Rodney and Dubby Kehle were a great new find in the friend quarry. Both are cancer survivors. In fact, there existed an entire string of us on the river view sites that had overcome the “Big C’. We nicknamed our conglomeration of sites….. Cancer Row. Dubby is a breast cancer survivor recently. Rod’s case was more a freak of happenstance. While imbibing a bit too much one evening in their new fifth wheel Rod fell down the bedroom steps and cracked some ribs. A trip to the hospital was in store. X rays proved more than a rib problem. He was informed he had kidney cancer. He told me he loved that fifth wheel. Had he not fallen on those steps, he would now be a dead man. Vex not they spirit at the course of things, they heed not thy vexation. How ludicrous and outlandish is astonishment at anything that may happen in life. But I digress, so on to less morbidity. They made sure that we planned nothing for their last evening here. Rodney was planning a big fish fry as he had just brought in some fresh shrimp and flounder. It didn’t turn out to be just some but pounds and pounds of it. While Rodney fried we chatted. I learned a great deal about the life of a commercial shrimp boat captain. The days and nights away from home, often as many as a week and a half, the perils they faced and how they actually caught their prey was extremely intriguing. Oftentimes, the catch of the week may turn from shrimp to that of sharks. Rod told me that he had the fortune of landing at least three Great White’s in his life. Setting and baiting hundreds of hooks and then letting them lie through the night until the morning haul was pulled in by a winch brought “The Deadliest Catch” to life for me. I asked about the reason for the pursuit of shark and was informed it was economic reasoning behind that quest. The fins of the shark were sold and shipped to Japan, Their they are a delicacy. The remaining white meat was purchased by MacDonalds. Yep, that’s right. You fish fillet there is just that. And who knew. I guess unknowingly I have been a connoseur of shark. Rodney breaded and fried more shrimp and flounder than we could handle that night. Dub complimented the chef with her homemade hush puppies fried on the spot along with her own special cole slaw. We ate so much we hurt. Topping off their hospitality, they offered their ten acre plot for us to park the RV, free of charge, when in the Savannah area. They were insistent that we stay there, noting that they provided hook-ups along with the free site. We couldn’t have met more gracious and giving people. I consider myself extremely blessed as my life has been ladened with gifts too numerous to note over the decades. However, the greatest of these are the people with which we have intereacted and taken the time to really know. I’m sure we’ll stop on our way through Georgia, not for the RV site, but for the camaraderie and to engage great friends once again. Thank you Rod and Dubby.
Heed Not Thy Vexation
Reflections
As usual I was up before dawn cracked the dark horizon. No one stirred here at home or in any other site around. Dressed and shoed, the sun cast enough of its glow to allow for a morning ride. I peddaled out of the campground and far enough down the highway until I spied a dirt road off to my left . I had to take it. Ending up at an unknown pond, my eyes were drawn to two empty chairs. Walking the weather shorn boards, looking down into the waters, seeing everything before me mirrored right back at me. It had me thinking; ” I’m changing, arranging. I’m changing everything, everything around me. Oh my sorrows, sad tomorrows, take me back to my own home. The changing of moonlight to sunlight, reflections of my life. We sailed from the port of indecision, young and wild with oh, so much to learn. Days turned into years as we tried to fool our fears. But to the port of indecision I have returned.
Boating with Brutus
Hey there. Brutus here again. I’m lovin’ it here so far. Larry and Robin met these really neat people soon after setting up. Don and Jackie Smith from Atlanta. They don’t have a dog but so far they’re treating me as their own. I have them in the palm of my hand as well. The four of them rented a pontoon boat the other day and headed up the Suwanee to Manatee Springs in search of the namesake. Much to my chagrin they left me behind. But around noon they were back, packing the cooler with goodies and drinks and this time they took me along. I got to drive with Donald and then Jackie. Buy the time we were returning back, Larry, a bit toasted drove while he held me aloft to see the birds, boats, and blue waters of Cedar Key. We had to fill up with the reserve gasoline as it was all we could do to get back to the dock by dark. Larry always pulls this stuff, pushing the limit of everything just enough to scare the bejesus out of me. I hate being scared and he just seems to live life in order to be a little scared. I was kind of glad to get off that boat anyway, thinking this was the end of the day, but oh, no. They’ve been having a fire every night and all the neighbors seem to gather at our pit. They’ve deemed it the watering hole for some reason. I don’t understand this as I’ve yet to see any water. In fact, all the things that they drink are anything but clear. The neighbors on the other side of us are Georgians as well. But they’re from Savannah. Rodney was a shrimper for most of his life and I’ve heard some really interesting stories about life on the boat, the Perfect Storm, and Bubba Gump. His wife, Dubbie, ( yes, that’s not a misprint). It’s not Debbie but Dubby. She’s an administrative assistant to the local sheriff and they both now own their own excavating company. Rodney’s mother came in just before Thanksgiving and I’ve put the charm on her. I even have her pushing me around the campground in “her” wheelchair. You just gotta love this life. Every morning Larry rides his bike, goes for long walks, while I just hang around with Robin. She takes me for walks around the park and we talk to people but just mostly hang out. They all had a Thanksgiving dinner yesterday but I wasn’t invited. Hopefully I’ll get to take a road trip tomorrow. They haven’t been going much of anyplace as it’s just so beautiful here. I was laying out the other day and heard this noise above, looked up, there was the damn Goodyear Blimp heading to Alabama for the Auburn game, I guess. I’m just happy watching the boats go up an ‘way down upon the Suwanee River’, as Stephen Foster would have it. Here’s some shots of me and my friends on the boat and cavorting about the park.

