Eating Takeout Burritos for Lunch!

Remember I told you I was walking back on 203 about 7:00 last night & Park Mgr Raymond Drake comes driving up & asks me if I want a ride back to camp. Is this a great guy or what? I think about it about 2 seconds and jump in... then - catch this - he says his wife (Letritia) is making burritos and do I wanna come eat with them? I mean - Come on - Does a Bear s@*! in the Woods! - I mean I been walking for 6 hrs & ate a sandwich & a Hershey bar - @ this point I'm jumping up & down & doing back flips but somehow compose myself and say "Yes - I'd love to have dinner @ your house." I walk into his house & the 1st word that comes to mind is "Home".

I could tell right off that this family had it right! I met Raymond's wife, Letritia and sons Raymond Jr and Chance.

Letritia asks me if I want something to drink like tea or water .... and I say water... and then Raymond offers me a beer.... let's see Beer or Water! Yeah that's a tough choice.

So what do I do? I sit in the company of a wonderful family and drink beer and eat 4 (yes 4 - hell I could've eaten 10 they were so good) beef and green chile burritos and watch Raymond's elk hunting videos and look at Raymond Jr's 28" wide Mule Deer hanging on the wall - yeah you heard me right - 12 year old R Jr. smoked a Trophy Mule Deer w/ his 243 this year - one shot one kill - just like the year before - can you believe it? 12 years old and he's already killed 2 mule deer. While I'm wiping the drool off my chin from looking at R Jr's buck and smacking on beef / green chile burritos washed down w/ cold beer, I ask about Raymond's pictures and medals on top of a chest in the corner.

Seems Raymond was in the 1st Gulf War - 1991 - and was on a special Air Force Security Detail that was personally responsible for General Norman Schwarzkopf and his staff. He was even on CNN right in the middle of the picture when the returning American POW's came down off the plane! Wow! This guy's a Gulf War veteran too! He tells me about his experiences in Iraq and how he was standing at attention during a meeting Schwarzkopf was having w/ some other general or staff member explaining a complex set of military plans when the General Schwarzkopf suddenly turns to Raymond and says "What do you think?" Raymond quickly responds "Sounds good to me!" Schwarzkopf turns to his staff and says "Well - it's a go then!" Amazing!

I mean I could go on and on about Raymond and his family... I met son Chance who enjoys playing video games.... and talked with Letritia while continuing to snarf down her delicious burritos... I tried not to make a pig of myself.... and failed miserably.

Ray brings out his Reflex bow and R Jr. brings out his Remington 710 .243 and I'm having the time of my life.... talking hunting and fishing and eating and drinking beer.....

So it's getting late and I gotta go and what happens then.... Letritia comes out with 2 burritos to go.... and I swear I'm about to cry.

I mean think about this... I go from hungry and cold and walking on a dark road back to a dark campsite to sharing dinner with a Great American Family and then I get FOOD TO GO!

I don't know what to say.... I'm Discovering America ..... and its people .... and they are both Great!