Date: Wed, 9 Jun 2010 10:10:48 EDT From: Bwstories8@aol.com Subject: Castaway Hotel: Grand Reopening - Book 7, chapter 3 - 4 The Castaway Hotel: Grand Reopening --Book 7 - by BW Copyright 2009 by billwstories Chapter 3 -- Distractions. **Author's Note:** Please read the disclaimer in Chapter 00 before you read this. Over the next few days I was approached by various members of my family, as they came to offer me their own unique take about how to handle the situation with my older children. I listened to their suggestions about how they thought I could resolve this problem and then thanked them for their input. Although I tried to be polite and let everyone express his ideas, I was getting tired of listening to everyone else tell me how I should handle my own life. Finally, I announced I wouldn't discuss this topic further and everyone left me in peace - that was everyone except Jake. Since Jake was convinced he was the cause of my problems and the root of this situation, he felt he should be part of the solution as well. I decided I owed him at least that much, to ease his conscience, but Jake was the only one I would allow to continue this discussion. I did have one stipulation, however, and he would only bring this up in private and when I wasn't involved with other things. Now that I had issued my ultimatum about others butting into my personal problems, the boys seemed to focus their attention on how best to help the Beckers. They talked about what their group would do when their turn came up on the schedule, including anything they thought they might do to help, even if Mr. Becker didn't ask. They also tried to devise activities for their limited free time, which they planned to use to divert Little Ricky's attention from his problems. Once the first group knew what they were going to do, I called Albert and arranged a time for us to come out. It was decided anytime on Saturday would be fine, so we'd all go out and help them this weekend. The first group would stay at the farm until the following weekend, when we'd bring the next group out to replace them. By having each group go out on Saturday, Jake and I could help out as well. Mark could drive out and spend the day with us, if he still wanted to participate, and from what he said, I was sure he did. He could drive back Saturday night or Sunday morning, but the rest of us would help out on Sunday too and return home Sunday night. Albert thanked me numerous times for what we were doing and told me how much it would help him. He also thought it would benefit Richard the most, since he was becoming very concerned about what might happen to him, if his adoptive mother completely lost touch with reality. I told him I understood and would give it my best effort to assuage his son's fears. The first group consisted of Danny, Brandon and Andrew. The college boys thought they should go first, but they also split up according to size and work ability as well. That way some of the boys could do the physical labor, while the other(s) could take care of the less taxing chores. It seemed like a good plan, but we'd soon see how it worked out. During their stay at the farm, the boys not only helped the Beckers out with the daily chores, but they freed Mr. Becker up to spend more time with his wife. When she was in one of her more lucid states, they would talk and joke around with each other, but during the other times he would literally have to take care of her, as you would a small child. It was difficult for us to witness, so I could only imagine how tough it was for Richard and him, but we did what we could to allow them to be together as much as possible. The boys began by helping out with the normal summertime duties, such as the haying, but they also helped take care of his crops and animals as well. Depending on weather conditions and how quickly the hay grew, they would do at least two and possible three cuttings before they returned to school. They would continue this routine until the fall, and then those of us who didn't leave for college would come out on the weekends to help Mr. Becker harvest his modest assortment of crops. He grew these mainly for his own use, but when he had more than he needed, he would also share the excess with his friends, put a modest amount up for sale at his roadside stand or sell a share to the local stores. The boys were all quite pleased they were able to make an impact on lessening the workload for our friends, but they also enjoyed the time they got to spend with Richard, in between doing the various chores. They would try to get him involved in things he liked to do, like skinny-dipping in the pond, but they would also do other things with him, when he suggested it. It was obvious they'd do anything for someone they thought of like another brother. As we approached the end of June, our hectic routine began to become familiar to us and kept us all very busy. However, I still hadn't forgotten what had happened concerning my older children. It still pained me deeply to think they were so intolerant about sexual issues, but I hoped it was only because it had to do with their father and didn't indicate a general bigotry towards gays. I continued to try to push it out of my mind, but it would pop up again when I least expected. The one thing that hurt me more than anything else was that their decision was going to greatly alter my relationship with my grandchildren. Otherwise, I think I might have been able to work my way through what was going on. One thing that did bring me out of my funk, at least temporarily, was when Nick called from Brazil (or should I spell it Brasil, as they do down there?). He was very excited and seemed to like his host family a lot. They happened to have two sons, one about Nick's age (Will) and one slightly younger (Marcos), so that didn't hurt either. I immediately reminded him of the concerns we went over before he left, although I feared my comments were falling on deaf ears. If I were a gambler, I would bet Nick would probably be in both boys' pants before the week was out, if he hadn't been already. I sometimes wish he wasn't quite so sexually aggressive. Nick also told me about the school he was attending, the people he'd met and the area he lived in. He informed me he was quite fortunate to have gone to the family he had, as there was basically no middle class in Brazil and the people there were either quite wealthy, with servants and all, or fairly poor. Fortunately for him, his family was quite well to do and he was going to have it quite easy while he was with them. He was very excited about everything and mentioned once again how cute he thought the two sons were. When he finished, I reminded him one more time about the things we'd discussed before he left to spend time with his parents. We then went on to talk about other things, such as how everyone was doing, before I let him chat briefly with some of the boys. When they had finished their conversations, I got back on the line and we talked a little more, before I finally said good-bye. I reminded him to keep in touch, and he promised he would, and then I told him I loved him and missed him, before I hung up. The next item on my agenda was getting ready for our vacation. Most of the arrangements had been made previously, but then put on hold during Cody's illness, but now that he was gone, I saw no reason why the remainder of the family shouldn't enjoy some of their summer. Of course, I had made some changes, such as removing Cody and my grandson from the equation, while adding Peter, but basically we'd follow the plans I had come up with in advance. I did take some time to sit down and discuss things with Peter, so I could get an idea of the types of things he might like to do. He was pretty open and receptive to almost anything, so I pulled Ricky aside, to see if he could give me an idea of the types of things Peter enjoyed. In the end, I came up with a couple of additional ideas, which I'd try to fit in with my existing plans. I also tried to make certain we didn't leave the Beckers stranded, without any help. The last time I was out to the farm, I took time to go around and speak with Mr. Becker's neighbors, to see about getting some of the young men from the area to cover for my boys while we were away. I offered to pay them more than adequately for their help, although most of them claimed I didn't need to compensate them at all for doing the 'neighborly thing.' Nonetheless, I would make sure they were rewarded for adding to their own workloads, as the majority of them would still have to do their own chores on their family farms while also helping out the Beckers. Frankie and Mark had informed me they'd only be joining us for part of the trip, as they couldn't afford to be away for an entire month. Mark would take his two-week vacation and join us for the first part of our trip, but that's the most time he could possibly be away from work. Frankie was going to go with us for the same two- week period, but it wasn't due to his limited time off. Frankie had been looking for a job since his graduation and felt he couldn't be away for any extended period of time, just in case a job offer came through. Frankie also offered to help out on the Becker farm when he came back and while we were continuing our vacation. That way, he'd be able to check for messages on possible job offers, while still helping out on the farm. Mark said he'd spend the weekends out there too, not just Saturday, and I thanked them both for their assistance and thoughtfulness. I also went over what they might want to pack for their time away, before I went over similar information with everyone else. Although we were planning to leave for vacation on Saturday, the week after the Fourth of July, our plans were about to experience a few snags. First, Mark came home one evening and announced he now had to go away for a conference the week before we were to leave. Another person was supposed to go, but he'd just quit, to start a better job in New York City. Since the reservation had been made, paid for and non-refundable, Mark's boss told him he was next in line to go. Mark didn't dare refuse, so he agreed, but he knew this might mess up his going on vacation with us. It was an investment seminar, which was right up Mark's alley, and it was going to be held at a resort in Upstate New York. Mark's boss was fairly insistent he should go, since it would expose him to others in the field and introduce him to new strategies and approaches concerning what he was currently doing. It would also familiarize him with analyses about the current market and what to types of things to be aware of in the future. This event was being held several hours away, at the Concord Resort in the Catskill Mountains. I knew it was a marvelous establishment, since I'd been there before to attend various educational conferences. I informed Mark there would be many other things he might be able to do while he was there, besides just attend conference sessions. I went on to tell him the resort also featured two golf courses, tennis courts, horseback riding and various nightclubs to occupy his spare time. I hoped this information might give him a better perspective about attending, since he was slightly bummed out by suddenly being forced to do this. Try as I might, Mark insisted he wouldn't have that much free time, so he'd just stick to doing what he was there for. We discussed his various options of getting back and forth, since he'd be the only one attending this time. In the end, he decided, due to his time constraints, it would be best for him to drive. That way he could return on Friday, during the early evening hours, and would still have time to get his things together. That way, there would be no problem with us catching our flight Saturday morning. The weekend before we were to leave on our trip, we left Mark at home to pack for his conference, while the rest of us went to the Beckers to do our thing. When we arrived, Mrs. Becker didn't know who we were or what we were doing there, so we stayed clear of the house, so as not to upset her. A few hours later she spotted us going about our duties and asked her husband why the boys and I hadn't come in to say hello. At that point he called us over and explained the situation, so we went in to offer our apologies and tell her we hadn't wanted to disturb her. I knew this was very difficult for Mr. Becker, judging from his reactions, and he looked as if he had aged ten years in just the past few months. We worked hard all day Saturday and most of Sunday, but we left earlier than normal, so we could get back to say good-bye to Mark before he left. Mr. Becker and Richard thanked us once more for our assistance, and we left Dustin, Cole and Graham to finish out the week, with a promise that we'd be back early Friday to pick them up for our vacation. We said our good-byes, got back into our vehicles and headed home. When we got there, Mark was nearly frantic. "Dad, there's something's wrong with my car and I can't get it started," he quickly told me. "I've called around and can't find anyone who is willing to fix it today. They all say wait until tomorrow and bring it in, but I can't wait. I have to leave tonight, so I'll be there in time for the morning registration." "Mark, calm down and don't worry about it," I told him. "You can take the Grand Am and Jake and I will get your car fixed while you're gone. Does that solve your problem?" "You'd do that for me?" he asked, somewhat surprised. "Certainly. You're part of this family too," I reminded him, "and we help each other out." "But won't the other guys need the Grand Am during the week?" he asked, concerned. "Don't worry about that, we'll survive without it," I assured him. "You just take it for now and we'll work our schedules out so we can get along with the other vehicles." "Dad, you're a lifesaver." He gushed, as he gave me a big grin and an even bigger hug. "I really do love you." "I know and I love you too," I replied. "Have you finished packing?" "Yes, I'm all done with that," he confirmed. "Good! Then give me your keys and I'll get you the keys for the Grand Am," I informed him, "and you can leave whenever you think you need to. Just drive carefully and give me a call when you get there." "Are you worried about your car?" he countered, confused. "No, I'm worried about you," I informed him, "and I make all the boys call me when they go on trips. So you'll be no exception to that rule." He flashed me another grin and nodded, before he headed into the house to finish his preparations. After Mark left, I called the other boys together and explained what they needed to do during the week, to prepare for our trip. I asked them to pack separately for the two completely different trips. They were to use their suitcases to pack for the first two weeks and then use their backpacks for the second two weeks. They said they understood, but I also asked them for help getting things ready for the three who were working at the Becker's this week. I had plenty of volunteers for that duty, so I picked two boys to cover for each of their missing brothers. While the boys were taking care of their things, I pulled Peter aside, to see what he needed. He had his own suitcase, so I supplied him with the backpack I had set aside for Cody to use and then sent him off with Ricky. I figured Ricky could help make certain Peter packed the right items, since I didn't want to get miles away from here and find out he'd forgotten something. Once everyone else was packing, Jake and I went to get our own belongings ready. We already had most of our things together, so it didn't take us long. When we finished, we went around to check on the others and see how they were doing. Since Frankie only had to pack for the first two weeks, he tried to help out wherever he could and did almost any task the others needed a hand with. He did laundry, helped take boys to the mall to pick up things they discovered they were missing and even helped iron a few badly wrinkled garments. He even helped me take Mark's car to the garage the next day, so my mechanic could work on it while Mark was gone. I was very impressed with the way Frankie handled himself and went about his fatherly assistance. As I watched him, I marveled at the growth he had shown since Steve had first brought him to my home. Then, Frankie was hostile, disruptive and a threat to others, so much so that I asked to have him removed. I'm certainly glad he showed up at my door after he'd straightened up his act, and I'm grateful the boys encouraged me to give him another chance. If anyone could prove you could indeed change the spots on a leopard, Frankie had. There was still a lot to do during the week and we all kept busy. On Friday, I took the van and drove out to the Beckers to pick up the boys that had been working, but didn't take a new crew with me. I chatted briefly with Albert and Richard when we first got there and both told me how much work the three boys had done during the week. I then informed them how I had arranged to have the work covered while we were away and then they thanked us again and told us to have a good time. I had previously offered to take Richard with us, but he didn't want to leave his parents, for fear something might happen to one of them while he was away. He also said there was too much work to be done and he didn't want to leave his father to cover his chores too. I didn't push the issue, but told him we'd miss him. Dustin, Cole and Graham were anxious to get back home, so they could get ready for this trip, and I was glad to see them so excited. Dustin told me he had worked on Mr. Becker's furnace each night, to get it ready for the winter. He changed the filters and tweaked it so it was running more efficiently, and felt that would save them some money and keep them warmer when the cold weather hit. When we got home, I sent the boys up to shower and check out the packing the others had done for them. I told them to make sure they had what they wanted and needed, because I wasn't go to allow them to blame anyone else if they were missing anything. They said they understood and would be responsible for their own things, but thanked us for helping them get ready. While they were doing that, I drove down to the cemetery, so I could place flowers on Brent and Cody's graves and spend a few quiet moments alone with them. I had never been one who frequented cemeteries or spent time conversing with the dead, but since I'd heard Graham explain his gift and listened to how he got messages from the dearly departed, I had changed my tune. Now, I wanted to make sure both boys knew they were still important, not forgotten and still a part of our lives. It may have been more for my benefit than for them, but it was something I felt I had to do. After I visited the boys' graves, I went to another section of the cemetery, so I could also spend time with my wife. I needed to seek her understanding with my current situation and beg her to somehow intervene with our children, concerning this matter. Although she had given me her approval about what I was doing with the boys, as was passed to me via Graham, I needed her to understand about my relationship with Jake too. I explained to her that while we were married I had been true and devoted to just her, but since her passing I had found happiness with another man. I went on to tell her it didn't mean I loved her any less and that my love for Jake was different than what we shared, but I hoped she would understand, approve and not be offended by my current situation. I wasn't sure if any of this would change anything, but it did give me a chance to express my feelings out loud. After I finished our little conversation, I got into the van and drove home. When I got back, Mark was already there, and the boys were helping him do his laundry and pack for the trip. We would get up at 8:00 in the morning, and hit the road by 10:00. The Castaway Hotel: Grand Reopening --Book 7 - by BW Copyright 2009 by billwstories Chapter 4 -- We're On Our Way. The morning started out as anticipated and we started out just before 10:00, to catch our 2:40 p.m. flight to Jackson, Wyoming. Our plane is scheduled to land just before 9:00 and then we'll take a shuttle to the motel where I've made reservations. Once there, we'll spend the rest of the evening and then have breakfast the next morning, before we're picked up by the bus I'd chartered to take us to Yellowstone National Park. Unfortunately, the trip to get to our destination was not short or easy. When planning this excursion, I had to make some tough choices, beginning with selecting an appropriate flight. There was no direct connection from Pittsburgh to Jackson, Wyoming, so my first decision was which flight to take. We had a choice. We could go from Pittsburgh, to Atlanta, to Salt Lake City and then to Jackson, which would end up being a 10 -- 13 hour trip, depending on layovers. If we didn't like that option, we could fly from Pittsburgh, to Cincinnati, to Salt Lake City and then to Jackson, and this would shorten the trip to somewhere between 8 to 9 hours. The problem was if I chose the latter flight, which I did, we wouldn't fly out until after 2:00 in the afternoon and then arrive at our destination a little after 8:00 p.m. The other flight left earlier, between 8:00 and 9:00 in the morning, and got in before 8:00 p.m. However, after considering the two options, it didn't seem like a tough choice to me. I felt it would be easier on the boys if we took the less time consuming trip. No matter which route I chose, we would start off by having to endure a nearly three-hour ride just to get from home to the airport, so why compound the problem? Besides, this way we also wouldn't have to get up in the middle of the night to leave for the airport and could sleep a little later in the morning. That would probably make the boys a little easier to deal with, so with this in mind, I sent them to bed. Once they disappeared, I went over my checklist one final time. I got everyone up the next morning, right on schedule. After the boys were ready, Jake and I loaded them into our vehicles, along with the luggage. We were actually on the road before ten, with me leading the way in the van and Jake following closely behind in the Suburban. I had planned to make only one stop along the way, for drinks and to give everyone a chance to use the restrooms. Even though we wouldn't be traveling during the rush hour, the one thing I forgot to take into consideration was some unexpected construction along our route. Since there wasn't a major highway going from where we lived to the airport, we had to take some older, smaller roads until we could hook up with I-76. As we made our way along these local routes, we encountered crews patching the roadway and, in one spot cutting down trees and tree limbs they suspected might come down during the winter. These work crews slowed us down, as well as the bridge reconstruction on the interstate where traffic was funneled into a single lane in each direction. All of these slowdowns caused us to arrive later than anticipated, but it was still slightly before 1:30, so we still had time to check in for our flight. Our plane lifted off almost exactly on time, and of course we comprised the largest segment of the passenger list. The boys didn't have their usual flight entertainment with them, which would have included their computerized games and portable CD players. They didn't want to bring these devices along on this trip, because they would have had to leave them unprotected as we moved from the first half of our vacation to the second part. We had talked about this before we left and that was when they decided not to take the chance of having anything stolen, so they opted to leave them home instead. The first leg of the flight went quickly, but there was some bad weather over Cincinnati and we got stacked up in a landing pattern, waiting for the earlier arrivals to land. That wasn't so bad, because it just cut into our layover time, or so I thought. However, the weather had also delayed the departures, so we were no further ahead. We still had about an hour to kill, but it wasn't too bad, and of course the boys found their own ways to pass the time. Some walked around and others went to the gift shops, while the rest spent their time checking out the other girls and guys who were wandering around the airport. When we were called to board, we quickly loaded onto the next plane going to Salt Lake City. The trip lasted a little over an hour and a half, but this time the weather was fabulous. The boys spent some of their time looking out the windows, to see if they recognized anything, and the rest of the time they spent talking to one another or with Jake and me. I was a little surprised when Peter came back and sat down with us, but I soon discovered why. It wasn't just to be polite; although that's the way it started off. "Pop, I'd really like to thank you again for doing so much for me," Peter began, "and you really are as wonderful as Ricky told me you were." I guess I must have looked surprised after he made that comment, so he went on to explain. "He really did, Sir, I mean Pop," he apologized, blushing. "Ricky has told me so much about you and I know he really loves you. He thinks you're about the greatest person who's ever lived." "I think you might be exaggerating a tad," I told him, hoping to tone this down a bit. "I'm not, Sir, really," Peter insisted. "I could tell just by the way he spoke about you and the way he lit up when you rang him up or sent him an email." "Well, I love him too," I assured Peter, "and we've always had a special bond. He was my first foster child and adopted son." "Yes, he told me," Peter continued, but now I could see there was something else on his mind. "Was there something else you wished to discuss?" I asked, to give him a push in the right direction. "Well, I suppose there is," he agreed. "I think you know I'm like Ricky, in that I prefer girls but don't mind doing things with boys either." I merely nodded in response. "Well, some of your sons have asked me if I wanted to do things with them, but I wanted to get your approval first," he announced. I was surprised he was so relaxed with broaching this subject with me. "All the boys know I don't mind things like that going on, as long as everyone is agreeable," I confirmed. "Yes, Ricky told me the same thing and said you basically knew what everyone did," he continued. "I wasn't sure if I'd be able to ask you this, but Ricky convinced me you wouldn't get upset if I did." "That's correct," I concurred, "so what did you want to ask me?" "Well, two of your younger sons asked me to do things with them too," he told me, "and I wanted to get your approval before I agreed." "Out of curiosity, to whom are you referring?" I asked. "Graham and Andrew have each asked me," he acknowledged. "Even though Ricky told me Graham is the same age as me, he's smaller and looks younger." "That's because he was malnourished and neglected before he came to live with me," I admitted and Peter looked shocked. "That's all behind us now and Graham has been doing fine, but I will agree he's not as physically mature as most boys his age. He probably is the equivalent of someone a couple years younger. Is that a problem for you?" "Oh, no sir, not at all. It's just that I've never done anything with anyone as young as Andrew before, and Graham also appears younger, so I felt I should get your permission first. I think they asked me because none of us are circumcised, but I wouldn't mind trying something with them, if it meets with your approval." "I have no problems with that, since all the boys have been told they could participate," I informed him. "As I said, as long as you and your partner agree to what you're planning to do, I won't object. Just be gentle with Graham. I'm sure he's a little vulnerable at the moment, since he just lost Cody, so please don't hurt him." "Oh, I won't, so you don't have to worry," he assured me. "I just felt this might let me know what it would have been like if I'd have been brave enough to try things of this nature, before Ricky came to live with us." I understood, but didn't pursue that line of thought. Instead, I asked him something. "Does that answer your question and take care of your problem then?" I asked, just to be certain. "Yes, Sir, I mean Pop, and thank you," he said before he went back to his seat. He had a huge grin on his face as he made his way down the aisle, but he did stop and whispered something to both Graham and Andrew before he sat next to Ricky again. The rest of the flight was uneventful and we enjoyed a smooth landing. As soon as we reached the terminal, we had to rush to catch our next plane. Although our flight landed behind schedule, it did not delay our connecting flight, which was still leaving on time. We hoped our luggage was also being transferred, while we walked as quickly as we could to the appropriate gate. This meant poor little Andrew nearly had to jog to keep up with the rest of us. Even though he was twelve, and would be thirteen in three months, he was still quite short and couldn't keep up with the long strides we were taking without running. He didn't complain, however, which might possibly have been due to the fact that Peter was holding his hand as they went, and we were soon aboard our final flight. We landed in Jackson around 8:30 Saturday night, grabbed our luggage and then scrambled onto the airport shuttle bus, which we nearly filled. It took us to the motel where we'd be spending the night and I think everyone was getting pretty tired by this point. Before we left home, we had decided who would be sharing rooms for the night, so I gave each group their key, told them to freshen up quickly and then we'd catch a late meal before we called it a night. Outside of breakfast, we'd only snacked during the rest of the day, so I wanted them to have something more substantial before we turned in. It ended up that we all ordered hamburgers or some sort of sandwich, but we also had fries or a salad to go along with it. It didn't take us very long to eat, since we weren't having a large meal, and once we were done, I reminded the boys I would be calling their rooms around 8:00 the next morning. I also explained that I expected them to be ready for breakfast by 9:00, because our chartered bus would be arriving around 10:00 to take us to Yellowstone. They all said they understood and we went back to our rooms. That night Andrew spent some time with Peter before they hit the sack. Although they weren't sharing a room together, they were able to find a place they could do what they wanted, without someone watching them or interfering in what they had planned. Neither Peter nor Andrew was shy about being naked in front of the others, but they didn't want their sexual exploration to become a spectacle. Therefore, they talked the others sharing the room they were going to use into spending some time with others, so they could be alone. "I hope you don't think I'm a baby, because I'm so small and don't have any hair down there yet," Andrew stated, once they were alone. "Blimey, I've seen you naked and never thought that about you," Peter announced, shocked. "Besides, babies certainly can't produce the quality of art you did, so I'd never think that." Andrew smiled. "I know I can draw," he confirmed, "but I do have a wiener like a baby." "Will you promise not to share what I tell you with anyone?" Peter asked, hopefully, and Andrew nodded eagerly. "I didn't get any hair down there and my willy didn't grow until I was older than you are now," Peter confessed. "In fact, I was worried Ricky would arrive before it happened, but I started puberty a few months before he reached Australia. It went fairly quickly after that, but I know how I worried too." "Really, you were like me?" Andrew asked, his mouth agape. "Absolutely," Peter confirmed. "And the only thing that happened when I wanked was the tingly feeling, but nothing came out." "That's the way it is for me too," Andrew agreed. Suddenly, he was feeling better about his own situation, knowing Peter had gone through something similar but was now just like everyone else. Once that was settled, the boys agreed to masturbate each other, but that was it. In fact, Peter had never done much more with Ricky or his schoolmates, but it was more than enough for Andrew. In fact, the next time I saw him, he still had a special glow, so I knew the encounter had gone well. The following morning, I received my wake-up call from the front desk at 7:45 and immediately began to call all the other rooms to make sure the boys were also getting up. I heard various sons groggily answer their phones and promise they'd get the others up and moving, so I jumped in the shower and got dressed. About 8:10, I decided to walk to each of the rooms, just to check on how things were proceeding, and everything was going great until I came to the room in which Shannon, Ricky, Danny and Brandon were staying. Ricky had answered the phone, but it was now obvious he had fallen back to sleep, instead of rousing the others. My knock at the door got Danny out of bed, and while he was waking Brandon and Shannon, I filled their ice bucket with cold water and took it over and emptied it on my blond angel. I figured it was what Ricky might have done to one of us in the same situation and payback is a bitch. He leapt out of bed, as the cold water shocked his body into consciousness, and started screaming, "I'm going to get whichever bastard did this!" When he looked around, the other boys were laughing, but then he noticed me, still holding the bucket. "That was your punishment for not waking the others, as I asked you to do," I told him. He shot me a bone-chilling glare, to let me know he wasn't happy with the sentence I'd carried out. "Dad, that was heartless," he whined. "True, and exactly the type of thing you would have done, if our roles had been reversed." After listening to me say this, he was unable to hide a little smirk that spread across his lips, as he realized I was probably correct in my assessment. "Okay, I'm sorry I didn't get up and wake the others when you called," he apologized. "I guess I was just so tired that I dozed off again." "Well, now I need all of you to get moving, because you're already lagging behind the others. We're meeting up for breakfast at 9:00, so hustle, unless you don't want to eat." They certainly didn't want that to happen, so they started racing about getting ready and I went back to my room. Ricky's group only slowed us down a couple of minutes, even though they actually got started much later than the others. Now, we went off to eat and were in and out of the restaurant in pretty good time. Once we finished, we went back to our rooms, collected our belongings and loaded everything onto the bus when it arrived. I had chartered a bus and driver to haul us around during our vacation, since it was the easiest way to get so many people from one place to another. It also meant Jake and I didn't have to worry about doing the driving and getting lost. Soon we were on our way and heading toward Yellowstone National Park, our first stop. As we drove north from Jackson, we could see the Grand Teton Mountain Range looming off to the west. It was quite an impressive sight, with the Grand Teton being the highest peak, at 13,770 feet, but there were also twelve other peaks in the range that topped the 12,000-foot mark as well. We could also see Jackson Lake along the way and that was quite an amazing site too. It took us a couple of hours to reach the south entrance to Yellowstone, the first and oldest of the national parks. It was established in 1872, in a fairly remote part of the country, but we soon discovered it was worth the effort. Shortly after we entered the park, we came across Moose Falls, which cascaded down the slope, from the plateau above, and into the deep canyon of Lewis River. A little farther on, we passed a second falls, Lewis Falls, which had a lesser plunge of thirty-seven feet. They both appeared to be pristine and still filled visitors with awe. One couldn't help but wonder what the Native Americans and early explorers thought when they first beheld such splendor. "Does anyone want to venture a guess as to whom the Lewis River and Lewis Falls were named for?" I asked, to insert an educational element in our vacation. "Was it the Lewis, from Lewis and Clark?" Cole asked, and everyone looked at him in surprise. It's true Cole had his problems with academics, but once he learned something, it was his for life. "Correct," I agreed. "They were both named for Meriwether Lewis, who was one of the first to explore this area." >From there we made our way to West Thumb, which extends from the western end of Yellowstone Lake. West Thumb got its name from a description given by the Washburn party in 1870, in which they noted the lake was shaped like "a human hand with the fingers extended and spread apart as much as possible." This eventually gave way to calling this area West Thumb, as this is the location where the thumb would have been if the lake were a hand. From here we took a walking tour of the West Thumb geyser basin, which is sometimes referred to as "Potts Basin," after Daniel T. Potts, a trapper from the 1820's. As we took our walking tour of the West Thumb geyser basin, we noticed it was filled with a collection of pools, bubbling mud pots and glistening geysers. It was quite interesting, very peaceful and the beauty of the area just seemed to relax you completely. "Looking at the bubbling mud reminds me of how my stomach felt the last time I drank too much," Frankie told Dustin, although the rest of us easily overheard his comment. I decided not to pursue that topic and chose to make another comment instead. "Believe it or not, this whole park covers a super volcano," I announced, which quickly garnered everyone's attention. "It's the volcanic action below the surface that causes the mud to bubble and sets the geysers off. Scientists claim that someday, and possibly in the very near future, this could be the sight of a major volcanic eruption." "I hope it's after we leave," Pat stated, sarcastically, which caused the others to start laughing. Once we finished up at the park, we went to Grant Village, where we were going to spend the night. Grant Village was named in honor of the 18th president, Ulysses S. Grant, who signed the 1872 bill that made Yellowstone the world's first national park. I had made reservations at the Roosevelt Lodge and signed us up for the Old West Dinner Cookout. We were transported in canvas-covered wagons over the three miles to Pleasant Valley, where the cookout was to take place. "Can you imagine riding in a wagon like this, when you're parents decided to move you from where you'd been living to a new location in the west?" Sammy asked, and I could see the awe and excitement in his face as he thought about it. "You mean like Laura Ingalls Wilder did, in 'Little House on the Prairie?" Andrew wondered, since he seemed interested in the idea too. "It would be slow, long and boring," Graham added," but I wouldn't have minded it, as long as there were no Indians on the war path in the areas we'd be traveling." The other boys agreed, before Danny noted that we weren't very far from the Little Big Horn, where General Custer and his men died. That sent a chill up everyone's spine and they remained silent, as they thought about that and many other things. The ride took just over thirty minutes, and forced you to realize that most pioneers never ventured very far from home, just because it took so long just to make a simple trip. Since we had done so much traveling as a family, I'm not sure the boys could appreciate the idea of being limited to how much you could do and how far you'd travel in your lifetime. In fact, most families travel more in one year than most of our ancestors did in their entire lifetime. The meal was served buffet-style and we ate on picnic tables, under a canvas roof, which was provided for inclement weather. The food was good, there was plenty of it and it was a nice change from our typical vacation meals. Except for the steak, everything else was all-you-can-eat. The rest of the meal consisted of coleslaw, potato salad, baked beans, chuck wagon corn, corn muffins, watermelon, apple cobbler and various beverages. While we ate, a guitar-playing vocalist entertained us. He was fairly decent, but the boys weren't interested in the old country songs he sang. All of us enjoyed the meal and some of us liked the entertainment, but then it was time to return to the lodge. We rode back in the wagons, which weren't moving fast enough for most of my sons and many were growing anxious to do something else. When we finally arrived at the Roosevelt, I told the boys they were on their own for the rest of the evening, but if they wanted to wander around, they were to go out in groups of no fewer than three. They all agreed, so Jake and I went to our room to unwind. All the walking we had done earlier had taken its toll on me and I knew we'd be doing even more walking over the next few days. With that in mind, I wanted to make sure I got enough rest, since I didn't want to become a drag on the others. Jake and I sprawled out on the bed and talked for a while, before we got up, showered and then turned in for the night. The boys who went off to explore didn't return for a few hours and I understood they managed to do a variety of things in the meantime. A few of them decided to check out more of the area, while some tried to meet up with other visitors to the park and the rest merely decided to go back to their rooms to enjoy a little private time with one of the others. Seeing my grandsons weren't with us on this trip, I had lifted most of the restrictions about having sex and only left the 'no pick-ups rule' in place. I also asked them to be considerate of the others sharing the room and not take advantage of the situation. Mark and Frankie were sharing with Jake and me, so I didn't have to worry about either of them seeing more than they might wish to. I also noticed that Trey and Dion had decided to share a room with Kevin and Vinnie throughout the entire trip, as they were paired up and didn't wish to mess around with any of the others. Actually, Vinnie and Kevin have been good for each other and being paired together had done a lot for each of them. Vinnie had what he wanted and needed most. This didn't merely mean someone to love, but he also had what he desired with someone who was willing to share everything with him, including those tedious exercises and workouts he had to endure. In return, Kevin had finally found a partner who was not only willing to commit himself to just Kevin, but hopefully someone whom he wouldn't have to worry about losing. He had lost so much already, with Dustin, Nick and Brent, that I was truly happy for him. Hell, I was happy for both of them, as well as for Trey and Dion, because they also shared a strong commitment to each other. I think I had two couples that would probably spend the rest of their lives together. E-mail responses to the stories, story suggestions, or other 'constructive' comments or advice may be sent to: bwstories8@aol.com - but please put the story title in the subject line, so it doesn't get deleted as junk mail.