lauralh | leading from the nose

By some accident of fate, I have ended up with the best boyfriend in the world. Initially I didn't really understand this, I thought he was just some sucker who would have been nice to any girl who took him home and talked to him every day. This was not too far off the mark, but unlike the previous bitches, I thrived under his attention. Which is not to say I thought it was The Real Thing, but that's just because I don't believe in the kind of love that lasts forever. But we've been going on over 5 years now, and even though things haven't always been awesome, the relationship was nearly always the best thing in either of our lives. Because at our worst, we can always have fun together.

I honestly hated the idea of camping before I met Reg, but he turned me into a convert. Granted Washington State helped; the West Coast of America is the best argument for camping in general, and WA specifically has so much variation within a few hundred miles that it's simply astonishing. And there's nothing like kissing your sweetheart by an open fire as you watch the sunset blaze over mountains. Or something like that. Nature is not to be beaten into submission here, but gently acceded to.

Except for mosquitos, those sad bastards should all drop dead right now.

Reg grew up camping all around this state, and his enthusiasm as he talks about these trips and the countryside are contagious. I always liked mountains and beaches - because I never knew what those were really growing up in Louisiana - but those are obvious gimmes. He's even brought me around to the gentle slopes of harsh eastern Washington. The grandeur is more subtle but after hearing him talk, you can't believe you ever disliked it. And the smell of sage is never far. We haven't yet gone to the northeastern corner, but he talks of it fondly, and is quite serious about wanting to retire to a small solar-powered cabin out there. With a lake, and an otter, and a duck.

And me.