Kickapoo Kicks!

[Mattie Chappel]

Kickapoo State Recreation Area

All of the planning, such as it was on short notice, and the hasty gathering of stuff to prepare for camping was finally paying off, and Mattie couldn't help but break into a wide grin as Kev steered her 'vintage' Bronco into the campsite at Kickapoo State Rec area.  Behind them, in the back seat, Koda seemed to feel the excitement, but then, the dog had never been camping, so there were going to be plenty of new smells for the dog to savor.

"There's our spot."  Mattie pointed to an area shaded with plenty of trees, only a few feet from from a shallow river that was running lazily in the morning sun.  "Looks really nice," she commented, glancing at Kev.  There would be plenty of room for their 4-man tent, and there was already a picnic table that would accommodate the antiquated Coleman propane stove that Mattie had found, while leaving room for them to sit and eat.  There was a fire pit, a water spigot attached to a post and 100 yards away were the restrooms, far enough to not be intrusive, but not so far as to be a long walk at night.

"So...guess we get to find out what we know about setting up camp," she commented with a grin.  "But if all else fails, we can always sleep in the truck!"

Kev Allison

[Kev Allison]

The camp site was just as he had imagined it since they had started talking about going camping. He hadn’t been for years and now driving up there with their stuff to prepare for it all was like a dream. He found himself grinning at Mattie as he glanced at Koda wondering what it was like from his perspective. Wide open spaces, lots of new smells and a whole state park for them to explore at their own leisure. Honestly you couldnt get any better than this.

Kev looked to where Mattie was pointing, “Wow this is perfect, river and all.” He said looking around for where to start setting everything up. It was seriously just like a camping movie, not that he had seen many of them but still it was the perfect place to be and made all the better that Mattie and Koda were there too. Hearing Mattie talk about setting up camp he grinned, “So how long does the tent need to stay up for? It’s still water proof if it’s on the ground right?” He asked not entirely sure that getting everything just right was going to be doable.

“Yeah knew it was a good thing to bring the truck but we wont fail.” He stated shaking his head, “A cop and a lawyer, what could possibly go wrong. Between us we have the know how to do this... I think.” He added chuckling as he moved to go and unpack the tent, that was on Bear Grills find shelter first and worry about everything else second or at least attempt to make a shelter that didnt cave in in the middle of the night.

Mattie Chappel

[Mattie Chappel]

“So how long does the tent need to stay up for? It’s still water proof if it’s on the ground right?”

Mattie laughed. "Well, it needs to stay up for as long as we need it, right? Can't have it falling on us in the middle of the night." Then she shrugged. "We'll put a tarp under it, that should keep any moisture out."

“Yeah knew it was a good thing to bring the truck but we wont fail.” He stated shaking his head, “A cop and a lawyer, what could possibly go wrong. Between us we have the know how to do this... I think.”

"Exactly!" Reaching into the back of the SUV, she tossed out a tarp, then grabbed a hammer and some gloves. "Here, put these on," she told Kev, "protect those delicate hands."

Laughing, she pulled on her own gloves then started pacing the ground, kicking aside little rocks. "So, we need a relatively flat surface and of course to clear it as much as we can...I'm not a princess and these aren't peas!"

It was funny, she hadn't done this in a long time, and yet it was coming back quickly.

Kev Allison,

[Kev Allison]

Kev shook his head, “Nope you’re right there, in the middle of the night that could be terrifying.” He said grinning as he nodded. “Tarp and tent it is then. This should be easy enough to fix up, besides a few sticks and rocks and we can have a fire too.”

He liked the outdoors he just hoped that the outdoors liked him too at the end of this and of course Mattie. Especially if he couldnt manage to fix a tent and then really, yeah he didnt want to think about what she would think then. “Awww thank you.” He said as he put the gloves on. “So Doc, where do we start to operate?” He asked her grinning.

Kev followed her kicking out the stones and rocks so the area was flat enough for a tarp. “Well you are a princess to me and if you wanted to sleep on peas. I’m sure we can find a store for some of them but yeah, ten thousand mattresses won’t make these stones feel like peas.” He said as he picked one up before tossing it aside. “Besides can’t have you sleeping on stones, I mean I cant guarantee I can put up a tent but at least the ground will be mostly flat.” He offered grinning at her.

Mattie Chappel

[Mattie Chappel]

“Nope you’re right there, in the middle of the night that could be terrifying.” He said grinning as he nodded. “Tarp and tent it is then. This should be easy enough to fix up, besides a few sticks and rocks and we can have a fire too.”

"Uh huh...If I can remember how to do that." Mattie chuckled. "At least I know how to make a fire pit so we don't burn down the forest!"

“Awww thank you.” He said as he put the gloves on. “So Doc, where do we start to operate?”

"Doc?" Mattie raised an eyebrow. "I do have bandaids, but that's as far as my doctoring skills go...unless you need CPR, of course." She was actually able to laugh at that now. "I'm sure we'll figure that out."

“Well you are a princess to me and if you wanted to sleep on peas. I’m sure we can find a store for some of them but yeah, ten thousand mattresses won’t make these stones feel like peas.” He said as he picked one up before tossing it aside. “Besides can’t have you sleeping on stones, I mean I can't guarantee I can put up a tent but at least the ground will be mostly flat.” He offered grinning at her.

"Me? A princess?" Shaking her head, Mattie laughed. "That was Annie, she always wanted to be a princess, and I was the brave knight!" It was easy, she was finding, to talk to him about that part of her life without sinking into melancholy.

"So, tarp goes down, tent goes up!" It sounded simple enough! "The hardest part is getting the poles set right." Sometimes, getting the two flexible poles to seat into the pockets at the corners of the tent wasn't easy, but with the two of them it should work out fine.

"Opposite corners, so it's not twisted! Then we stake it down, put on the rain fly and throw our gear in!"

Well, that was the beginning, anyway. They'd have to get the camp stove and lanterns out, too. "Do you think we should set up an awning over the picnic table in case it rains?" It would add time to the set-up, but might be worth it in the long run.

Kev Allison,

[Kev Allison]

Kev grinned when she said if she could remember how to do that. “Ohh fire pits, now those are cool but unlike you I’ve no idea how to make one.” He said as he pulled a small yellow lighter from his pocket. “But just like a cave man, I brought fire just in case we couldnt make any.” He was sure there were matches too but then he wanted to be sure they weren’t going to freeze to death if for any reason they needed to rely on his camping skills.

“Well I’m glad you’re here then, bandaids and CPR.” He said as he grinned, “But at least CPR means I get a kiss right?” He said before he realised how that sounded. “I mean... not that... I just... joke.” He spluttered. Where was a rock when you wanted to throw one at your own head he thought as he glanced at the pile of them they were making. Not quiet big enough to hide behind yet he thought. Way to go to alienate someone you were camping with, say something weird like that. Kev half expected her to leave though maybe she didnt hear him.

Sure he was going with that version of events. “Okay then oh fearless warrior knight. Still cant have knights sleeping on peas either. Bad for their backs.” He stated grinning glad that she was talking to him about her sister. He remembered it had been a surprise to hear about her sister in the car as he realised how big a thing that was to share with him though he was glad she did.

Tarp down, tent up. If only it was that simple he thought as listened to Mattie talk about getting the poles just right. “You make this sound like a piece of cake.” He said as he got the poles as placed them down to start putting them together. “Opposite corners here we go.” Yes it was looking a lot easier said than done he thought as he wondered how the poles were even going to work with the tent, ground sheet, so much stuff to put up and make everything right without putting his foot in it.

“Oh yeah good idea, can’t do with a soggy three course gourmet camping meal in our fire pit.” He said as he wondered for a moment. “The rain won’t put that out right?” He asked grinning for moment as he set about trying to attach the poles to each other.

Mattie Chappel

[Mattie Chappel]

Joke...

Had Mattie been younger, less jaded and damaged, his 'kiss' comment might have made her blush. As it was, she was flirting with thoughts of...well, letting go of the past and letting the present actually have a voice, but she was still hesitant to take that step...she wasn't a silly school-girl any more and didn't want to get into something that might not be anything.

In the mean time, he was kind of cute, in the way he smiled and the way he acted, and...

"Yeah, the fire will go out if it gets rained on too much, but then, it'll be out at night anyway." She shrugged. "It's not that cold, and it's not really safe to leave it unattended." Grinning, she added, "We don't want to be those people in the news three days after a devastating wild fire that was started by an 'unattended campfire!"

With the structure of the tent done, she handed him a hammer and some stakes. "Pound those in at the corners," she instructed, "I'll get the support lines out." She chuckled. "This is kind of like 'riding a bike', it comes back to you even after a long time."

She was surprised at how much she remembered, and how much she was enjoying the whole thing after avoiding it for so long.

Kev Allison,

[Kev Allison]

There didnt seem to be a rock big enough to hid under after what he had said, he had dated a few women here and there but it had never been anything serious. With the hours he worked he was lucky if anything lasted more than a few weeks when he had to make the ‘I’m working late, can we reschedule?’ call. It was always fun to hear the tirade after he did of not caring or the few instances he was asked was he seeing someone else. He never had and even if he didnt have a schedule from hell he wasn’t likely to either.

It didnt however stop the feeling of absolute idiocy for asking that question though he smiled when she spoke about the fire. “Oh yeah, cant say that being on the front of the news would be a good thing, cop and lawyer burn down half a forest while camping. Was it a bad day at work or did they just forget to pour water on it?” He said trying to think over a reasonable explanation for that but he couldnt come up with anything.

Kev took the stakes that were handed to him as he nodded to her instructions as he started to hammer in the stakes at the corners. “You’re going great with this, if it was me, i’d probably end up in the river wondering why the tent was floating away or like you say... serious camp fire issues.” He joked though he wasnt too sure if he was left to his own devices it might not happen.

It was fun to just get out into nature, even if he knew little about working with it. The military had been years ago and now he was figuring everything out again with Mattie and it was great. She was great and knew what she was doing too which for him was another bonus of getting to spend more time with her too.

Mattie Chappel

[Mattie Chappel]

"Well, at least the advantages of what you are worried about is that they cancel each other out, so you only need to worry about one." Mattie's nose wrinkled up. "Well, I suppose the part of your tent that isn't in the water can be burning as it floats down the river!"

As he was setting the corner stakes, she attached the guy cords to the edges of the rain fly. "Here, grab a side of that and we'll fling it over the top, then you can stake it down." Did he notice that she was making him do all the hard work?

"Once we get that done, we can have a beer break then set up the awning...or do both at the same time?" She chuckled. "That can be more entertaining! Never know what you're going to end up with that way!"

This was fun, and she looked forward to getting everything set up so they could get to the relaxing part.

Kev Allison,

[Kev Allison]

Kev laughed and nodded, flooding or setting fire to things Mattie had a point about one cancelling out the other though he figured he might be the unlucky one with the part of it stuck out of the water. “Yeah I don’t think that would be great because once it burns you sink and then the water... well, glad we’re on dry land because that’s a case of doomed and then doomed.” He said grinning.

With the corner stakes and the guy cords being attacked Kev watched Mattie as he grabbed a side and helped her out. He didnt mind doing any of the hard work at all as it was fun to do, especially with Mattie there too. “Ooh beer break now that does sound fun and doing both at the same time...” He said chuckling as he wondered what kind of awning they would end up with.

Straight or the sort that would barely hang in there if there was a slight breeze. “Exactly and it’s not like it had to be entirely straight for the awning, it could be a rain catcher or anything really. Ropes and poles, doesn’t matter what way they go.” He said with a grin as he nodded. The relaxing part would be great but he hoped it was just as much fun as the putting everything together part because it was all worth it.

Hearing Mattie chuckle and seeing her smile, it was worth any amount of hard work that went into things. He had been a little nervous about the camping trip but now it was good fun and great to be there and get to share it with her.

Mattie Chappel

[Mattie Chappel]

"Whatever we get, we'll make do, right?" After all, it could be argued that something is better than nothing, or at least equal, and hopefully rain wouldn't be a problem.

"So, over the picnic table...we know that much. I'd say a lean-to, but knowing our talent, we'd face it just right to catch all the rain!"

She laughed, then dug in the cooler and pulled out a couple of beers, handing one to him, then sat on the picnic table with her feet on the bench. "This was a great idea, I'm glad you thought of it." Funny, all she had were good memories about camping, and that put her in a good mood. That, and beer!

"We can go tubing down the river later," she suggested, looking out at the water, for a moment her gaze distant, but she was quickly back to her self, calling out, "Koda! This is a State Park! No eating anything!"

The dog had found a critter hole of some sort and was trying to dig to China!

Kev Allison,

[Kev Allison]

“Exactly we will, I mean it can’t turn out too bad can it?” He asked as he laughed as he hoped the rain would at least leave off for the few days they had there. Then again he wasnt against rain it was just annoying if things leaked or if he had managed to do something that would cause an issue with a leak.

“Oh we would so lean to it is, I mean we’re two very capable people here and if it all does go wrong. The truck it is.” He said grinning as he took one of the beers from her happily as he held it up to her for a moment before he took a drink. “You thought of it too so not all my idea but thanks. It’s great to be out here with you and Koda.” He added glad to get away from the city for a while.

Kev chuckled when she mentioned tubing down the river as he nodded. “Sounds like a good plan to me.” He watched her gaze though Koda digging holes seemed to bring her back as he laughed. “You sure about that? I mean if we need a pit dug Koda seems like he could make good progress.” Kev said grinning, “But yeah no eating things you’re not supposed to. We have a cop with us, we need to stick to the rules here.” He said grinning as he took a seat on the picnic table.

Mattie Chappel

[Mattie Chappel]

“You thought of it too so not all my idea but thanks. It’s great to be out here with you and Koda.”

"Ah, sharing the blame in case everything goes wrong! Nice move!" Laughing, she looked at him, then met his 'toast' with her can of beer. "Well, it was a good idea, no matter whose fault it is!"

“Sounds like a good plan to me.” He watched her gaze though Koda digging holes seemed to bring her back as he laughed. “You sure about that? I mean if we need a pit dug Koda seems like he could make good progress.” Kev said grinning, “But yeah no eating things you’re not supposed to. We have a cop with us, we need to stick to the rules here.”

"Well, he has his own badge, so I guess he doesn't have to worry!" She took another drink of the beer. "Lean-to it is...good choice, that's faster, anyway."

Leaning her elbows on her knees, she sighed, just breathing in the sent of the pines, and wood fires that were burning in other camps. "Good memories...we can have those." She chuckled. "Hopefully! So, let's get that lean-to up, toss our gear in the tent, then we can start the fun."

Kev Allison,

[Kev Allison]

“Hey you knew I was a lawyer before we got here, it’s what we do. Share because you can only prosecute one person usually so mix it up and your free as a bird.” Kev said laughing as he nodded, “Agreed, it’s your great idea.” He added grinning at her. It truly was a good idea to get away from the city and try something new.

It was the good thing about camping that you didnt have to b great at it to enjoy it and honestly Kev wasn’t great at camping. He could do it but much like cooking it wasnt much to write home about. “Fair enough, so it’s just me on the wrong end of the badge situation... I’ve got a tin star plastic one if that counts for anything?” He teased nodding to the lean-to comment.

Kev watched Mattie breath in the scent of the pines and fires. “You can have as many good memories as you want to have, you deserve them Mattie.” He said as he smiled, “Sure let’s do this. Lean to, gear in the tent and fun.” He said as he moved to get the stuff for the lean to as he attempted to make a start with it. No one said it had to be pretty just sturdy which was what he was aiming for.

Mattie Chappel

[Mattie Chappel]

"You're on!" She appreciated his assertion that she deserved good memories, and while deep down she believed that, too, she felt like it would be arrogant or selfish to

Setting aside her drink, she hopped up from the table, this was something he was going to need help with, the tarp was big and ungainly, and getting it propped right on the poles, then getting the poles secured so they didn't collapse could be tricky.

It took some manipulation, team work and probably three times longer than it should have to get the thing set up, but Mattie laughed through most of it, and that was something she hadn't done in a long time. Even Koda got in on it, barking merrily whenever the whole thing collapsed on them and they had to start over.

But it was finally done, their gear was stowed, the camp stove and lantern set out on the table, they were done with what had to be accomplished for now.

"Free time until dinner!" Mattie declared, "so, what sounds like fun?"

Kev Allison,