thoughts on economic inequality and the ills of scientism. Show Notes:—Free Press: “I Once Thought Europeans Lived as Well as Americans. Not Anymore.”—WSJ: “The New Hot Topic in European Politics Is Air Conditioning"—John McCormack for The Dispatch: "Why Murders in One of America's Most Violent Cities Hit a Historic Low"—Remnant Episode with Tomer Persico The Remnant is a production of The Dispatch, a digital media company covering politics, policy, and culture from a non-partisan, conservative perspective. To access all of The Dispatch's offerings—including Jonah's G-File newsletter, regular livestreams, and other members-only content—click here. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

A Hiking Accident brings Mark and Carrie Together.by T. Foxal. Listen to the ► Podcast at Connected.Mark and Carrie never met before, until an accident to Carrie, brought them together, and now maybe for good.Chapter 1.I'm Mark. 39 years old, single, a computer geek who is lucky enough that I can work from home, and make my own hours. I wasn't always like this. When I was 18, I had a choice, jail or join the service. I just made some bad decisions back then, doing drugs and getting in fights. So I opted for the Marines. I spent 15 years with them, and advanced to Master Sergeant, which is the fourth highest position an NCO can go. Served 3 tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, which are true shit holes. Great thing about the service, besides 3 square meals a day and a place to sleep, you can be taught almost any useful job in the world, which is where I learned computer programing.Now I pretty much free-lance my abilities out and make a good wage. Most times I have jobs to do, but sometimes I don't and have lots of free time. If I do have jobs, I can make my own hours.I don't have a steady woman at this time, and I am  okay with that. Being deployed all the time, whether it was in the Middle East, or on some ship with a bunch of Squids, I really had no time for a relationship.I had been out almost a year this past August, when I decided I needed some down time. I decided I was going to the Adirondacks and do some hiking. I grew up outside of Syracuse NY., and have always wanted to go there. My one uncle owns a cabin up there and offered it to me when he heard I wanted to go hiking up there. He told me it had one bedroom, a bathroom, kitchen, and a living room with fireplace. It had running water and electricity. He warned me that I would need to turn on the hot water tank, since they shut it down last fall, after they used it last.I had decided that I would take two weeks to explore all the different mountain ranges this area had, finishing up at Mt. Marcy, the highest of them all. Since it was just after Labor Day, tourism should be at a low, with vacationers and school kids back into their routines. My plan was to hike daily, a different range, and if need be, camp out at night. Being a Marine, we are taught all types of survival skills, so this would be no problem for me. One thing my uncle did ask me to do, is stop at the Ranger station and let them know I would be occupying the cabin for a length of time. People sometimes like to use squatter rights and just use cabins, regardless if they are allowed, or not.I also like that the temperature doesn't get to warm up there either. I prefer cool nights and just warm days. Maybe it's because of my time in that hell hole of the middle east. My trip took almost 4 hours to get to where I wanted to go.Chapter 2.The skies were quite cloudy when I pulled into the Ranger Station. I got out of my truck and headed to the stations door, and when I opened it, a woman was coming out at the same time and we bumped into each other. We both apologized, then laughed, and then she continued on to her vehicle.After letting a ranger know where I was going and for how long, I exited the station and headed back to my truck. That's when I noticed her again. She was 5 '7, maybe 130 lbs., caramel colored skin, hair just past her shoulders, when she let it down. From the side, she did not look like she had very big boobs, they were smallish medium, just the way I actually like them. She was wearing camo style shorts, and a tan polo shirt. Boy, she had nice legs, long and muscular, very toned. If I had to guess her age, early 30's. Whoever was getting lucky with that, was one lucky son of a bitch. One thing I did notice, she was wearing white running shoes, and not hiking boots. Judging from the backpack she was attempting to put on, she was going hiking and camping out. Running shoes are not the smartest thing to wear hiking. No ankle support what so ever.As I drove off, I stole another look at her, as I drove by. Great looking ass. Bigger than a model would have, but smaller than many of the women I have seen in my lifetime. I exited the parking lot and started heading up Whiteface Mountain. My uncle's cabin is up about 4 miles from this point, on a long and windy road. If I had to guess, it would be about a third of the way up the mountain, and only because of the road, which I believed was cut out by a snake.Once I arrived, I unloaded everything into the cabin. Found the circuit breaker and turned them on, especially the hot water tank. Too many cold showers in my life, so no need to suffer this time now. One thing I did notice too, the temp was cooler up this high. It was around 70 down by the station, but I bet it dropped a good 10 degrees.Next, I unload my coolers, which had meats and eggs, butter, and all of the necessities needed to eat well. I had enough for 2 weeks, if not more. Also brought along two 12 packs of beer as well, and water. Man I love roughing it.After stowing away my gear and food, I checked the place out. Nice queen size bed, in the bedroom. They even had TV, which I could care less about. May to use for the weather is all I can see a use for it. I'm not one to sit and watch TV much, except for football and maybe playoff baseball.I then went and checked the area out. The back porch had a gas grill on it, plus what looked like a cord of wood. I figured if I used any, I could go into town and buy some to replenish, unless Unc had a chain saw, then I would do my own. I then went for a small hike just around the area.I did not want to venture to far today. It was already after 4pm, and the skies were really getting dark, so some rain, if not storms, were moving in soon. About a 1/4 mile into the woods, was a hiking trail, well used too. I wondered if that lady was on this trail, if she even made up this far yet. If she did, she better start preparing her campsite for the weather that was due in soon. I kept hiking for another 30 minutes before heading back to the cabin. I figured a good early start in the morning, may get me to the top by the afternoon, early evening.Chapter 3.I was now back from my little hike and relaxing, but also getting hungry. I settled on frying up some home fries and grill up some Polish kielbasa. I cooked up the potatoes first, and then set the pan in the oven and set it to warm. Then took the meat out to the porch and fired up the grill.It was a little after 6 now and the wind had really picked up and the skies hung low, full of rain that to start shortly. As I waited for the grill to heat up some, I thought I heard someone cry out. At first I thought it could be just the wind, but then I heard it again.I stepped off the porch and headed towards the trail, behind the cabin. As I got on the trail, I heard the cry again, but this time could make out the word Help. I yelled out for the person to keep yelling, so I could judge where it was actually coming from.Whoever it was, must have heard me because the Helps were coming more quickly. I was at least a good half mile now from the cabin when I came upon a woman, lying on the ground, holding her foot. It was the lady I saw down by the ranger station when I first arrived.When she saw me coming she said, "Oh Thank God. I wasn't sure anyone could hear me.""What happened?" I asked. "Oh stupid me wasn't watching where I stepped and then all of a sudden, I'm on the ground from twisting my ankle." she explained, then went on,"I tried walking on it, but damn, it hurts. I don't think it is broken." I kneeled in front of her and took off her shoe, then her wool sock, and could see the ankle was swollen and just starting to turn a little purplish. I'm no doctor, nor was I corpsman in the service, but I have had my share, and have seen many a sprained ankle, and this sure did look like one.After looking at it, I looked up at her face and could see the pain written all over her gorgeous face. I then gently removed her backpack, which had to weigh a good 25 to 30 pounds. "Christ, what the hell is she carrying in this.", I thought. Then I put the backpack on over my shoulders. Just then, the rain started. "Great, just what I needed", I thought."Oh damn. This isn't good. What are we going to do now?" she asked."First off, grab my arm and let's get you up, then we'll hike back down to my cabin, which I think is about a 1/2 mile from here." I said. "By the way, my name is Mark" She retorted back to me "Carolyn, or Carrie to my friends, which you are fast becoming."With my help, she stood up, using her good leg. Now I am not a tall man, 5' 10 175 lbs., and still in great shape, since I work out 4 times a week. I then asked her to put her right arm around my neck and I would hold her waist, and we would try and keep all the weight off of the foot.We did quite well actually, and she didn't complain one time. Only twice did we have to stop and rest a minute. That didn't matter, we were both soaked to our skin by now, and it was quite chilly out. What should have taken maybe 5 minutes to walk, turned into almost 25 minutes, by the time we got back to the porch of the cabin. At one point, I felt I should have just carried her fireman's style, just to speed this up.We then entered the cabin. Luckily it was still pretty warm in there, but I knew that wouldn't last long. I guided her over to a leather chair and had her sit. Then went and got some towels to at least dry off some of the rain.I then went into the bathroom and saw that my uncle had 2 inch wide medical tape and some gauze. I went into my pack and pulled out some Aleve. I came back out, got some water and then handed her the medicine. Then I knelt down and removed her shoe again, sans the sock, since we didn't put that back on. I carefully dried her foot and ankle, and then wrapped gauze around it, then taped it up.After I finished, I could see she was shaking from being cold now. Both of us were soaked to the skin. I went into my uncles dresser and looked around. My aunt had a set sweats in there. I hope they fit her. My aunt is only 5'4, but is big chested, so the top should be fine. I also pulled out some socks for her as well. I then looked in the closet, and in the back, found a pair of crutches. Uncle's family comes up here a lot to ski, so crutches would be a wise investment, especially for my one cousin Carol, she is a klutz.I came back into the living room and looked down at her. " How does that feel now Carrie""Still hurts, but not like it was, and thank you." she said. I extended a hand to her and told her to grab it, then pulled her up. "I got you some clothes to change into, and these crutches. The shower is down the hall. A good hot shower should help you warm up a bit . Also, take this baggie and wrap it around your foot and ankle and tape off the top, to keep it dry.""Oh My God, you are so nice. I am so sorry for being a pain in your ass, but thank you so much."She trudged down the hall to the bath. I couldn't help but look at her great legs and chubby ass as she went. I did notice she wore no wedding, or engagement ring, so that was a good thing. Just before she opened the bathroom door, I told her I was going to finish making dinner. She just grinned, but said nothing. Before I did that though, I pulled out some sweats. Both the top and the bottoms had the Marine logo on it. Those sweats last forever.I had to reheat the fried potatoes and then went and relit the grill. The kielbasa was done in about 10 minutes. So when I came back in, she was still not out of the shower. "Women", I thought. They take so friggin long to get clean. Although I did have some thoughts about how she looked in the shower.I had just finished setting the table, when she arrived back out in the living room. The sweat top was definitely too big for her, yet looked cute. The sweat pants were a little snug and stopped short about two inches from the top of her feet. She was like staring at me, but didn't speak."Is something wrong?" I asked. "No, not a thing, except for those Jarhead sweats you have on.""What? You don't like Marines?" She laughed and said, "They are okay, but to a Navy gal, they don't get my motor running""Oh shit. I helped a god damn Squid? Christ sakes", then laughed, and so did she. "Come on, let's eat"I asked her what she would like to drink, which was limited to beer or water. She chose a water, as I did too, and sat down to our little feast.Chapter 4.She was quiet at first, so I broke the silence and asked her "So Miss Carrie, and I presume Miss, what has you up here by yourself?"She chuckled then spoke " I love hiking and always wanted to come explore these mountains. And Yes, I am a miss. Divorced actually, 5 years now. I have a 20 year daughter too, who attends Syracuse University.“Good God” I interjected; “How the hell did you ly you way into the navy as a 10 year old? You can't be past your early thirties!”I spent 14 years in the Navy. I was also a Navy brat too. My dad and mom live in Pensacola, after he retired from the Navy as a Master Chief. I left the Navy 7 years ago, but that's another story."She took a drink of water, then continued. " I live right outside of Syracuse now, mostly to be close to my daughter. We adopted her when she was 3 years old. I couldn't have kids, and she was orphaned when her parents were killed in an auto accident in Norfolk. What about you Mr. Mark?"I smiled at her and looked her right in the eye, which were hazel in color. "Let's see, I spent 20 good years in the Navy, and then retired from it. I did pick up a good vocation, programming computers, so that's what I do now. Mostly free-lance myself out. I make a good wage doing it. My uncle owns this cabin and I needed a vacation, so I too, wanted to explore here. I took the next two weeks off and hope to finish up on Mt. Marcy. I grew up just east of Syracuse and moved back there. Both of my parents are deceased now, and I have one sister, who is two years older than me"She then asked, "What did you end up at?""An E8, Master Sergeant,” I answered. “and you?"She chuckled and said, "E8 as well, Senior Chief. How many deployments?""3 tours in the sandpit, then countless boat rides. Served on the George Washington and the Lincoln, and ended my career at Quantico.""Oh shit. My dad served on the Lincoln too, John Reynolds. Master Chief of the Boat."I laughed and said, "I know your old man. I served with him on the Lincoln for 6 months. At the time I was a E6 (Staff Sergeant), but I got to know him well. I even got to meet your mom too, when we got done at Norfolk. Beautiful lady and not being forward, I can see where you get your looks. Your old man had a way with the crew. They all respected him and did anything he told them to do. I can still remember his one saying, "Son. Don't fail me, or I will open a can of whoop ass on you.” Usually scared the shit out of some teenage kid"She laughed and said, "Yeah, he did have their respect, but at home he was a teddy bear, at least to me and mom. I remember in high school, any boy I would date, he would just stare at them, which usually scared the shit out of them"We laughed and told stories about our time in the service. Then I did the dishes up while I had her go relax on the couch. When I finished, I asked if she would like a beer now, which she gladly accepted. Before I came out with the beers, I wrote down my name, address and phone number, and handed it to her."What's this for?" I told her, "Look. You were injured and I would like you to call your family and tell them and that you will be staying here tonight. Plus give you peace of mind that you are not bunking with some crazy guy in the woods. So let them know that info, and all should be good."She chuckled then said, "Well, for one. all of you jarheads are crazy, so I am not too sure how safe I am with you, but so far, you haven't shown any craziness. But I will call my daughter and let her know."She then called her daughter and explained the situation to her. They chatted for about 10 minutes or so. Her daughter must have asked her if I was cute, because she softly spoke, "yeah. pretty cute" After that she hung up her phone and sat back on the couch."I want to thank you again for saving me from a very bad situation. I know I have to be a pain in the ass to you, and you weren't planning on someone screwing up your vacation like this." Carrie said."Number one, you are not a pain in the ass at all, and two, you haven't screwed anything up. I rather enjoy your company, if I am being honest here. Granted, I came up here alone, but now I have made a friend, or at least, an acquaintance, and if I may add a very beautiful one at that..Carrie blushed, "Thank you. I mean for a Gyrene, you are pretty nice, and a bonus, you can cook too. How come some pretty woman hasn't snatched you up?"I just chuckled at that, "Well, you know how it is in the service. Always deployed to some ungodly place, or never being able to put roots down in one place. That's not fair to anyone. Plus, there has been no one who really rocked my world. The closest I came was living with this one girl for like 6 months, but she opted out after seeing me off to Iraq, and just couldn't handle the unknown. When I got back 8 months later, she was long gone. Never heard a word from her either, except for the letter she left behind. So from that point on, I just dated here and there, nothing steady. And now, I haven't really looked. You say you are divorced, what happened there, if you don't mind telling."She smiled, and when she did, her whole face smiled. Her almond shaped eyes were to die for. A man could get lost in those eyes. I know I was. I also wondered if she had a special man in her life. If so, he was a complete idiot for letting her go on this by herself. Not to keep her safe, or anything like that, but just to be with her."We met at Pensacola when I was just 2 years into my first term. He was a Seal. So of course he hung the moon and stars. But growing up Navy, I knew what this entailed. We had a great marriage, at least I thought we did. Only when he got deployed, did I get scared. You know how it is with them, they are not going to some amusement park. When he got transferred to a base, I got one too, since I worked in procurement and distribution, it was no big deal."She took a swig of her beer and breathed out, then continued. "We tried having kids, but I came to find out that my tubes were closed and I couldn't have any. So we started looking at adoption and then about a year later we were informed about Jenny. Her parents killed in an auto accident and she had no living relatives. We took her in as a foster child and then about a year after, we adopted her. Things were going good for us. We both got transferred to Norfolk, and luckily, Dad was stationed there too, but as usual, out on a boat. Then Jack started to change. He became withdrawn and started drinking more."I put my hand on her shoulder and told her she didn't have to continue. I knew this story well, which was one of the reasons I never settled down. Seen to many start drinking, and relived the action in their heads, and shut out their loved ones."No. I'm good. Any ways, about 9 years ago, he went on deployment and was gone a month. Who knows where, but called the night before and said he'd be home around 1700 hours. I was excited, yet nervous too. So, and I can't believe I am telling you this, (chuckled), but I left work early that next day. I wanted to make it special for him. Jenny was going to stay with my mom. So I left around 2 and went home. When I got there, his car was already in the drive. We lived off base then. So I rushed from the car and went inside. I didn't see or hear him, so I thought he was upstairs. Oh God... (chuckling again), I stripped down and figured I would surprise him being nude. I walked silently up the stairs and saw the bedroom door closed. Then I heard muffled sounds, so I opened the door, and there he was, on the bed. But he wasn't alone. Our neighbor Joann, who lives two doors down, was there too. She was on top of him fucking him.""Oh shit Carrie, I am so sorry" This must have been bad for her, because tears were streaming down her face now. I didn't know what to do actually. I am not good with women crying, and since I hardly knew her, I knew not to reach out and try and hold her.She fought through it and smiled a little, "It's  okay, it really is. Joann was a divorcee and always flirted with the husbands around her. Lord knows how many time she and Jack fucked before I caught them. I shouted at them, which startled them both and I told her to get her skanky ass out of my bed. Then I told Jack to pack his things and get out. He did too, never saying a word to me as he did. About a month later, he was transferred to San Diego. I know in my heart, my dad had something to do with that. He had many big wig contacts. It took 2 years for the divorce to be finalized because he was never in the area. I had just ended my time in the service and wanted to get away from there. Dad and mom had already moved down to Florida, so I had really no one, so why stay. The next 5 years, I lived down near my parents, so I could give Jenny a new start, like me. Then she said in her senior year she got accepted to Syracuse. I was working for a big fabric company, in logistics and put in for a transfer, since they had a big distribution center up here. Another good thing is, my mom's mother still lives in Syracuse, and I have lots of cousins I never knew I had until now.""Wow", is all I could say at first. "Now you see why I never married? Could have easily happened to me, but I come home and find her sleeping with some asshole." Then I chuckled, which turned into a laugh. "What's so funny?""When I was aboard the Lincoln, I was hitting on this young petty officer. Your dad took notice and pulled me aside. "Son. One thing you never do is shit where you eat. So keep your cock in your pants and stay away from them broads. Remember, you knock one up and they'll throw you in Leavenworth for destroying government property." I took him to heart too, that, and the fact your old man scared the shit out of me."She sat there and laughed and laughed, "Yep, that's my dad. Gruff and to the point. He must have liked you, otherwise he'd let you screw up on your own and not say anything to you."It was now going on 10 pm, and she was getting real tired. I went into the bedroom and found a sheet and a blanket, and took one of the pillows off the bed. I came back out and threw them in a chair. I reached my hand out to her, so I could help her stand.  “okay Squid lady, you take the bunk in the bedroom and I'll be out here." She shook her head, "No way Mark. I'll sleep out here.""Please just take the bed. You'll be much more comfortable in there, than on this couch. I'll be fine. In the morning we'll have breakfast and see how your ankle is. Maybe you should take a couple more Aleve too.""See. I told Ya. I am a pain in the ass." and huffed, as she got her crutch and started moving towards the bedroom. I just stared at her ass as she hobbled away from me. "God damn, what an ass", I thought to myself.After she went to the bathroom, I heard the bedroom door shut. I got my area ready for sleep. As I lay there, I could just think how sexy she had to have looked coming into the bedroom naked, ready to fuck her husband silly too. My cock started growing then, just thinking how hot I bet she looks naked. But, there was no way I was going to pound one off now, with her just down the hall.Chapter 5.I awoke the next morning around 6 am, which is about normal for me now. It used to be 4:30am, when I was in the service. But I don't run and do workouts like that anymore. I still work out, but nothing crazy like that. After relieving myself, and getting rid of the piss hard, I went out to the kitchen and opened the back door. It was quite chilly out and still raining. Now that could put a damper on the day. I thought I should check the weather a little later, once Carrie got up.I was on my second cup of coffee, and had bacon in the oven when I heard the bedroom door squeak open. Then a few minutes later, the toilet flushed. So I got up and started the stove to cook some eggs. As I was preparing to cook, Carrie came into the kitchen. I turned when she said good morning, and was awe struck. All she was wearing was a red, plaid flannel shirt that came about mid-thigh on her. Of course my depraved mind wondered how sexy she looked without it, but I'll take this any day.One thing my mind did wonder about, was if she was wearing anything under it. When I went to pee last night before bed, she had draped her shirt, shorts and a black pair of thongs over the top of the shower curtain bar. Oh well, one thing to ponder over and never find out."Morning Squid. How did you sleep and how is the ankle?""I slept really well, actually. It throbbed at first, but this morning it feels so much better. Not even using the crutch. That bed is so comfy. Thank you again for letting me use it. And, thank you again for everything you have done for me. Even if you are a bonehead Jarhead.""Ouch. That hurts. And here, I thought you liked me", then chuckled. "Sit. Let me get you some coffee and the eggs will be done in a minute or so."We sat and ate, with little talk between us. Once we were finished, she made a remark about the weather looking quite shitty out. I agreed with her on that and told her I checked the weather channel, and it said it was going to rain all day today and finally move out this evening, then the next few days it would be clear and cool, up in the mountains."Well, I have another favor I am going to ask of you. Could you possibly drive me down to my car? Then I am going to rent a room for tonight and see how my ankle feels tomorrow. If all is well, I'll try and tackle this mountain again." she said.I looked up at her and smiled, "I was thinking." She laughed, "Now that will be a first. A Marine that thinks. No. Go on"I grinned at her, "I see you have your dad's wit too.... I was thinking, why don't we do this together. I mean, we get along well, and it would probably be more fun doing it together, than alone. Your virtue would be safe with me. And, not sure if you know this, but there are quite a few animals out there that don't really care for humans. Having a buddy around would make it safer."She sat and pondered for a moment, then after a bit, finally spoke. "You know, that isn't a bad idea really. But understand, I am not going to cook everything and do the cleaning, we share duties. As for my virtue, I think I am pretty safe with you. Plus, I have been around 41 years and done quite well, taking care of my own virtue. Plus, if I know Jenny, she was on the phone with dad and mom last night telling them everything that went on here. And daddy would hunt you down, if you hurt his little girl." then laughed at her remark.I started laughing, and shook my head. "What?" she asked. I calmed a bit and said, "Well, I should never try and do that age guessing game at carnivals. I'd lose big time." She grinned and asked what I thought she was. "When I saw you at the ranger station, I put you in your early 30's, not 40. Just a tad off I'd say."She laughed and said, "Yeah, just a little bit off, but thank you. I might like you more now."I told her the rest of my thoughts. After cleaning up and showering, we could go into Lake Placid. I need to get more tape and gauze, for her ankle. Some more food. And, she needed to buy some hiking boots, so her feet and ankles had better support. Depending on the time, maybe grab dinner down there too. Then pick up your car and drive it up here and we'll make this our base of operation. She laughed at the last statement and I asked what was so funny."Oh nothing, except, you can take the Jarhead out of the Marines, but you will never take the Marine out of the Jarhead, that's for sure. Base of operations? sheesh.", then laughed again.I started doing the dishes, and she joined me. Drying as I washed. I told her she didn't have to, but she said to shut up. I was beginning to like her more and more. I like a woman with spunk, and speaks her mind. Granted, I like a woman who is also feminine too, which I believe she is. There is 3 things I find so sexy in a woman. Her eyes. They hold the keys to her being. Next is her attitude. If she doesn't wilt when faced with conflict and then the sexiest is her ass and legs. If she has that, she is the total package to me. I just never found one yet. But now, I think I may have found one. Only time will tell.We decided to take off around noon, and about 20 minutes before we left, my phone chimed. It was a text coming through. Only a handful of people knew I was going up here, and any of the companies I was working with knew I was on vacation and wouldn't be available.I was sitting in the leather chair when I opened the text. It stated, "You fucking Devil Dog. Thank You for taking care of my baby girl. Just remember who her old man is and not take any liberties that I would not approve of." I sat there and started laughing. Carrie came out of the bathroom and asked what was so funny. So I showed her the text. She too started laughing."See. I told you Jenny would call them. She even gave them your number. Too funny."I texted him back. "You fucking OLD sea dog. Shock was an understatement when I found out who her old man was. Small world. We are going to tackle these mountains together. She'll be in good hands Sir." and I hit send.A minute later, the phone rang. Carrie laughed, then I answer it. "Sir? you fucking idiot. You save that for those weenie ass officers, who still need their mommy's to wipe their asses.""Aye Aye, Master Chief.""Mark. Not sure how you two stumbled onto each other, but actually I am glad. She's a tough girl, but knowing you are there makes my stomach calm a bit. I wasn't too keen on her doing this alone as it was. I know those woods. Lots of animals up there that don't take to humans, especially the cougars and bears. So please be careful.""We will Chief. No harm will come to either of us. Your daughter will be in good hands.""Now why'd you have to say that shithead. Remember what I told you back when you were eyeing up that young PO. It definitely goes for now (laughing). Seriously Mark. I know she is. Just keep my baby girl safe. And for now on, call me John. We served our time."  “okay John. I will. I'll let you speak to Carrie." and handed the phone to her. They chatted for a few minutes. I caught her rolling her eyes a few times, but she was also glad her dad had called.I wish I had a dad that care, like he did. Mine was a cruel SOB. I am not sure why my mom ever stayed with him. Hell, when he died, I did not even make an attempt to go home for the funeral. My sister did, but only because she wanted to be there for mom. I did go home for mom's, when she died a few years later.Carrie said her goodbye's, then handed the phone back to me. She just shook her head and then laughed. She kept on laughing then too. I was perplexed, as to what she found so funny.She calmed a bit, then said, "God Mark. When you answered the phone and heard his voice, you went parade dress attention. I bet you didn't even know you were doing it. It was so cute. But you know what, now that I really think of it, you are a lot like him in so many ways""Is that a bad thing?" I asked. "Hell no. Just funny though. He never liked Jack. Jack would never look him in the eye, and that bothered dad. Can't trust a man who won't look you in the eye, he used to say. Guess he was right. He must like you some, or he wouldn't have called you like that."Chapter 6.Carrie was dressed in tight jeans and a sweat shirt, This sweat shirt hugged her body nicely, and judging from the two peaks I saw, she wasn't wearing a bra either. Her ass was like a dream to me. Nice and full, and the way the seam disappeared into her as, just made me think of badly I would love to be those pants right now.We got the Lake Placid and found a sporting goods store. Inside, she tried on a few pairs of boot, until she found one she said really fit her nicely. Even the swollen ankle fit into it, which kind of surprised me. She also bought some socks. A couple of thin one's to use on her bad foot and some thicker woolen type socks. Of course they matched.Carrie also bought a new rain slicker, with hood, and I figured, what the hell, and bought one too. Mine was old and ragged looking. After our purchases, she sat down in a chair at the front of the store and put on her new socks and boots. She said she wanted to start breaking them in. Of course I asked how they felt around her injured ankle, and she said great, but who knows for sure.The rest of the afternoon, we did the basic sightseeing around town. Every once in a while, we found a place to sit, that was out of the weather, so she could rest her ankle. She said it felt fine, but never complained when I suggested a rest.By 5pm, we were both pretty hungry, so we started looking for a place to eat. We found this quaint little restaurant that served American flavor. I opted for a steak, and she did too. The girl could eat, but lord knows where it goes on her. We had a really good time while eating. We found out stuff about our early lives. Of course, hers was moving from base to base, and mine was not really giving a crap about school and getting into stupid trouble. She also found out how I detested my father when I was a teen.For me, this felt like a date. I usually am tongue tied during these events. But with her, I felt really at ease and conversations moved smoothly, like we have known each other our whole lives. One thing I did notice, that anytime her parents were mentions, she had this twinkle in her eye. She adored them, which was hard for me to understand. My parents weren't all that interested in what I did, and I pretty much gave up trying to get them to show me any affection or love when I hit 14, it just wasn't going to happen. To my mom, my sister was an angel, and I was the devil. For Carrie, she was their parents whole world, especially her dad.She had me in tears with some of the dumb things her dad used to do with her. Playing dress up and Barbies and such. If you knew her dad the way I know him, you would never think in a million years he would do things like this. For some reason, the more she talked, the more I was beginning to really like her, and I mean like in how a man wants to be with a woman. To share things with, and be with.We left the restaurant about an hour and a half later. The rain had stopped, so we decided to just walk around a little more. As we walked, she took my hand in hers, like two teens would do. Now I am not the type that shows public displays of affection. I never did that, only because I really never saw it from my parents when I was growing up. But, her hand in mine felt so good to me. Then she just leaned over and kissed me on the cheek.I looked at her with a questioning look. "Thank you again. My vacation could have been ruined, or even worse, still stuck up on that mountain side.""Actually" I said, "Maybe it is fate, we found each other. But I will say this. I really like being with you" She just looked at me and smiled, and gave my hand a little squeeze in acknowledgement."Mark? Weird question." she paused, then asked, "What's your perfect woman to be with?""Oh God" I said, "Actually, I don't want a perfect woman. I want one that when we are together, we can laugh, or cry, without feeling it's not right to do. I'd want one who is independent, and doesn't need me to keep her happy, but also, wants me in her life because I do make her happy, and she makes me happy too. She should be one with a strong mind and not afraid to speak her mind, or argue. But if we do argue, it is about something important in our lives, and not something petty, like I see so many do nowadays. When I commit to someone like that, I want that same commitment in return. It's either all or nothing, because I only want to do this once in my life, and as you can see, I have never found her, nor have I really looked all that hard either. And lastly, when we are apart, she is the only person I am thinking of, and wishing I was with her, even if it is occupying the same room with her...... What's your perfect man you want to be with ?"She laughed, then got a very serious look on her face. "To be honest, I am not sure anymore. I thought when I met, and then married Jack, he was the perfect man. Rugged, good looking, and always attentive, when he wasn't deployed. But as time wore on, he quit being attentive and acted like I was there to serve him. I felt as though I was raising two kids at times. I guess I want what you want, but in a man. I want it an equal partnership, and I base that on dad and mom, because they have that and always have, and it is what I grew up with. I want him on my mind 24 / 7 when we are apart, and when we are together, there is no one else alive that makes us happy, well except Jenny. I want to be able to look across the room at him and just make love with our eyes. I know, sounds corny, but that's what I want. As for love making, that's exactly what I want, love making. Pleasuring my man like no other woman can, and he pleasure me in the same way. To that end, it is a two way street. If you give 100%, expect to receive 100%. back. The last couple of years of marriage, now that I think back on it, it was mostly I gave, he took, and could care less about my needs at all, and I doubt highly he was even thinking of me then."With that, I just looked at her and said, "Well, sounds like we have some things in common again. As silly as this sounds, but this feels like a date we are on. But you know, it feels good. I'll be honest Carrie. I have never been in love before. I am not sure what that feels like. But I won't lie either, never have since being in the service, and I never will either, I like being with you.""Good to know Jarhead. I like being with you too. But, does my race bother you at all?""You're kidding right? I think you are one beautiful woman. And if I may be so bold, a very sexy one too. Granted, you have a better tan than me, but that's only because of my Irish blood. We don't tan well. All kidding aside, why would you ever think that it would bother me?""Oh Mark. I didn't mean it in a bad way but, when I was growing up, kids weren't so nice about, from both races. About 4 years ago, I was dating a guy and he met my parents. Even though mom comes from a mix race parents, she is darker than me, and when he saw that, he sort of just couldn't handle that. Since then, I haven't dated at all."I chuckled, then said, "Good thing I already know your parents and I like them. I definitely respect them even more. Back when they got together, and hell, even your grandparents, that was a lot harder to live with. People are so judgmental and mean. But No, your race means nothing to me. To me Squid, you are one Hot looking woman.""Keep talking like that Jarhead, and I just may let you stick around me another day or two."After driving back up to the cabin, our talk turned to our hike in the morning. We decided to look over the maps and see how we would tackle it and what to bring. I asked her if she minded sharing a tent with me. I told her it was a 4 man tent, and would lighten the load of the pack. She even agreed to that. My backpack was almost as big as the one I had in the service, which is called a rucksack. I will be able to get the tent and my sleeping bag in it, along with a small shovel and then a lighter, and food. If I pack right, I can get her sleeping bag into it and give her the lighter things like a coffee pot and water, and her carry the food. Just take enough for the day, and no more. Plenty of food bars and the such and canned stew. After eating M R Ees most of my life, canned stew is gourmet eating.Once we got back to the cabin, we laid out the map and plotted our course. Once that was done, I went and showered, then packed my pack. Carrie was showering then. I changed into just running shorts and a t-shirt. When Carrie finished, she came out wearing just a flannel shirt again. Last time she had it on, she had it buttoned all the way to the top, except for the last button. This time, the top 3 buttons were left undone. "Damn. She does look sexy like that." I thought.We packed up her backpack, with food and such, and even a change of clothes for the both of us. I recommended sweats for at night, since it will be chilly up there, but she also pack a flannel, which she said she prefers sleeping in. One thing I did pack in my pack, was my 9millimeter Glock. I have a permit for it, and I did inform the rangers that I was carrying it up there. Way too many wild animals that could prey on us. But, I did not tell Carrie this. Not sure how she would react. Hopefully, we'll never have to use it. One thing I did pack, was a roll of toilet paper. Carrie laughed at that one. But once you are in the field, like I have been on patrol, it's a comfort of home you want more than anything, and it beats leaves.After packing, we retired to the living room, where Carrie turned on the TV. Checking the weather first, then some sappy movie she liked. I got us some beers, to which she toasted, "To a great adventure tomorrow.", as we clinked bottles together. I then pulled out the ace bandage we bought earlier that day.As she sat on the couch, she placed her bad leg over her good one and let me take off the tape, It ankle was a bit swollen, but not like it was yesterday. It was very hard to keep my concentration on her foot, because of her sexy legs right there. "God, I wish we were lovers. I would love nothing more than to kiss my way to heaven right now." is all I could think about. But I pushed those thoughts aside, knowing my chances of that were quite slim, for now.Once I had her all wrapped up, I suggested she use the thinner of the socks tomorrow. She said her ankle feels really good wrapped like this. She then patted the couch seat next to her, for me to join her. She was sitting next to me with her legs folded under her. As we watched the movie, not much was said. We just enjoyed each other's company. I wondered if this how couples spent evenings together. I had never been in one before, and still am not in one, but this is close, I guess.I have never let a woman get that close, even the one I lived with. To her, I was a place to live and a fuck. And I viewed her pretty much the same way. We never got mushy or even showed PDA. We just existed together and pretty much fucked. Of course, back then, I was in my 20's and sex was all I had in mind. Not once was, I love you, ever spoken between us.... When the movie ended, Carrie stretched and said she was tired and needed some sleep."So Jarhead, you take the bunk tonight and I'll use the couch.""No. You take the bed. Please. I am fine out here. This couch is pretty comfortable actually." though I was lying through my teeth. The couch sucked. But I was raised with some manners, mostly obtained in the Marines."God. You Gyrene's are so bull headed. Next time, I take the couch."I don't know what possessed me, but I leaned over to kiss her on the cheek, and as I got close, she turn her face to me and it landed on her lips. It was a quick one, intended for her cheek.I stammered then saying, "Sorry. That was meant for your cheek. And thank you for a great day. I really like being with you"She giggled, then grabbed my face with both of her hands and kissed me on the lips."I prefer the lips to a cheek, any day of the week Grunt." then stood and walked towards the bedroom. I couldn't help but watch her fine looking legs and ass, as she disappeared down the hall, saying good night to me, softly.Chapter 7.I was up at 6am. I got coffee going and changed into jeans and a polo shirt. About an hour later, I heard the toilet flush, so I started breakfast, It was best to eat a big breakfast, since lunch would consist of power bars and water.Carrie came out in the same flannel that she had on the night before. "God this woman makes me crazy for her. " I thought. One thing I have noticed, she is not big with wearing make-up. She doesn't need too. She's one of those women who could easily go without it. I bet she is smoking hot when she is made up.After eating, I did the dishes up, and she went and changed. The weather called for a daytime temp of 70 and tonight in the 50's. But on the mountain top, it would be in the 40's.Carrie came back to the living room, dressed and ready to go. She had on a pair of khaki shorts, that hugged her frame nicely and a light green shirt, and judging from the way the nipples were poking through, no bra. This could be a long hike today. I must keep my mind out of the proverbial gutter.I asked how her ankle felt, and she said fine, just a little bit of stiffness. I told her we would rest as many times as she thought it was needed. It should take about 4 or 5 hours to get to the top. After putting on our gear, which included now, a thermal mat to put under the sleeping bags my uncle had, we left, making sure the cabin was secure.The trail we chose was not all that hard, compared to some of the places I had to climb in Afghanistan. Carrie was keeping up too without a problem, If her ankle hurt, she surely didn't say. Most times I would let her lead, and got to watch not only the scenery, but also her lovely ass and legs. Now that was picture perfect. Her body could put 20 something year olds to shame.We stopped for lunch about a mile and a half from the top. There was a clearing that overlooked a valley below, and the sight was breathtaking to say the least. Carrie was all giddy about this and took out her phone and started taking pictures, commenting how beautiful it was. I too, took a few photo's with my phone as well.After a brief rest period, we continued our trek up the mountain. The higher we climb, you could feel the air getting cooler, but not cold. That would come later this evening, but we were prepared for that.I was letting Carrie lead us this time, and I could not help but watch her body as she walked up the trail. She had asked the previous day, what my perfect woman would be. Well, if it was just the body, then hers would be it. Toned legs, and a great ass. Slim waist line, and a shocker to most, but small boobs. I have always preferred a woman with smaller chests. I just think they look incredibly sexy. So Carrie fit that build to a tee.Would I like to be her lover? Hell yes. Who wouldn't want too. But, there was no way I would ever make the first move. Not only out of respect for her, but also for her dad, who I respected a great deal. If sex was in the cards for us, she would have to initiate it. But in reality, any time you have sex with a woman, it is always her call, unless you are a complete asshole.As we continued our climb, a couple, not more than 25 I'd say, was descending from the top. They greeted us and told us what an awesome view we were to behold, once we made it to the top. We found out too, that they were on their honeymoon. They, like us, camped overnight up there and said it was the most romantic place on earth. They then departed after a short rest, and we wished them well on their journey down.Finally, around 3 in the afternoon, we were at the top. The air was cool, but not too bad actually. With the sun beating down, I would venture to say it was in the 50's. I saw a clearing and put my rucksack down, and took Carrie's from her. She ran up another 1000 feet to the top and a clearing. One thing about up here, it is a tourist attraction and has manmade lookout observatories, which takes away from the place. We are going to camp right by a wooded area, away from the trails.Chapter 8."Mark, Mark" she yelled. "Come up and see this."I dropped what I was doing and trekked up to her and she grabbed my hand, pulling me along faster. She was so excited, almost like a kid on Christmas morning. Once up there, we could see all around, and off in the distance, loomed Mt. Marcy, the tallest of these over 40 high peak mountains that made up this range. It was a majestic sight to behold.She skipped up and onto a rock formation to get a better view, and left me with another beautiful view, her. God she was intoxicating to look at."God. This is so awesome. What a beautiful site. Don't you think Mark?"I chuckled to myself, then said, "Yes. It is a gorgeous sight to behold" Now I was staring at her body, and had no thoughts of the surrounding area then.She turned her head, back towards me, and just smiled, and motioned me to join her. She was right, it was breathtaking to look out over the area. Ponds and streams below us. We could actually see a herd of Moose below, by one of the streams. We both took out our phones and took pictures. Carrie cursed herself for not bringing her digital camera. I don't own one, and thought may be when we got back down, we could go to a store and buy one.I suggested she explore a bit while I set up camp. One great thing about this place, it had bathrooms. One for men, and one for women. I figured they were outhouses, but was wrong when I went to relieve myself. Actual running toilets and sinks. I knew some of the other areas we were not going to be that lucky.About an hour later, she came strolling back to where I set up the tent. I had just finished laying out the pad, and placed the sleeping bags on top of it. I wasn't too sure how she would feel about being right next to me, but the pad was only so wide, like the width of a queen size bed.She came inside and looked around. "That looks cozy", then smiled at me. That made me feel a little better. I surely did not want her to get the wrong ideas, like I wanted to do something with her, even though I really did.I got us a fire going then and cooked up a scrumptious dinner of beef stew, and canned corn. We even had bread for dipping. We ate without complaint. In fact, it was quite good. Trust me, after eating M R Ees (meals ready to eat) in the service, your own boot would taste good.After cleaning up, which included taking our bowls, and the pan to the bathroom and washing them in the sink, I came back and made sure the fire stayed nice. We again sat and talked about our adventure so far."Mark. This has been so amazing today. I cannot believe the sights I have seen so far. And being totally honest. I am so glad to be spending this time with you. God. I love it up here.""I'm glad you feel that way. I am not sure I would find this as amazing as I do now, with you with me. What I am really looking forward too, is the night sky, with all the bright stars. It has to breath taking. Just like you."I think the comment just flew over her head, because she made no remark at all about it. Then said, "I bet sunset is really cool looking up here. Especially when it starts dipping behind these mountain peaks all around us."We finished cleaning up the area. No need for unwanted guest later. I suggested going back up to the top and watch the sunset. I was surprised because as we walked, she hardly limped at all. I figured with the rest we just had, her ankle would be screaming to her.We reached the summit again and surprisingly, no one was there, except for us. We sat on this crop of rocks and just marveled at the sight. The majestic mountains all around us, and the sun slowly setting in the west. A big orange ball.Carrie grabbed her phone again, turned it on and took a picture. Then she asked me to sit close to her and face away from the sun, so she could do a selfie of us, with the sun behind us. That took a good minute to set up, and get it just right in the picture.As we were doing this, a lady ranger just happened to be walking up our way. She was checking the area out, making sure all was fine up here."Would you guys like me to take the picture of you two, with this gorgeous sunset?" she asked."Oh God, would you please?" Carrie answered back.Carrie set the camera back to take normal pictures and handed it to her. The lady gladly took a couple for us, then asked, "How about you two love birds kiss while the sun is behind you. It's so romantic like that."I looked at Carrie, and she at me. I raised my eyebrows like Groucho Marx used to do in his movies. That made Carrie giggle, but then she leaned in and softly kissed me on the lips. I so wanted to part her lips and taste her tongue, but why ruin a good moment. The only lasted a few seconds, when we heard the ranger say she got it. But during that time, Carrie's hand rested on my one thigh. The kiss alone brought a strange sensation to me. One I have never felt before. Maybe it was fear if her dad found out we kissed up here. "Christ", I thought to myself, "I'm acting like some dumb teenager.When we broke away, she smiled a very bright smile. I smiled too, then thanked the ranger for helping us out. She did caution us on making sure we take care of the fire we had, and to make sure all food was secure, and away from our sleeping area.Her hand was still on my leg as the ranger walked back down the hill, towards her car. I looked back at Carrie and she sort of had her head down, like she was embarrassed. I surely wasn't. The kiss brought me alive actually, and if her hand was any closer to my crotch, she may notice that something else enjoyed her lips."Sorry about that" she said. "What. I found the kiss very nice. You have soft lips. Very kissable lips in fact. If given the opportunity again, I would jump at the chance." I boldly stated.We turned again and sat there and watched the sun start to sink behind the mountain tops. As it did, we just talked about our work lives, and things we did during the course of a normal day. Mine is pretty boring actually. I work a great deal. I don't go out much. I am not a bar type of person and have just a few select friends. It's been ages since I went out with a woman. Most that I do know are either married, or divorced with young kids. It's not that I don't like kids, I just don't relate well with them. The only two I get along with are my niece and nephew, but they are teens now and could care less about old Uncle Mark.To be continued, by T. Foxal.

A Hiking Accident brings Mark and Carrie Together.by T. Foxal. Listen to the ► Podcast at Connected.Mark and Carrie never met before, until an accident to Carrie, brought them together, and now maybe for good.Chapter 1.I'm Mark. 39 years old, single, a computer geek who is lucky enough that I can work from home, and make my own hours. I wasn't always like this. When I was 18, I had a choice, jail or join the service. I just made some bad decisions back then, doing drugs and getting in fights. So I opted for the Marines. I spent 15 years with them, and advanced to Master Sergeant, which is the fourth highest position an NCO can go. Served 3 tours in Iraq and Afghanistan, which are true shit holes. Great thing about the service, besides 3 square meals a day and a place to sleep, you can be taught almost any useful job in the world, which is where I learned computer programing.Now I pretty much free-lance my abilities out and make a good wage. Most times I have jobs to do, but sometimes I don't and have lots of free time. If I do have jobs, I can make my own hours.I don't have a steady woman at this time, and I am  okay with that. Being deployed all the time, whether it was in the Middle East, or on some ship with a bunch of Squids, I really had no time for a relationship.I had been out almost a year this past August, when I decided I needed some down time. I decided I was going to the Adirondacks and do some hiking. I grew up outside of Syracuse NY., and have always wanted to go there. My one uncle owns a cabin up there and offered it to me when he heard I wanted to go hiking up there. He told me it had one bedroom, a bathroom, kitchen, and a living room with fireplace. It had running water and electricity. He warned me that I would need to turn on the hot water tank, since they shut it down last fall, after they used it last.I had decided that I would take two weeks to explore all the different mountain ranges this area had, finishing up at Mt. Marcy, the highest of them all. Since it was just after Labor Day, tourism should be at a low, with vacationers and school kids back into their routines. My plan was to hike daily, a different range, and if need be, camp out at night. Being a Marine, we are taught all types of survival skills, so this would be no problem for me. One thing my uncle did ask me to do, is stop at the Ranger station and let them know I would be occupying the cabin for a length of time. People sometimes like to use squatter rights and just use cabins, regardless if they are allowed, or not.I also like that the temperature doesn't get to warm up there either. I prefer cool nights and just warm days. Maybe it's because of my time in that hell hole of the middle east. My trip took almost 4 hours to get to where I wanted to go.Chapter 2.The skies were quite cloudy when I pulled into the Ranger Station. I got out of my truck and headed to the stations door, and when I opened it, a woman was coming out at the same time and we bumped into each other. We both apologized, then laughed, and then she continued on to her vehicle.After letting a ranger know where I was going and for how long, I exited the station and headed back to my truck. That's when I noticed her again. She was 5 '7, maybe 130 lbs., caramel colored skin, hair just past her shoulders, when she let it down. From the side, she did not look like she had very big boobs, they were smallish medium, just the way I actually like them. She was wearing camo style shorts, and a tan polo shirt. Boy, she had nice legs, long and muscular, very toned. If I had to guess her age, early 30's. Whoever was getting lucky with that, was one lucky son of a bitch. One thing I did notice, she was wearing white running shoes, and not hiking boots. Judging from the backpack she was attempting to put on, she was going hiking and camping out. Running shoes are not the smartest thing to wear hiking. No ankle support what so ever.As I drove off, I stole another look at her, as I drove by. Great looking ass. Bigger than a model would have, but smaller than many of the women I have seen in my lifetime. I exited the parking lot and started heading up Whiteface Mountain. My uncle's cabin is up about 4 miles from this point, on a long and windy road. If I had to guess, it would be about a third of the way up the mountain, and only because of the road, which I believed was cut out by a snake.Once I arrived, I unloaded everything into the cabin. Found the circuit breaker and turned them on, especially the hot water tank. Too many cold showers in my life, so no need to suffer this time now. One thing I did notice too, the temp was cooler up this high. It was around 70 down by the station, but I bet it dropped a good 10 degrees.Next, I unload my coolers, which had meats and eggs, butter, and all of the necessities needed to eat well. I had enough for 2 weeks, if not more. Also brought along two 12 packs of beer as well, and water. Man I love roughing it.After stowing away my gear and food, I checked the place out. Nice queen size bed, in the bedroom. They even had TV, which I could care less about. May to use for the weather is all I can see a use for it. I'm not one to sit and watch TV much, except for football and maybe playoff baseball.I then went and checked the area out. The back porch had a gas grill on it, plus what looked like a cord of wood. I figured if I used any, I could go into town and buy some to replenish, unless Unc had a chain saw, then I would do my own. I then went for a small hike just around the area.I did not want to venture to far today. It was already after 4pm, and the skies were really getting dark, so some rain, if not storms, were moving in soon. About a 1/4 mile into the woods, was a hiking trail, well used too. I wondered if that lady was on this trail, if she even made up this far yet. If she did, she better start preparing her campsite for the weather that was due in soon. I kept hiking for another 30 minutes before heading back to the cabin. I figured a good early start in the morning, may get me to the top by the afternoon, early evening.Chapter 3.I was now back from my little hike and relaxing, but also getting hungry. I settled on frying up some home fries and grill up some Polish kielbasa. I cooked up the potatoes first, and then set the pan in the oven and set it to warm. Then took the meat out to the porch and fired up the grill.It was a little after 6 now and the wind had really picked up and the skies hung low, full of rain that to start shortly. As I waited for the grill to heat up some, I thought I heard someone cry out. At first I thought it could be just the wind, but then I heard it again.I stepped off the porch and headed towards the trail, behind the cabin. As I got on the trail, I heard the cry again, but this time could make out the word Help. I yelled out for the person to keep yelling, so I could judge where it was actually coming from.Whoever it was, must have heard me because the Helps were coming more quickly. I was at least a good half mile now from the cabin when I came upon a woman, lying on the ground, holding her foot. It was the lady I saw down by the ranger station when I first arrived.When she saw me coming she said, "Oh Thank God. I wasn't sure anyone could hear me.""What happened?" I asked. "Oh stupid me wasn't watching where I stepped and then all of a sudden, I'm on the ground from twisting my ankle." she explained, then went on,"I tried walking on it, but damn, it hurts. I don't think it is broken." I kneeled in front of her and took off her shoe, then her wool sock, and could see the ankle was swollen and just starting to turn a little purplish. I'm no doctor, nor was I corpsman in the service, but I have had my share, and have seen many a sprained ankle, and this sure did look like one.After looking at it, I looked up at her face and could see the pain written all over her gorgeous face. I then gently removed her backpack, which had to weigh a good 25 to 30 pounds. "Christ, what the hell is she carrying in this.", I thought. Then I put the backpack on over my shoulders. Just then, the rain started. "Great, just what I needed", I thought."Oh damn. This isn't good. What are we going to do now?" she asked."First off, grab my arm and let's get you up, then we'll hike back down to my cabin, which I think is about a 1/2 mile from here." I said. "By the way, my name is Mark" She retorted back to me "Carolyn, or Carrie to my friends, which you are fast becoming."With my help, she stood up, using her good leg. Now I am not a tall man, 5' 10 175 lbs., and still in great shape, since I work out 4 times a week. I then asked her to put her right arm around my neck and I would hold her waist, and we would try and keep all the weight off of the foot.We did quite well actually, and she didn't complain one time. Only twice did we have to stop and rest a minute. That didn't matter, we were both soaked to our skin by now, and it was quite chilly out. What should have taken maybe 5 minutes to walk, turned into almost 25 minutes, by the time we got back to the porch of the cabin. At one point, I felt I should have just carried her fireman's style, just to speed this up.We then entered the cabin. Luckily it was still pretty warm in there, but I knew that wouldn't last long. I guided her over to a leather chair and had her sit. Then went and got some towels to at least dry off some of the rain.I then went into the bathroom and saw that my uncle had 2 inch wide medical tape and some gauze. I went into my pack and pulled out some Aleve. I came back out, got some water and then handed her the medicine. Then I knelt down and removed her shoe again, sans the sock, since we didn't put that back on. I carefully dried her foot and ankle, and then wrapped gauze around it, then taped it up.After I finished, I could see she was shaking from being cold now. Both of us were soaked to the skin. I went into my uncles dresser and looked around. My aunt had a set sweats in there. I hope they fit her. My aunt is only 5'4, but is big chested, so the top should be fine. I also pulled out some socks for her as well. I then looked in the closet, and in the back, found a pair of crutches. Uncle's family comes up here a lot to ski, so crutches would be a wise investment, especially for my one cousin Carol, she is a klutz.I came back into the living room and looked down at her. " How does that feel now Carrie""Still hurts, but not like it was, and thank you." she said. I extended a hand to her and told her to grab it, then pulled her up. "I got you some clothes to change into, and these crutches. The shower is down the hall. A good hot shower should help you warm up a bit . Also, take this baggie and wrap it around your foot and ankle and tape off the top, to keep it dry.""Oh My God, you are so nice. I am so sorry for being a pain in your ass, but thank you so much."She trudged down the hall to the bath. I couldn't help but look at her great legs and chubby ass as she went. I did notice she wore no wedding, or engagement ring, so that was a good thing. Just before she opened the bathroom door, I told her I was going to finish making dinner. She just grinned, but said nothing. Before I did that though, I pulled out some sweats. Both the top and the bottoms had the Marine logo on it. Those sweats last forever.I had to reheat the fried potatoes and then went and relit the grill. The kielbasa was done in about 10 minutes. So when I came back in, she was still not out of the shower. "Women", I thought. They take so friggin long to get clean. Although I did have some thoughts about how she looked in the shower.I had just finished setting the table, when she arrived back out in the living room. The sweat top was definitely too big for her, yet looked cute. The sweat pants were a little snug and stopped short about two inches from the top of her feet. She was like staring at me, but didn't speak."Is something wrong?" I asked. "No, not a thing, except for those Jarhead sweats you have on.""What? You don't like Marines?" She laughed and said, "They are okay, but to a Navy gal, they don't get my motor running""Oh shit. I helped a god damn Squid? Christ sakes", then laughed, and so did she. "Come on, let's eat"I asked her what she would like to drink, which was limited to beer or water. She chose a water, as I did too, and sat down to our little feast.Chapter 4.She was quiet at first, so I broke the silence and asked her "So Miss Carrie, and I presume Miss, what has you up here by yourself?"She chuckled then spoke " I love hiking and always wanted to come explore these mountains. And Yes, I am a miss. Divorced actually, 5 years now. I have a 20 year daughter too, who attends Syracuse University.“Good God” I interjected; “How the hell did you ly you way into the navy as a 10 year old? You can't be past your early thirties!”I spent 14 years in the Navy. I was also a Navy brat too. My dad and mom live in Pensacola, after he retired from the Navy as a Master Chief. I left the Navy 7 years ago, but that's another story."She took a drink of water, then continued. " I live right outside of Syracuse now, mostly to be close to my daughter. We adopted her when she was 3 years old. I couldn't have kids, and she was orphaned when her parents were killed in an auto accident in Norfolk. What about you Mr. Mark?"I smiled at her and looked her right in the eye, which were hazel in color. "Let's see, I spent 20 good years in the Navy, and then retired from it. I did pick up a good vocation, programming computers, so that's what I do now. Mostly free-lance myself out. I make a good wage doing it. My uncle owns this cabin and I needed a vacation, so I too, wanted to explore here. I took the next two weeks off and hope to finish up on Mt. Marcy. I grew up just east of Syracuse and moved back there. Both of my parents are deceased now, and I have one sister, who is two years older than me"She then asked, "What did you end up at?""An E8, Master Sergeant,” I answered. “and you?"She chuckled and said, "E8 as well, Senior Chief. How many deployments?""3 tours in the sandpit, then countless boat rides. Served on the George Washington and the Lincoln, and ended my career at Quantico.""Oh shit. My dad served on the Lincoln too, John Reynolds. Master Chief of the Boat."I laughed and said, "I know your old man. I served with him on the Lincoln for 6 months. At the time I was a E6 (Staff Sergeant), but I got to know him well. I even got to meet your mom too, when we got done at Norfolk. Beautiful lady and not being forward, I can see where you get your looks. Your old man had a way with the crew. They all respected him and did anything he told them to do. I can still remember his one saying, "Son. Don't fail me, or I will open a can of whoop ass on you.” Usually scared the shit out of some teenage kid"She laughed and said, "Yeah, he did have their respect, but at home he was a teddy bear, at least to me and mom. I remember in high school, any boy I would date, he would just stare at them, which usually scared the shit out of them"We laughed and told stories about our time in the service. Then I did the dishes up while I had her go relax on the couch. When I finished, I asked if she would like a beer now, which she gladly accepted. Before I came out with the beers, I wrote down my name, address and phone number, and handed it to her."What's this for?" I told her, "Look. You were injured and I would like you to call your family and tell them and that you will be staying here tonight. Plus give you peace of mind that you are not bunking with some crazy guy in the woods. So let them know that info, and all should be good."She chuckled then said, "Well, for one. all of you jarheads are crazy, so I am not too sure how safe I am with you, but so far, you haven't shown any craziness. But I will call my daughter and let her know."She then called her daughter and explained the situation to her. They chatted for about 10 minutes or so. Her daughter must have asked her if I was cute, because she softly spoke, "yeah. pretty cute" After that she hung up her phone and sat back on the couch."I want to thank you again for saving me from a very bad situation. I know I have to be a pain in the ass to you, and you weren't planning on someone screwing up your vacation like this." Carrie said."Number one, you are not a pain in the ass at all, and two, you haven't screwed anything up. I rather enjoy your company, if I am being honest here. Granted, I came up here alone, but now I have made a friend, or at least, an acquaintance, and if I may add a very beautiful one at that..Carrie blushed, "Thank you. I mean for a Gyrene, you are pretty nice, and a bonus, you can cook too. How come some pretty woman hasn't snatched you up?"I just chuckled at that, "Well, you know how it is in the service. Always deployed to some ungodly place, or never being able to put roots down in one place. That's not fair to anyone. Plus, there has been no one who really rocked my world. The closest I came was living with this one girl for like 6 months, but she opted out after seeing me off to Iraq, and just couldn't handle the unknown. When I got back 8 months later, she was long gone. Never heard a word from her either, except for the letter she left behind. So from that point on, I just dated here and there, nothing steady. And now, I haven't really looked. You say you are divorced, what happened there, if you don't mind telling."She smiled, and when she did, her whole face smiled. Her almond shaped eyes were to die for. A man could get lost in those eyes. I know I was. I also wondered if she had a special man in her life. If so, he was a complete idiot for letting her go on this by herself. Not to keep her safe, or anything like that, but just to be with her."We met at Pensacola when I was just 2 years into my first term. He was a Seal. So of course he hung the moon and stars. But growing up Navy, I knew what this entailed. We had a great marriage, at least I thought we did. Only when he got deployed, did I get scared. You know how it is with them, they are not going to some amusement park. When he got transferred to a base, I got one too, since I worked in procurement and distribution, it was no big deal."She took a swig of her beer and breathed out, then continued. "We tried having kids, but I came to find out that my tubes were closed and I couldn't have any. So we started looking at adoption and then about a year later we were informed about Jenny. Her parents killed in an auto accident and she had no living relatives. We took her in as a foster child and then about a year after, we adopted her. Things were going good for us. We both got transferred to Norfolk, and luckily, Dad was stationed there too, but as usual, out on a boat. Then Jack started to change. He became withdrawn and started drinking more."I put my hand on her shoulder and told her she didn't have to continue. I knew this story well, which was one of the reasons I never settled down. Seen to many start drinking, and relived the action in their heads, and shut out their loved ones."No. I'm good. Any ways, about 9 years ago, he went on deployment and was gone a month. Who knows where, but called the night before and said he'd be home around 1700 hours. I was excited, yet nervous too. So, and I can't believe I am telling you this, (chuckled), but I left work early that next day. I wanted to make it special for him. Jenny was going to stay with my mom. So I left around 2 and went home. When I got there, his car was already in the drive. We lived off base then. So I rushed from the car and went inside. I didn't see or hear him, so I thought he was upstairs. Oh God... (chuckling again), I stripped down and figured I would surprise him being nude. I walked silently up the stairs and saw the bedroom door closed. Then I heard muffled sounds, so I opened the door, and there he was, on the bed. But he wasn't alone. Our neighbor Joann, who lives two doors down, was there too. She was on top of him fucking him.""Oh shit Carrie, I am so sorry" This must have been bad for her, because tears were streaming down her face now. I didn't know what to do actually. I am not good with women crying, and since I hardly knew her, I knew not to reach out and try and hold her.She fought through it and smiled a little, "It's  okay, it really is. Joann was a divorcee and always flirted with the husbands around her. Lord knows how many time she and Jack fucked before I caught them. I shouted at them, which startled them both and I told her to get her skanky ass out of my bed. Then I told Jack to pack his things and get out. He did too, never saying a word to me as he did. About a month later, he was transferred to San Diego. I know in my heart, my dad had something to do with that. He had many big wig contacts. It took 2 years for the divorce to be finalized because he was never in the area. I had just ended my time in the service and wanted to get away from there. Dad and mom had already moved down to Florida, so I had really no one, so why stay. The next 5 years, I lived down near my parents, so I could give Jenny a new start, like me. Then she said in her senior year she got accepted to Syracuse. I was working for a big fabric company, in logistics and put in for a transfer, since they had a big distribution center up here. Another good thing is, my mom's mother still lives in Syracuse, and I have lots of cousins I never knew I had until now.""Wow", is all I could say at first. "Now you see why I never married? Could have easily happened to me, but I come home and find her sleeping with some asshole." Then I chuckled, which turned into a laugh. "What's so funny?""When I was aboard the Lincoln, I was hitting on this young petty officer. Your dad took notice and pulled me aside. "Son. One thing you never do is shit where you eat. So keep your cock in your pants and stay away from them broads. Remember, you knock one up and they'll throw you in Leavenworth for destroying government property." I took him to heart too, that, and the fact your old man scared the shit out of me."She sat there and laughed and laughed, "Yep, that's my dad. Gruff and to the point. He must have liked you, otherwise he'd let you screw up on your own and not say anything to you."It was now going on 10 pm, and she was getting real tired. I went into the bedroom and found a sheet and a blanket, and took one of the pillows off the bed. I came back out and threw them in a chair. I reached my hand out to her, so I could help her stand.  “okay Squid lady, you take the bunk in the bedroom and I'll be out here." She shook her head, "No way Mark. I'll sleep out here.""Please just take the bed. You'll be much more comfortable in there, than on this couch. I'll be fine. In the morning we'll have breakfast and see how your ankle is. Maybe you should take a couple more Aleve too.""See. I told Ya. I am a pain in the ass." and huffed, as she got her crutch and started moving towards the bedroom. I just stared at her ass as she hobbled away from me. "God damn, what an ass", I thought to myself.After she went to the bathroom, I heard the bedroom door shut. I got my area ready for sleep. As I lay there, I could just think how sexy she had to have looked coming into the bedroom naked, ready to fuck her husband silly too. My cock started growing then, just thinking how hot I bet she looks naked. But, there was no way I was going to pound one off now, with her just down the hall.Chapter 5.I awoke the next morning around 6 am, which is about normal for me now. It used to be 4:30am, when I was in the service. But I don't run and do workouts like that anymore. I still work out, but nothing crazy like that. After relieving myself, and getting rid of the piss hard, I went out to the kitchen and opened the back door. It was quite chilly out and still raining. Now that could put a damper on the day. I thought I should check the weather a little later, once Carrie got up.I was on my second cup of coffee, and had bacon in the oven when I heard the bedroom door squeak open. Then a few minutes later, the toilet flushed. So I got up and started the stove to cook some eggs. As I was preparing to cook, Carrie came into the kitchen. I turned when she said good morning, and was awe struck. All she was wearing was a red, plaid flannel shirt that came about mid-thigh on her. Of course my depraved mind wondered how sexy she looked without it, but I'll take this any day.One thing my mind did wonder about, was if she was wearing anything under it. When I went to pee last night before bed, she had draped her shirt, shorts and a black pair of thongs over the top of the shower curtain bar. Oh well, one thing to ponder over and never find out."Morning Squid. How did you sleep and how is the ankle?""I slept really well, actually. It throbbed at first, but this morning it feels so much better. Not even using the crutch. That bed is so comfy. Thank you again for letting me use it. And, thank you again for everything you have done for me. Even if you are a bonehead Jarhead.""Ouch. That hurts. And here, I thought you liked me", then chuckled. "Sit. Let me get you some coffee and the eggs will be done in a minute or so."We sat and ate, with little talk between us. Once we were finished, she made a remark about the weather looking quite shitty out. I agreed with her on that and told her I checked the weather channel, and it said it was going to rain all day today and finally move out this evening, then the next few days it would be clear and cool, up in the mountains."Well, I have another favor I am going to ask of you. Could you possibly drive me down to my car? Then I am going to rent a room for tonight and see how my ankle feels tomorrow. If all is well, I'll try and tackle this mountain again." she said.I looked up at her and smiled, "I was thinking." She laughed, "Now that will be a first. A Marine that thinks. No. Go on"I grinned at her, "I see you have your dad's wit too.... I was thinking, why don't we do this together. I mean, we get along well, and it would probably be more fun doing it together, than alone. Your virtue would be safe with me. And, not sure if you know this, but there are quite a few animals out there that don't really care for humans. Having a buddy around would make it safer."She sat and pondered for a moment, then after a bit, finally spoke. "You know, that isn't a bad idea really. But understand, I am not going to cook everything and do the cleaning, we share duties. As for my virtue, I think I am pretty safe with you. Plus, I have been around 41 years and done quite well, taking care of my own virtue. Plus, if I know Jenny, she was on the phone with dad and mom last night telling them everything that went on here. And daddy would hunt you down, if you hurt his little girl." then laughed at her remark.I started laughing, and shook my head. "What?" she asked. I calmed a bit and said, "Well, I should never try and do that age guessing game at carnivals. I'd lose big time." She grinned and asked what I thought she was. "When I saw you at the ranger station, I put you in your early 30's, not 40. Just a tad off I'd say."She laughed and said, "Yeah, just a little bit off, but thank you. I might like you more now."I told her the rest of my thoughts. After cleaning up and showering, we could go into Lake Placid. I need to get more tape and gauze, for her ankle. Some more food. And, she needed to buy some hiking boots, so her feet and ankles had better support. Depending on the time, maybe grab dinner down there too. Then pick up your car and drive it up here and we'll make this our base of operation. She laughed at the last statement and I asked what was so funny."Oh nothing, except, you can take the Jarhead out of the Marines, but you will never take the Marine out of the Jarhead, that's for sure. Base of operations? sheesh.", then laughed again.I started doing the dishes, and she joined me. Drying as I washed. I told her she didn't have to, but she said to shut up. I was beginning to like her more and more. I like a woman with spunk, and speaks her mind. Granted, I like a woman who is also feminine too, which I believe she is. There is 3 things I find so sexy in a woman. Her eyes. They hold the keys to her being. Next is her attitude. If she doesn't wilt when faced with conflict and then the sexiest is her ass and legs. If she has that, she is the total package to me. I just never found one yet. But now, I think I may have found one. Only time will tell.We decided to take off around noon, and about 20 minutes before we left, my phone chimed. It was a text coming through. Only a handful of people knew I was going up here, and any of the companies I was working with knew I was on vacation and wouldn't be available.I was sitting in the leather chair when I opened the text. It stated, "You fucking Devil Dog. Thank You for taking care of my baby girl. Just remember who her old man is and not take any liberties that I would not approve of." I sat there and started laughing. Carrie came out of the bathroom and asked what was so funny. So I showed her the text. She too started laughing."See. I told you Jenny would call them. She even gave them your number. Too funny."I texted him back. "You fucking OLD sea dog. Shock was an understatement when I found out who her old man was. Small world. We are going to tackle these mountains together. She'll be in good hands Sir." and I hit send.A minute later, the phone rang. Carrie laughed, then I answer it. "Sir? you fucking idiot. You save that for those weenie ass officers, who still need their mommy's to wipe their asses.""Aye Aye, Master Chief.""Mark. Not sure how you two stumbled onto each other, but actually I am glad. She's a tough girl, but knowing you are there makes my stomach calm a bit. I wasn't too keen on her doing this alone as it was. I know those woods. Lots of animals up there that don't take to humans, especially the cougars and bears. So please be careful.""We will Chief. No harm will come to either of us. Your daughter will be in good hands.""Now why'd you have to say that shithead. Remember what I told you back when you were eyeing up that young PO. It definitely goes for now (laughing). Seriously Mark. I know she is. Just keep my baby girl safe. And for now on, call me John. We served our time."  “okay John. I will. I'll let you speak to Carrie." and handed the phone to her. They chatted for a few minutes. I caught her rolling her eyes a few times, but she was also glad her dad had called.I wish I had a dad that care, like he did. Mine was a cruel SOB. I am not sure why my mom ever stayed with him. Hell, when he died, I did not even make an attempt to go home for the funeral. My sister did, but only because she wanted to be there for mom. I did go home for mom's, when she died a few years later.Carrie said her goodbye's, then handed the phone back to me. She just shook her head and then laughed. She kept on laughing then too. I was perplexed, as to what she found so funny.She calmed a bit, then said, "God Mark. When you answered the phone and heard his voice, you went parade dress attention. I bet you didn't even know you were doing it. It was so cute. But you know what, now that I really think of it, you are a lot like him in so many ways""Is that a bad thing?" I asked. "Hell no. Just funny though. He never liked Jack. Jack would never look him in the eye, and that bothered dad. Can't trust a man who won't look you in the eye, he used to say. Guess he was right. He must like you some, or he wouldn't have called you like that."Chapter 6.Carrie was dressed in tight jeans and a sweat shirt, This sweat shirt hugged her body nicely, and judging from the two peaks I saw, she wasn't wearing a bra either. Her ass was like a dream to me. Nice and full, and the way the seam disappeared into her as, just made me think of badly I would love to be those pants right now.We got the Lake Placid and found a sporting goods store. Inside, she tried on a few pairs of boot, until she found one she said really fit her nicely. Even the swollen ankle fit into it, which kind of surprised me. She also bought some socks. A couple of thin one's to use on her bad foot and some thicker woolen type socks. Of course they matched.Carrie also bought a new rain slicker, with hood, and I figured, what the hell, and bought one too. Mine was old and ragged looking. After our purchases, she sat down in a chair at the front of the store and put on her new socks and boots. She said she wanted to start breaking them in. Of course I asked how they felt around her injured ankle, and she said great, but who knows for sure.The rest of the afternoon, we did the basic sightseeing around town. Every once in a while, we found a place to sit, that was out of the weather, so she could rest her ankle. She said it felt fine, but never complained when I suggested a rest.By 5pm, we were both pretty hungry, so we started looking for a place to eat. We found this quaint little restaurant that served American flavor. I opted for a steak, and she did too. The girl could eat, but lord knows where it goes on her. We had a really good time while eating. We found out stuff about our early lives. Of course, hers was moving from base to base, and mine was not really giving a crap about school and getting into stupid trouble. She also found out how I detested my father when I was a teen.For me, this felt like a date. I usually am tongue tied during these events. But with her, I felt really at ease and conversations moved smoothly, like we have known each other our whole lives. One thing I did notice, that anytime her parents were mentions, she had this twinkle in her eye. She adored them, which was hard for me to understand. My parents weren't all that interested in what I did, and I pretty much gave up trying to get them to show me any affection or love when I hit 14, it just wasn't going to happen. To my mom, my sister was an angel, and I was the devil. For Carrie, she was their parents whole world, especially her dad.She had me in tears with some of the dumb things her dad used to do with her. Playing dress up and Barbies and such. If you knew her dad the way I know him, you would never think in a million years he would do things like this. For some reason, the more she talked, the more I was beginning to really like her, and I mean like in how a man wants to be with a woman. To share things with, and be with.We left the restaurant about an hour and a half later. The rain had stopped, so we decided to just walk around a little more. As we walked, she took my hand in hers, like two teens would do. Now I am not the type that shows public displays of affection. I never did that, only because I really never saw it from my parents when I was growing up. But, her hand in mine felt so good to me. Then she just leaned over and kissed me on the cheek.I looked at her with a questioning look. "Thank you again. My vacation could have been ruined, or even worse, still stuck up on that mountain side.""Actually" I said, "Maybe it is fate, we found each other. But I will say this. I really like being with you" She just looked at me and smiled, and gave my hand a little squeeze in acknowledgement."Mark? Weird question." she paused, then asked, "What's your perfect woman to be with?""Oh God" I said, "Actually, I don't want a perfect woman. I want one that when we are together, we can laugh, or cry, without feeling it's not right to do. I'd want one who is independent, and doesn't need me to keep her happy, but also, wants me in her life because I do make her happy, and she makes me happy too. She should be one with a strong mind and not afraid to speak her mind, or argue. But if we do argue, it is about something important in our lives, and not something petty, like I see so many do nowadays. When I commit to someone like that, I want that same commitment in return. It's either all or nothing, because I only want to do this once in my life, and as you can see, I have never found her, nor have I really looked all that hard either. And lastly, when we are apart, she is the only person I am thinking of, and wishing I was with her, even if it is occupying the same room with her...... What's your perfect man you want to be with ?"She laughed, then got a very serious look on her face. "To be honest, I am not sure anymore. I thought when I met, and then married Jack, he was the perfect man. Rugged, good looking, and always attentive, when he wasn't deployed. But as time wore on, he quit being attentive and acted like I was there to serve him. I felt as though I was raising two kids at times. I guess I want what you want, but in a man. I want it an equal partnership, and I base that on dad and mom, because they have that and always have, and it is what I grew up with. I want him on my mind 24 / 7 when we are apart, and when we are together, there is no one else alive that makes us happy, well except Jenny. I want to be able to look across the room at him and just make love with our eyes. I know, sounds corny, but that's what I want. As for love making, that's exactly what I want, love making. Pleasuring my man like no other woman can, and he pleasure me in the same way. To that end, it is a two way street. If you give 100%, expect to receive 100%. back. The last couple of years of marriage, now that I think back on it, it was mostly I gave, he took, and could care less about my needs at all, and I doubt highly he was even thinking of me then."With that, I just looked at her and said, "Well, sounds like we have some things in common again. As silly as this sounds, but this feels like a date we are on. But you know, it feels good. I'll be honest Carrie. I have never been in love before. I am not sure what that feels like. But I won't lie either, never have since being in the service, and I never will either, I like being with you.""Good to know Jarhead. I like being with you too. But, does my race bother you at all?""You're kidding right? I think you are one beautiful woman. And if I may be so bold, a very sexy one too. Granted, you have a better tan than me, but that's only because of my Irish blood. We don't tan well. All kidding aside, why would you ever think that it would bother me?""Oh Mark. I didn't mean it in a bad way but, when I was growing up, kids weren't so nice about, from both races. About 4 years ago, I was dating a guy and he met my parents. Even though mom comes from a mix race parents, she is darker than me, and when he saw that, he sort of just couldn't handle that. Since then, I haven't dated at all."I chuckled, then said, "Good thing I already know your parents and I like them. I definitely respect them even more. Back when they got together, and hell, even your grandparents, that was a lot harder to live with. People are so judgmental and mean. But No, your race means nothing to me. To me Squid, you are one Hot looking woman.""Keep talking like that Jarhead, and I just may let you stick around me another day or two."After driving back up to the cabin, our talk turned to our hike in the morning. We decided to look over the maps and see how we would tackle it and what to bring. I asked her if she minded sharing a tent with me. I told her it was a 4 man tent, and would lighten the load of the pack. She even agreed to that. My backpack was almost as big as the one I had in the service, which is called a rucksack. I will be able to get the tent and my sleeping bag in it, along with a small shovel and then a lighter, and food. If I pack right, I can get her sleeping bag into it and give her the lighter things like a coffee pot and water, and her carry the food. Just take enough for the day, and no more. Plenty of food bars and the such and canned stew. After eating M R Ees most of my life, canned stew is gourmet eating.Once we got back to the cabin, we laid out the map and plotted our course. Once that was done, I went and showered, then packed my pack. Carrie was showering then. I changed into just running shorts and a t-shirt. When Carrie finished, she came out wearing just a flannel shirt again. Last time she had it on, she had it buttoned all the way to the top, except for the last button. This time, the top 3 buttons were left undone. "Damn. She does look sexy like that." I thought.We packed up her backpack, with food and such, and even a change of clothes for the both of us. I recommended sweats for at night, since it will be chilly up there, but she also pack a flannel, which she said she prefers sleeping in. One thing I did pack in my pack, was my 9millimeter Glock. I have a permit for it, and I did inform the rangers that I was carrying it up there. Way too many wild animals that could prey on us. But, I did not tell Carrie this. Not sure how she would react. Hopefully, we'll never have to use it. One thing I did pack, was a roll of toilet paper. Carrie laughed at that one. But once you are in the field, like I have been on patrol, it's a comfort of home you want more than anything, and it beats leaves.After packing, we retired to the living room, where Carrie turned on the TV. Checking the weather first, then some sappy movie she liked. I got us some beers, to which she toasted, "To a great adventure tomorrow.", as we clinked bottles together. I then pulled out the ace bandage we bought earlier that day.As she sat on the couch, she placed her bad leg over her good one and let me take off the tape, It ankle was a bit swollen, but not like it was yesterday. It was very hard to keep my concentration on her foot, because of her sexy legs right there. "God, I wish we were lovers. I would love nothing more than to kiss my way to heaven right now." is all I could think about. But I pushed those thoughts aside, knowing my chances of that were quite slim, for now.Once I had her all wrapped up, I suggested she use the thinner of the socks tomorrow. She said her ankle feels really good wrapped like this. She then patted the couch seat next to her, for me to join her. She was sitting next to me with her legs folded under her. As we watched the movie, not much was said. We just enjoyed each other's company. I wondered if this how couples spent evenings together. I had never been in one before, and still am not in one, but this is close, I guess.I have never let a woman get that close, even the one I lived with. To her, I was a place to live and a fuck. And I viewed her pretty much the same way. We never got mushy or even showed PDA. We just existed together and pretty much fucked. Of course, back then, I was in my 20's and sex was all I had in mind. Not once was, I love you, ever spoken between us.... When the movie ended, Carrie stretched and said she was tired and needed some sleep."So Jarhead, you take the bunk tonight and I'll use the couch.""No. You take the bed. Please. I am fine out here. This couch is pretty comfortable actually." though I was lying through my teeth. The couch sucked. But I was raised with some manners, mostly obtained in the Marines."God. You Gyrene's are so bull headed. Next time, I take the couch."I don't know what possessed me, but I leaned over to kiss her on the cheek, and as I got close, she turn her face to me and it landed on her lips. It was a quick one, intended for her cheek.I stammered then saying, "Sorry. That was meant for your cheek. And thank you for a great day. I really like being with you"She giggled, then grabbed my face with both of her hands and kissed me on the lips."I prefer the lips to a cheek, any day of the week Grunt." then stood and walked towards the bedroom. I couldn't help but watch her fine looking legs and ass, as she disappeared down the hall, saying good night to me, softly.Chapter 7.I was up at 6am. I got coffee going and changed into jeans and a polo shirt. About an hour later, I heard the toilet flush, so I started breakfast, It was best to eat a big breakfast, since lunch would consist of power bars and water.Carrie came out in the same flannel that she had on the night before. "God this woman makes me crazy for her. " I thought. One thing I have noticed, she is not big with wearing make-up. She doesn't need too. She's one of those women who could easily go without it. I bet she is smoking hot when she is made up.After eating, I did the dishes up, and she went and changed. The weather called for a daytime temp of 70 and tonight in the 50's. But on the mountain top, it would be in the 40's.Carrie came back to the living room, dressed and ready to go. She had on a pair of khaki shorts, that hugged her frame nicely and a light green shirt, and judging from the way the nipples were poking through, no bra. This could be a long hike today. I must keep my mind out of the proverbial gutter.I asked how her ankle felt, and she said fine, just a little bit of stiffness. I told her we would rest as many times as she thought it was needed. It should take about 4 or 5 hours to get to the top. After putting on our gear, which included now, a thermal mat to put under the sleeping bags my uncle had, we left, making sure the cabin was secure.The trail we chose was not all that hard, compared to some of the places I had to climb in Afghanistan. Carrie was keeping up too without a problem, If her ankle hurt, she surely didn't say. Most times I would let her lead, and got to watch not only the scenery, but also her lovely ass and legs. Now that was picture perfect. Her body could put 20 something year olds to shame.We stopped for lunch about a mile and a half from the top. There was a clearing that overlooked a valley below, and the sight was breathtaking to say the least. Carrie was all giddy about this and took out her phone and started taking pictures, commenting how beautiful it was. I too, took a few photo's with my phone as well.After a brief rest period, we continued our trek up the mountain. The higher we climb, you could feel the air getting cooler, but not cold. That would come later this evening, but we were prepared for that.I was letting Carrie lead us this time, and I could not help but watch her body as she walked up the trail. She had asked the previous day, what my perfect woman would be. Well, if it was just the body, then hers would be it. Toned legs, and a great ass. Slim waist line, and a shocker to most, but small boobs. I have always preferred a woman with smaller chests. I just think they look incredibly sexy. So Carrie fit that build to a tee.Would I like to be her lover? Hell yes. Who wouldn't want too. But, there was no way I would ever make the first move. Not only out of respect for her, but also for her dad, who I respected a great deal. If sex was in the cards for us, she would have to initiate it. But in reality, any time you have sex with a woman, it is always her call, unless you are a complete asshole.As we continued our climb, a couple, not more than 25 I'd say, was descending from the top. They greeted us and told us what an awesome view we were to behold, once we made it to the top. We found out too, that they were on their honeymoon. They, like us, camped overnight up there and said it was the most romantic place on earth. They then departed after a short rest, and we wished them well on their journey down.Finally, around 3 in the afternoon, we were at the top. The air was cool, but not too bad actually. With the sun beating down, I would venture to say it was in the 50's. I saw a clearing and put my rucksack down, and took Carrie's from her. She ran up another 1000 feet to the top and a clearing. One thing about up here, it is a tourist attraction and has manmade lookout observatories, which takes away from the place. We are going to camp right by a wooded area, away from the trails.Chapter 8."Mark, Mark" she yelled. "Come up and see this."I dropped what I was doing and trekked up to her and she grabbed my hand, pulling me along faster. She was so excited, almost like a kid on Christmas morning. Once up there, we could see all around, and off in the distance, loomed Mt. Marcy, the tallest of these over 40 high peak mountains that made up this range. It was a majestic sight to behold.She skipped up and onto a rock formation to get a better view, and left me with another beautiful view, her. God she was intoxicating to look at."God. This is so awesome. What a beautiful site. Don't you think Mark?"I chuckled to myself, then said, "Yes. It is a gorgeous sight to behold" Now I was staring at her body, and had no thoughts of the surrounding area then.She turned her head, back towards me, and just smiled, and motioned me to join her. She was right, it was breathtaking to look out over the area. Ponds and streams below us. We could actually see a herd of Moose below, by one of the streams. We both took out our phones and took pictures. Carrie cursed herself for not bringing her digital camera. I don't own one, and thought may be when we got back down, we could go to a store and buy one.I suggested she explore a bit while I set up camp. One great thing about this place, it had bathrooms. One for men, and one for women. I figured they were outhouses, but was wrong when I went to relieve myself. Actual running toilets and sinks. I knew some of the other areas we were not going to be that lucky.About an hour later, she came strolling back to where I set up the tent. I had just finished laying out the pad, and placed the sleeping bags on top of it. I wasn't too sure how she would feel about being right next to me, but the pad was only so wide, like the width of a queen size bed.She came inside and looked around. "That looks cozy", then smiled at me. That made me feel a little better. I surely did not want her to get the wrong ideas, like I wanted to do something with her, even though I really did.I got us a fire going then and cooked up a scrumptious dinner of beef stew, and canned corn. We even had bread for dipping. We ate without complaint. In fact, it was quite good. Trust me, after eating M R Ees (meals ready to eat) in the service, your own boot would taste good.After cleaning up, which included taking our bowls, and the pan to the bathroom and washing them in the sink, I came back and made sure the fire stayed nice. We again sat and talked about our adventure so far."Mark. This has been so amazing today. I cannot believe the sights I have seen so far. And being totally honest. I am so glad to be spending this time with you. God. I love it up here.""I'm glad you feel that way. I am not sure I would find this as amazing as I do now, with you with me. What I am really looking forward too, is the night sky, with all the bright stars. It has to breath taking. Just like you."I think the comment just flew over her head, because she made no remark at all about it. Then said, "I bet sunset is really cool looking up here. Especially when it starts dipping behind these mountain peaks all around us."We finished cleaning up the area. No need for unwanted guest later. I suggested going back up to the top and watch the sunset. I was surprised because as we walked, she hardly limped at all. I figured with the rest we just had, her ankle would be screaming to her.We reached the summit again and surprisingly, no one was there, except for us. We sat on this crop of rocks and just marveled at the sight. The majestic mountains all around us, and the sun slowly setting in the west. A big orange ball.Carrie grabbed her phone again, turned it on and took a picture. Then she asked me to sit close to her and face away from the sun, so she could do a selfie of us, with the sun behind us. That took a good minute to set up, and get it just right in the picture.As we were doing this, a lady ranger just happened to be walking up our way. She was checking the area out, making sure all was fine up here."Would you guys like me to take the picture of you two, with this gorgeous sunset?" she asked."Oh God, would you please?" Carrie answered back.Carrie set the camera back to take normal pictures and handed it to her. The lady gladly took a couple for us, then asked, "How about you two love birds kiss while the sun is behind you. It's so romantic like that."I looked at Carrie, and she at me. I raised my eyebrows like Groucho Marx used to do in his movies. That made Carrie giggle, but then she leaned in and softly kissed me on the lips. I so wanted to part her lips and taste her tongue, but why ruin a good moment. The only lasted a few seconds, when we heard the ranger say she got it. But during that time, Carrie's hand rested on my one thigh. The kiss alone brought a strange sensation to me. One I have never felt before. Maybe it was fear if her dad found out we kissed up here. "Christ", I thought to myself, "I'm acting like some dumb teenager.When we broke away, she smiled a very bright smile. I smiled too, then thanked the ranger for helping us out. She did caution us on making sure we take care of the fire we had, and to make sure all food was secure, and away from our sleeping area.Her hand was still on my leg as the ranger walked back down the hill, towards her car. I looked back at Carrie and she sort of had her head down, like she was embarrassed. I surely wasn't. The kiss brought me alive actually, and if her hand was any closer to my crotch, she may notice that something else enjoyed her lips."Sorry about that" she said. "What. I found the kiss very nice. You have soft lips. Very kissable lips in fact. If given the opportunity again, I would jump at the chance." I boldly stated.We turned again and sat there and watched the sun start to sink behind the mountain tops. As it did, we just talked about our work lives, and things we did during the course of a normal day. Mine is pretty boring actually. I work a great deal. I don't go out much. I am not a bar type of person and have just a few select friends. It's been ages since I went out with a woman. Most that I do know are either married, or divorced with young kids. It's not that I don't like kids, I just don't relate well with them. The only two I get along with are my niece and nephew, but they are teens now and could care less about old Uncle Mark.To be continued, by T. Foxal.

In this episode, Bill—a retired forest ranger—shares his full, unedited account of six encounters that changed the course of his 25-year career with the U.S. Forest Service. From 1994 to 2019, Bill worked in wildlife tracking and wilderness patrol, but early on, a senior ranger showed him a footprint and warned him about things they don't put in reports. That moment marked the beginning of a quiet obsession. He  eventually left the job five years before qualifying for full pension. What drove him out was a long trail of unexplained phenomena—patterns he could no longer ignore, and stories the agency refused to acknowledge. His encounters span decades and locations, from Oregon to the Adirondacks, each one revealing signs of intelligence, curiosity, and restraint from something that doesn't officially exist.

(Jul 25, 2025) Avalanche Pass trail remains closed. Watch out for algae blooms. Summit temperatures to remain in lower 60s.

Send us a textIn today's episode, Jeremy, along with the NY mission team: JR, Olivia Flickner, Jonathan McDonell, Brookelyn Mitchell, and Caitlin Wassil share the ministry and work that was done as well as their own spiritual growth while being involved with missions.

(Jul 24, 2025) The death of an assistant forest ranger in the Adirondacks has sparked calls for reforms at the DEC; Hudson Valley Republican Mike Lawler says he will not run for governor next year, effectively clearing the field for North Country Congresswoman Elise Stefanik to enter the race; and Kitty O'Neil from the Cornell Cooperative Extension stops by to talk about how the hot summer is impacting North Country farmers.

In this episode, Bill—a retired forest ranger—shares his full, unedited account of six encounters that changed the course of his 25-year career with the U.S. Forest Service. From 1994 to 2019, Bill worked in wildlife tracking and wilderness patrol, but early on, a senior ranger showed him a footprint and warned him about things they don't put in reports. That moment marked the beginning of a quiet obsession. He  eventually left the job five years before qualifying for full pension. What drove him out was a long trail of unexplained phenomena—patterns he could no longer ignore, and stories the agency refused to acknowledge. His encounters span decades and locations, from Oregon to the Adirondacks, each one revealing signs of intelligence, curiosity, and restraint from something that doesn't officially exist.Get Our FREE NewsletterGet Brian's Books Leave Us A VoicemailVisit Our WebsiteSupport Our SponsorsVisit Untold Radio AMBecome a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/sasquatch-odyssey--4839697/support.

(Jul 23, 2025) We visit a new public dock in the southern Adirondacks that's helping paddlers of all ages and abilities get on the water; New Yorkers may be getting unexpected checks in the mail as the state comptroller's office implements a pilot program to proactively distribute unclaimed funds of $250 dollars or less; and a conversation with former Glens Falls Post-Star editor Ken Tingley about his play, "The Last American Newspaper." 

(Jul 23, 2025) Kayaking and canoeing is a great way for people to get exercise and enjoy the North Country outdoors. But older people can have problems getting in and out of the boat. We visit a new public dock in the southern Adirondacks that's helping paddlers of all ages and abilities get on the water. Also: Congressman Mike Lawler announced today he's not running for Governor, potentially clearing the way for North Country Congresswoman Elise Stefanik to take on Kathy Hochul next year.

(Jul 21, 2025) Nina Schoch has banded hundreds of loons in the Adirondacks to track their health as their population has rebounded. We talk with the founder of the Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation about the state of loons as she steps away from the organization. Also: School districts across New York have less than two weeks to figure out how to ban smartphones from the classroom.

What happens in the Adirondacks doesn't always start in the Adirondacks—it can flow into our air, water, communities, and climate from coal-fired power plants far, far away from our lakes and forests.In this powerful episode of ADK Talks, hosts Jane and Steve sit down with John Sheehan, Director of Communications for the Adirondack Council, to explore the science, policy, and passion driving environmental advocacy in the largest protected landscape east of the Mississippi.We cover:The origins and mission of the Adirondack CouncilThe threats to air and water quality—and what's being doneHow road salt is quietly degrading lakes, wells, and even washing machinesThe scientific tools used to monitor Adirondack lakesThe Council's support for SUNY ESF's Timbuctoo Institute, connecting students from underrepresented communities to careers in environmental scienceHow you can take action to protect this incredible placeJohn also shares his favorite hidden gem in the park and reflects on decades of conservation wins—and the political battles still ahead.Mentioned in this podcast.The Adirondack CouncilBoreal forestsBeaversBrook Trout GeneticsRoad salt researchTimbuctoo Climate Science and Careers Summer InstituteMinerva and IrishtownIreland VlyLove the show? Help us out by subscribing, rating, and leaving a review! It helps fellow travelers find amazing content about the Adirondacks and brings more adventures your way. Got a question about the Adirondacks you'd like us to answer on air? Please send it to info@adktaste.com or use the form available at ADKTaste.com.ADK Talks is brought to you by ADK Taste. We provide insight on the best places to stay, shop, eat and things to do in the 6-million-acre Adirondack Park in upstate New York. Visit our website, ADKtaste.com, and sign up for our weekly newsletter.Your questions and comments are invaluable to us. We'd love to hear from you! Please share your thoughts with us at info@adktaste.com.

(Jul 18, 2025) A Croghan man caught a record-breaking brook trout in the Adirondacks earlier this month; Saratoga Springs residents are pushing for more resistance against U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement action following recent detainments in the city; Clarkson University's ROTC program will soon shut down, leaving institutions without a way to train their young cadets; Hochul is directing her administration to find ways to save money after deep federal funding cuts; NPR's CEO talks about the way forward for public media after Congress passed Trump's rescission package, stripping federal funding from public media stations including NCPR.

(Jul 18, 2025) NOTE: This is Friday's episode, which didn't feed due to a technical error. We apologize for the delay! A conversation with the Lewis County angler who caught a record-breaking brook trout in the Adirondacks earlier this month. Also: the U.S. Army plans to shut down the ROTC unit at Clarkson University, ending a decades-old program that includes students from several colleges.

We got a day off this week! Bob and I took off for a paddling trip to the Adirondacks, where I used to dream of buying a cabin with a fantasy $500,000 book advance.  On this day off, I got a chance to reflect on where that dream got us. I'm Shannon Hayes, and you're listening to Season 6, Episode 14 of The Hearth of Sap Bush Hollow.   You can read this story on The Radical Homemaker Blog, which is now located on the Sap Bush Hollow website: SapBushFarmStore.com.Support the show

It's the calm before the storm — and Lake Placid might just be the sleeper race of the summer. We dive into a stacked pro field heading to the Adirondacks and what storylines are flying under the radar. Plus: water skis, altitude camps, and what we thought of last weekends high octane racing. 

Our good friend Jeremiah Trombly returns for his third appearance on the STAGR Cast—and he's got one hell of a season to reflect on. In 2024, Jeremiah tagged four mature bucks across the rugged terrain of the Adirondacks, Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont. From bitter cold tracking days to soaking wet slogs, he shares gritty, unforgettable stories from the woods, his deep love for the hunt, and what keeps him chasing adventure season after season. This is one that'll fire you up for fall. Like the show? The best way to support it is by gearing up for your 2025 season at www.stagrgear.com. Use code STAGRCAST at checkout for a discount.

Welcome to The Times of Israel's Daily Briefing, your 20-minute audio update on what's happening in Israel, the Middle East and the Jewish world. New York reporter Luke Tress joins host Jessica Steinberg for today's episode. Tress discusses several universities dealing with issues of antisemitism and anti-Zionism, including Tuesday's hearing in Congress as Republican officials questioned the CUNY chancellor and presidents of Berkeley and Georgetown about foreign funding, support for terrorism on campus and harassment of Jewish students on campus, keeping up the Trump administration pressure. He also discusses a report on Israel studies programs in universities, as a Jerusalem think tank looked at the climate on campuses, including anti-Zionism activism on campus alongside rich discussion and a broad array of viewpoints in the classroom. Tress talks about mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani and his threats to arrest Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu if he ever visited New York, as well as the current feud between New York City Mayor Eric Adams and Comptroller Brad Lander about a possible BDS conflict over New York's divestment from Israel bonds. He also mentions the 100-year-old Adirondacks synagogue that has persisted despite the dearth of Jews in the area and the history of Jewish immigrants in rural America. Check out The Times of Israel's ongoing liveblog for more updates. For further reading: US university heads grilled in Congress about anti-Israel terror support on campus Shai Davidai, an outspoken Israeli professor at Columbia, leaves the university Israeli postdoc sues Stanford for discrimination; university denies it Israel studies programs on US campuses are at a crisis point, report warns NYC hopeful Mamdani’s vow to arrest Netanyahu likely oversteps what US mayors can do NYC mayor feuds with comptroller over Israel bonds investments NY’s rural 120-year-old ‘Peddlers’ Synagogue’ charts new path — without a congregation Subscribe to The Times of Israel Daily Briefing on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube, or wherever you get your podcasts. This episode was produced by the Pod-Waves. IMAGE: FILE- Pro-Palestinian, anti-Israel protesters demonstrate on the campus of DePaul University, April 30, 2024, in Chicago. (AP Photo/Charles Rex Arbogast, file)See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

In this listener-fueled episode of ADK Talks, Jane and Steve dive deep into your Adirondack travel questions, focusing on the Tri-Lakes and High Peaks region: Lake Placid, Saranac Lake, and Tupper Lake. Whether you're planning your first visit or returning for the views, you'll get expert tips on where to stay, eat, shop, hike, and sip like a local.From haunted hotels to hip breweries, hidden donut shops to iconic scenic drives—this episode is jam-packed with insider knowledge and real local recommendations to help you plan a trip you'll never forget.Hear about:Where to stay for both rustic charm and walkable convenienceThe coziest cabins and haunted hotelsThe must-try local pies, diners, donuts, and beersSecret overlooks, beginner-friendly hikes, and scenic bywaysHistoric gems like the John Brown Farm and Olympic sitesWhat to pack for mountain elevation changesWhere locals go for live music, trivia, and tacosIf you've got a wedding in the High Peaks, a fall foliage road trip planned, or just love discovering lesser-known places, this is the Adirondack episode you didn't know you needed.Mentioned in this podcast.Eastwind HotelMount Jo Trail InfoHotel SaranacRaquette River BrewingWhiteface Veterans' Memorial HighwayWhitebrook Dairy BarThe Wild Center – Tupper LakeDartbrook Rustic GoodsNorthWind Fine ArtsAdirondack Artists Guild GalleryAdirondack StoreAdirondack Decorative Arts & CraftsWashboard Donuts & LaundryMirror Lake InnWar Cannon SpiritsRaybrook BrewhouseHex and HopJohn Brown FarmHigh Gorge FallsNoon Mark DinerP-2'sLove the show? Help us out by subscribing, rating, and leaving a review! It helps fellow travelers find us and brings more Adirondack adventures your way. Got a question about the Adirondacks you'd like us to answer on air? Please send it to

In this episode, we sit down with  Ethan Pike and Matthew Henderson—two passionate hunters who live for chasing whitetails in the big woods of Vermont, New Hampshire, Maine, and the Adirondacks. We dive into stories from the timber, share a ton of laughs, and drop plenty of tips and tricks for anyone looking to improve their game in rugged country. If you love real-deal big woods hunting, this is one you don't want to miss. Tune in and enjoy!

Donna Rebadow shared her near-death experience (NDE) during a boating accident in the Adirondacks. She described meeting the Creator as a vibrant electric field and experiencing unconditional love. Donna emphasized the importance of choice and awareness in life, drawing from her NDE and subsequent life reviews. She discussed her psychic abilities, including remote viewing, and her role in a psychic detective team. Donna also recounted a shared death experience with her brother-in-law, highlighting the love and peace on the other side. She advocates for living consciously, forgiving oneself, and being aware of others' experiences.Become a supporter of this podcast: https://www.spreaker.com/podcast/next-level-soul-podcast-with-alex-ferrari--4858435/support.

Ask us a question, or tell us what you thought of this episode!Have you heard of Anne LaBastille? She was an incredible Adirondack woman who was a certified Adirondack Guide, a scientist, the first woman commissioner of the Adirondack Park Agency (APA), and lived off grid in a cabin. This episode of ADK-Xtra Credit introduces Anne, and tells the story of how she built her home with the help of her friends. Anne's cabin is now in our Life in The Adirondacks exhibit.

Every summer, the quiet charm of Saranac Lake and Lake Placid erupts in a joyful scrum of community pride, fierce competition, and unmatched camaraderie. That's right—it's time for the legendary Can-Am Rugby Tournament.In this episode of ADK Talks, hosts Jane and Steve delve into the heart of this beloved Adirondack tradition with Cameron Moody, the tournament director and lifelong rugby player, who joins us from his deployment with the National Guard in the Horn of Africa.Whether you're a seasoned rugby fan or just rugby curious, this episode is packed with stories, surprises, and reasons to attend the 51st Can-Am Rugby Tournament, happening July 25–27, 2025.In this episode, you'll learn:The grassroots origin story of Can-Am Rugby in the 1970s and how it grew into the largest amateur rugby tournament in the U.S.Why rugby is a “gentleman's game”—and what that really means on and off the pitchHow Can-Am supports local youth sports, scholarships, and community eventsWhat to expect at the Tournament: free matches, family activities, and the return of wheelchair rugbyWhy women's rugby is booming, and what new divisions are debuting this yearCameron's big dreams for expanding the tournament and building youth rugby across New York StatePlus, don't miss the Scrum & Done Lightning Round, where Cameron names his favorite post-match drink (hint: it's cold and comes in a can), the best rugby team names, and the advice he'd pass on to the next generation of players.If you're planning a summer trip to the Adirondacks, this is the tournament to build your weekend around—whether you're a player, spectator, or just looking for something unforgettable and totally free to do in the Tri-Lakes.Links & Resources:

Hacksaw is still in the Adirondacks getting pummeled by storms. But you know Hacksaw will bring you sports content in the rain, sleet, or snow. We discuss the slumping Padres, the rising Dodgers, MLB collective bargaining, Lakers LeBron James drama, Clippers steal a big man, and NBA notes from Knicks, Bucks, Trailblazers, Rockets, Nuggets and Warriors. Lot's going on in the NFL with Steelers, Dolphins, Ravens, plus news from BYU and Conference USA. NHL Notebook packed with info on Maple Leafs Panthers, Canucks, Oilers, Kings, and Ducks. Plus, Wimbledon, PGA, LPGA, NASCAR, Team Red Bull, Team USA, Team Mexico, and Liverpool. Got a question or comment for Lee Hamilton? Drop your take in the live chat on X, YouTube, or Facebook. Here's what Lee Hamilton thinks on Friday, July 4, 2025.   1)...PADRES...JULY QUESTION MARKS "WHO CAN YOU TRUST"   2)...DODGERS...CALVARY IS COMING "1ST PLACE TEAM-GOOD NEWS"   3)...BASEBALL COMMISSIONER-UNION CHIEF...TAMPERING "WAR OF WORDS & MONEY" =========== 4)...NBA...WILD WEEK OF DEALS...MORE TO COME "CHANGES BEGIN-RIGHT ONES?"   5)...CLIPPERS...ADD BIG MAN "STEAL BIG MAN"   6)...NBA NOTEBOOK "SHOCKWAVE STORIES"   KNICKS BUCKS TRAILBLAZERS ROCKETS NUGGETS WARRIORS ============ (HALFTIME...DIXIELINE LUMBER) ============= 7)...NFL NOTEBOOK (NFL LOGO/FULL SCREEN)           "TROUBLE SPOTS"   STEELERS MIAMI RAVENS BYU CONFERENCE USA --------- 8)...NHL NOTEBOOK "48-HOURS-FREE AGENT FURY"   MAPLE LEAFS FLORIDA PANTHERS VANCOUVER OILERS KINGS DUCKS -------------- 9)...LATE BREAKING STORIES "OFF THE SPORTSWIRE"   WIMBLEDON PGA TOUR-LPGA TOUR NASCAR-TEAM RED BULL USA-MEXICO LOGOS LIVERPOOL SOCCER ============ #nfl #DOLPHINS #RAVENS #STEELERS #MLB #PADRES #yudarvish #NICKPIVETTA #markgrant #donorsillo #DODGERS #tylerglasnow #claytonkershaw #yoshinobuyamamoto #tommyedman #freddiefreeman #robmanfred #scottboras #byu #conferenceusa #tjwatt #nhl #MAPLELEAFS #DUCKS #KINGS #OILERS #canucks #goldenknights #MITCHELLMARNER #johngibson #panthers #lakers #clippers #nuggets #knicks #lebronjames #bucks #WARRIORS #trailblazers #deandreayton #teamredbull #f1 #nascar #maxverstappen #teamusa #MauricioPochettino #teammexico #liverpool #pga #livgolf #scottiescheffler #lpga #carlosalcaraz #cocogauff #wimbledon   Be sure to share this episode with a friend!   ☆☆ STAY CONNECTED ☆☆ For more of Hacksaw's Headlines, The Best 15 Minutes, One Man's Opinion, and Hacksaw's Pro Football Notebook: http://www.leehacksawhamilton.com/   SUBSCRIBE on YouTube for more reactions, upcoming shows and more! ► https://www.youtube.com/c/leehacksawhamiltonsports   FACEBOOK ➡ https://www.facebook.com/leehacksaw.hamilton.9   TWITTER ➡ https://twitter.com/hacksaw1090   TIKTOK ➡ https://www.tiktok.com/@leehacksawhamilton   INSTAGRAM ➡ https://www.instagram.com/leehacksawhamiltonsports/     To get the latest news and information about sports, join Hacksaw's Insider's Group. It's free! https://www.leehacksawhamilton.com/team/ Thank you to our sponsors: Dixieline Lumber and Home Centers https://www.dixieline.com/  

In this special episode of the 46 of 46 Podcast, we head to Old Forge, NY, for the inaugural Forge Quad-Athlon — a one-of-a-kind race that pushes body and mind through four disciplines: bike, hike, paddle, and run. But this isn't just a story about racing — it's a story about community, courage, and everyday people doing extraordinary things.Eight members from the Great Range Athlete and Seek To Do More coaching programs signed up to take on this challenge together. In this roundtable-style conversation, you'll hear from several of them as they share what it was like to take on the course, push their limits, and show up not just for themselves — but for each other.We talk about the power of community accountability, how mindset and preparation made all the difference, and why most people are capable of far more than they believe. If you've ever felt the pull to do more, try something new, or push past your limits — this episode will light that fire.Inside this episode:What it's like to bike, hike, paddle, and run through the Adirondacks in one epic raceHow coaching and community created the momentum for 8 people to say “yes”Why you're stronger than you think — and how to prove it to yourselfJoin the next GREAT RANGE ATHLETE 6-week challenge and get in mountain-hiking shape in just 6 weeks from your local gym or your house. Learn more about the Great Range Athlete Team Program HEREFollow on Instagram & Facebook:@46of46podcast@jamesappleton46Get my books:1.) The Adirondack 46 in 18 Hikes: The Complete Guide to Hiking the High Peaks 2.) Adirondack Campfire Stories: Tales and Folklore from Inside the Blue LineLooking for custom help to improve your both your fitness for hiking, disicpline, and daily habits? Work with James 1-on-1 to become fit for the trail and llife. Book a free strategy call with James to learn more about his 1-on-1 coaching program, SEEK TO DO MORE at www.seektodomore.com Visit my other websites:www.46OUTDOORS.comwww.46OF46.com

He's not a politician. Not an influencer. Not a name you'll see trending.But Matt Elliott has been quietly changing the world for 20 years.In this episode, we meet the man who lit the spark behind civic leader Sarah Teti (Ep. 30), and never stopped building bridges.Raised in the small town of Newport in upstate New York and shaped by the wild beauty of the Adirondacks, Matt saw early on how environmental damage didn't just touch the land -- it touched lives. So he did something radical: he kept showing up. First as a student organizer. Then as a deep-woods surveyor. Now as a lobbyist who listens more than he lectures.Matt doesn't seek attention. He seeks impact. And in this conversation, he shares what he's learned about finding common ground in divided rooms, how small towns shape big convictions, and what to do when you want to make a difference -- but don't think you have the time, the talent, or the title.Because as Matt proves, sometimes the greatest leaders are the ones who walk in quietly, build something lasting, and leave it better than they found it.More on The Great Unfamous:# Origins of The Great Unfamous: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠bit.ly/greatunfamous⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠#YouTube: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠bit.ly/gr8Unfamous⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠#Facebook: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠facebook.com/gr8unfamous⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠# All podcast platforms: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠linktr.ee/thegreatunfamous⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠#IG: ⁠@gr8unfamous⁠#Twitter: ⁠@gr8unfamous

Hacksaw is now at his cabin in the Adirondacks of upstate New York, yet the firehose of sports content does not stop! We talk about the fading Friars, the dominating Dodgers, the askew Angels and notes from the Pirates, Mets, and Athletics. In the NBA the Lakers are waiting, the Clippers are getting older, and we have free agency news with the Warriors, Bulls, Hawks, Jazz, Timberwolves, and Pistons. NHL has trades and rumors involving Ducks, Oilers, Kings, Canadiens, Maple Leafs and Golden Knights. Off the High-Speed Sports Wire, we have updates on USA Soccer, Mexico Soccer, SDFC, Club World Cup, NASCAR and F1. Gotta a comment or question for Lee? Drop your take in the live chat on YouTube, X or Facebook. Here's what Lee Hamilton thinks on Monday, June 30, 2025.   1)...PADRES...FALLING FURTHER BEHIND "FAITH IN THE FRIARS"   2)...DODGERS BASEBALL...HOT AS SUMMER WEATHER "ARROW IS POINTED UP"   3)...ANGELS...PROBLEMS CONTINUE TO MOUNT "LOSE MANAGER-LOSE GAMES"   4)...MLB NOTEBOOK "HALL OF FAMER PASSES"   PIRATES METS ATHLETICS --------------- 5)...LA LAKERS...ROSTER MOVES COMING? "WAITING GAME BEGINS"   6)...LA CLIPPERS...SIGNINGS COMING "GETTING OLDER-GETTING BETTER?"   7)...NBA NOTEBOOK "FREE AGENCY BEGINS"   GOLDEN STATE BULLS ATLANTA UTAH MINNESOTA PISTONS ============ (HALFTIME-DIXIELINE LUMBER) ============= 8)...NHL NOTEBOOK- "9-TRADES...1-BIG RUMOR"   DUCKS EDMONTON LA KINGS MONTREAL MAPLE LEAFS-LAS VEGAS -------------- 9)...NFL NOTEBOOK "BROWNS STADIUM – STEELERS TRADE" --------------- 10)...HOT HEADLINES "OFF SPORTS WIRE"   USA SOCCER MEXICO SOCCER SDFC CLUB WORLD CUP NASCAR FORMULA 1 ================   #nfl #BROWNS #STEELERS #MLB #athletics #mets #pirates #PADRES #michaelking #ajpreller #mannymachado #yudarvish #robertsuarez #fernandotatisjr #DODGERS #tylerglasnow #claytonkershaw #shoheiohtani #blakesnell #ANGELS #miketrout #ronwashington #juansoto #DAVEPARKER #MAXMUNCY #sandiegostate #aztecs #TEXASSTATE #PAC12 #nhl #BLUEJACKETS #MAPLELEAFS #DUCKS #KINGS #OILERS #canucks #goldenknights #knights #canadiens #MITCHMARNER #johngibson #evanderkane #lakers #clippers #hawks #timberwolves #lebronjames #anthonydavis #bronnyjames #WARRIORS #lonzoball #BULLS #f1 #NASCAR #teamusa #sdfc #SANDIEGOFC #MauricioPochettino   Be sure to share this episode with a friend!   ☆☆ STAY CONNECTED ☆☆ For more of Hacksaw's Headlines, The Best 15 Minutes, One Man's Opinion, and Hacksaw's Pro Football Notebook: http://www.leehacksawhamilton.com/   SUBSCRIBE on YouTube for more reactions, upcoming shows and more! ► https://www.youtube.com/c/leehacksawhamiltonsports   FACEBOOK ➡ https://www.facebook.com/leehacksaw.hamilton.9   TWITTER ➡ https://twitter.com/hacksaw1090   TIKTOK ➡ https://www.tiktok.com/@leehacksawhamilton   INSTAGRAM ➡ https://www.instagram.com/leehacksawhamiltonsports/     To get the latest news and information about sports, join Hacksaw's Insider's Group. It's free! https://www.leehacksawhamilton.com/team/ Thank you to our sponsors: Dixieline Lumber and Home Centers https://www.dixieline.com/  

What happens when world-class opera collides with the rugged beauty of the Adirondacks? In this episode of ADK Talks, we pull back the curtain on the Seagle Festival—America's oldest summer vocal training program, a cultural institution with a rich legacy, tucked away in the charming village of Schroon Lake, NY.Hosts Jane and Steve of ADKtaste.com sit down with Artistic Director Darren Woods, a visionary leader who has not only led but also transformed the Seagle Festival into a hub for boundary-pushing performances and emerging talent, inspiring a new generation of opera enthusiasts. Also joining us is Kate Morton, an electrifying young Mezzo-Soprano, who recently earned her Master of Music in Vocal Arts from the prestigious Juilliard School in New York City. A former Seagle emerging artist, Kate's extraordinary path to the stage is as dramatic and unexpected as the operas and musical works she performs.

(Jun 27, 2025) What's changed after the 2015 Dannemora prison escape revealed security cracks; Governor Hochul talks about Trump's ‘Big Beautiful Bill' and immigration crackdown; Lewis County Sheriff's Office has arrested a man it says was deported last year; the Jefferson County Board of Elections says it has identified and remedied a discrepancy in its unofficial primary election results; and, rainy days ahead.

When we envision the future we use the lens of today. It's tough to predict the future, but here's what we think will be vastly different than what you're expecting. Your host: Justin DiGiulio. Futurist, Sales Psychology Coach, Real Estate Broker, Writer, Runner, and Jack of All Trades.CoHost: James Boswell. Accountant, Philosopher, Bartender & Professional Referee Bar Trivia: An Irishman, Joe Malone, relocated his wife and 5 children to the Adirondacks several years ago. The youngest a 2 year old and a 4 year old are the sweetest and looked after by the middle child. Given the two eldest are teenagers, they are strong and are helping build their mountain homestead with their father. Bar Trivia: Mr. Dribble was visiting his sister and his young nephew, Adam, who was studying modern American history. ​Mr. Dribble was not familiar with American history.Adam showed him a list of all the American Presidents in order​ and ​told Mr. Dribble that three of the first five presidents died on Independence Day (July 4th).

Jamie comes on the show to tell us about her different encounters and experiences living in the Adirondack Mountains! Get more episodes on our Patreon, find us at www.cryptidcreatures.net

This week Jonathan Zaharek is with me to chat all about his new endeavor, Hike ADK. An online platform for all things hiking in the Adirondacks. Download the HikeADK app in the app store now or visit www.HikeADK.com and take advatange of this phenemonal new resource for hikers.Join the next GREAT RANGE ATHLETE 6-week challenge and get in mountain-hiking shape in just 6 weeks from your local gym or your house. Learn more about the Great Range Athlete Team Program HEREFollow on Instagram & Facebook:@46of46podcast@jamesappleton46Get my books:1.) The Adirondack 46 in 18 Hikes: The Complete Guide to Hiking the High Peaks 2.) Adirondack Campfire Stories: Tales and Folklore from Inside the Blue LineLooking for custom help to improve your both your fitness for hiking, disicpline, and daily habits? Work with James 1-on-1 to become fit for the trail and llife. Book a free strategy call with James to learn more about his 1-on-1 coaching program, SEEK TO DO MORE at www.seektodomore.com Visit my other websites:www.46OUTDOORS.comwww.46OF46.com

The dark topic t shirt is now available… Darktopicofficial.comSerial killer Robert Garrow and his disturbing criminal history, which included a 1973 murder spree through the Adirondacks. Sources:Book on Garrow case by Jim TracySworn to Silence: The Truth Behind Robert Garrow and the Missing Bodies CaseManhunt Footage NY State Archives Part 1https://youtu.be/1Ehcxk2z6ss?si=g3y8yC74by83eW_cPart 2https://youtu.be/B1YpPSukSZg?si=8mzhGFi2EQpI_anlHistory of Garrow Manhunt The Garrow Manhunt: A Serial Killer In The AdirondacksTimes Union (timeline w photos)Robert Garrow: The 1973 search for a killer in AdirondacksJim Tracy (author interview)https://youtu.be/pVRM9Ur4y-M?si=WuxNR3M7BcgC5U-Our Sponsors:* Check out IQbar and use my code DARK for a great deal: https://www.eatiqbar.com* Check out Mood and use my code DARKTOPIC for a great deal: https://mood.com* Check out Mood and use my code DARKTOPIC for a great deal: https://mood.com* Check out Rosetta Stone and use my code TODAY for a great deal: https://www.rosettastone.com* Check out TruDiagnostic and use my code DARKTOPIC for a great deal: https://www.trudiagnostic.comSupport this podcast at — https://redcircle.com/dark-topic2753/donationsAdvertising Inquiries: https://redcircle.com/brandsPrivacy & Opt-Out: https://redcircle.com/privacy

  https://slasrpodcast.com/      SLASRPodcast@gmail.com    Welcome to Episode 199 of the Sounds Like A Search and Rescue Podcast! Tonight we are joined by Katie Pasquarella, Katie is a hiker and climber who enjoys exploring the Northeast and sharing her adventures on Instagram! Tonight Stomps dusts off the mic and fills in for Mike, and we'll discuss why it might not be a great idea to do mushrooms while hiking in the Adirondacks, a tragic story of a father and daughter passing away on Maine's highest peak, Mike, Stomp, and Nick gear up for the SLASR 200th tomorrow, Stomp shares a book review, Stomp and crew helps to support the Cannon Mountain Cirque Series, we discuss some recent hikes, catch up on Notable Hikes, New Hampshire has seen 12 consecutive saturdays with measurable rainfall, and more, on this episode of the Sounds Like A Search And Rescue Podcast!     This weeks Higher Summit Forecast SLASR 48 Peaks Alzheimers team - Join here!    About Our Guest @katiepasquarella on Instagram   Topics Nick's Music Minute - Color Theory - Soccer Mommy - 2020 200 Episode Reminder - Mt. Washington Road Race  Lightning Safety Reminder Alpine Garden is in bloom and the Lupines are as well Our friend Stash from the Inside the Line: Catskill Mountains Podcast gets a plug in the New York Times Knobbie saves a skunk  New Hampshire can't escape rainy Saturdays Listener Dan Forget is carrying his rower up all 48 peaks Nick and Stomp finally wrapping up their musical project Stomp's book review of “4000's by 40” by Author Matt Larson and Nick visits Woodpecker Studios North Coffee Donations Recent Hikes Notable Hikes Guest of the Week - Katie Pasquarella Recent SAR News   Show Notes Apple Podcast link for 5 star reviews SLASR Merchandise SLASR LinkTree SLASR's BUYMEACOFFEE Soccer Mommy “Color Theory” Wikipedia Lightning Safety Harman's Cheese & Country Story Lupine Reports Rainy New Hampshire Weekends WMUR Father and Daughter Found Dead Near Maine's Highest Peak Tripping hikers mistakenly reported a companions' death in the Adirondacks Popular Hiking Influence Found Dead Off Scottsdale, Arizona Trail Hiker Assisted on Zealand Trail in Bethlehem Injured Rock Climber Rescued at Rumney Rocks Climbing Area Injured Hiker Rescued on Mount Kearsarge in Warner SLASR 48 Peaks Alzheimers team - Join here!  Sponsors, Friends  and Partners Wild Raven Endurance Coaching 2024 Longest Day - 48 Peaks Mount Washington Higher Summits Forecast Hiking Buddies  Vaucluse - Sweat less. Explore more. – Vaucluse Gear Fieldstone Kombucha CS Instant Coffee

In this episode of the Adirondack Hunt Podcast, big woods hunter and forest ranger Ian Kerr sits down with Mark and Brian to talk about his experiences for killing mature Adirondack bucks still-hunting on bareground in the Adirondacks. Ian also discusses tips for how to incorporate remote hot tenting into your Adirondack hunting game. Learn more about hunting deer, moose and more in the Big Woods, find informative articles and the best wool and gear at https://www.bigwoodsbucks.com Minus33 wool base layers and socks: https://alnk.to/aLIUpax Seek Outside Tents: Use code "BWB" for 10% off of your order at this link https://alnk.to/biuxP3W Grayl water filter: https://alnk.to/4MBtYKl Save 20% on your OnX subscription with code ‘BWB' https://www.onxmaps.com/hunt Hal and the Big Woods Bucks Team's Gear: https://www.bigwoodsbucks.com/Wool Hal's knife: Buck Knife 102: https://alnk.to/eDRDphL

The life of Frederick Douglass, the great 19th century statesman, orator, writer and abolitionist, is a triumphantly American story.He was born into slavery in the early years of the 19th century and died at the very height of the Gilded Age. His tremendous talents as a leader brought him out of slavery and into the heart of the Gilded Age as a player in the political worlds of Lincoln,  Grant and Hayes.Joining Carl on this episode is scholar and author Connor Williams who traces Douglass's life from his early years in enslavement through his emancipation and travel in and outside America and his role as an abolitionist and supporter of women's suffrage.This episode was edited and produced by Kieran Gannon.Connor has also appeared on the Gilded Gentleman podcast The Adirondacks and Great Camp Sagamore: Retreating to Nature in the Gilded Age

Dan's  first of two tales covers the lore and supposed paranormal encounters associated with Dublin, Ireland's St. Michan's Church and the dead bodies that reside in the crypts beneath it.  Then, we'll venture over Lake Pleasant, New York, and learn about some rumored murders associated with one of the town's founding fathers and the hauntings associated with those deaths. Lynze offers us three different tales this week. Her first is sad and sweet, a tale of a life taken to soon but possibly still here. Then, how strange would it be if strangers outside of your apartment could see a ghost in your home but you couldn't? Lastly, does watching horror flicks at home make you, your family and your personal space more susceptible to spirits moving in with you? What a crazy idea! Scared To Death Merch:Celebrate 300 episodes of Scared to Death with the killer new '300 Rituals' collection. A fun Midsommer inspired design, featuring a ceremonial ritual site adorned with flowers and bones, marking 300 horror packed episodes of your favorite spoopy podcast. Design available in a tee, mug, and collectable spring tote bag.  Also available now is the Redcap tee featuring the Scottish gnome from episode 289. A really cool 70s illustration style of a darkly curious little guy peeking over the letters STDP LIVE EXPERIENCES If you'd like to see us perform live this year, visit badmagicproductions.com for our annual summer camp or crimewaveatsea.com/scared for a spoopy cruise this fall! Thank you for continuing to send in your stories, Creeps and Peepers!Please keep doing so!!Send them to mystory@scaredtodeathpodcast.comSend everything else to info@scaredtodeathpodcast.comWant to be a Patron? Get episodes AD-FREE, listen and watch before they are released to anyone else, bonus episodes, a 20% merch discount, additional content, and more! Learn more by visiting: https://www.patreon.com/scaredtodeathpodcast.Please rate, review, and subscribe anywhere you listen.Thank you for listening!Follow the show on social media: @scaredtodeathpodcast on Facebook and IG and TTWebsite: https://www.badmagicproductions.com/Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/scaredtodeathpodcastInstagram: https://bit.ly/2miPLf5Mailing Address:Scared to Deathc/o Timesuck PodcastPO Box 3891Coeur d'Alene, ID 83816Opening Sumerian protection spell (adapted):"Whether thou art a ghost that hath come from the earth, or a phantom of night that hath no home… or one that lieth dead in the desert… or a ghost unburied… or a demon or a ghoul… Whatever thou be until thou art removed… thou shalt find here no water to drink… Thou shalt not stretch forth thy hand to our own… Into our house enter thou not. Through our fence, breakthrough thou not… we are protected though we may be frightened. Our life you may not steal, though we may feel SCARED TO DEATH."