Journal #5: A Night by the Fire

This evening was the perfect setting for a back-yard fire pit party with my friends. The wind was calm with just the slightest chill in the air. The scene brought back memories of a country night at home…a bonfire with some good music and great friends. We sat on blankets on the wet, cool grass, listening to the crackling sound of the burning fire. The sun was just starting to set, and I could see the leaves on the large trees blow as the heat and smoke rose high above the fire pit. Small ember sparks rose up in the air with a small glow, then faded as their little flame was blown out, and finally turning into black ash flakes rising above the trees. The smoky smell of burning logs overwhelmed my nose and brought back memories of fall, Friday night football games, and friends gathering together.

I became a bit mesmerized focusing on the large stump with a heavy, clumpy looking bark that was beginning to catch fire. I could tell this particular piece of wood came from a tree that was once handsome and old. As this withering, dry piece of wood slowly released years and years of energy soaked up by air, sun, rain, and the ground it came from, out came a hissing sound, a sort of popping noise and a smoky smell of pine needles. I so loved that thick, intoxicating smell. I picked up a pine needle from the ground. It was soft and green with one sharp, pointy end and the other end of that needle had a sticky sap that smelled just like a Christmas tree. The sap was on my fingers, and I kept smelling that fresh scent over and over again as if I couldn’t get enough. As the fire grew in intensity, the light it gave off was amazingly bright. You could see all my friends faces from the glow of the fire. Everyone’s eyes appeared to be glowing in the dark as well. I began to feel the warmth of the fire on my body, the calming feeling it gave me, listening to the sounds the fire made, it all was so relaxing.

The fireflies were beginning to come out as the sun sank on the horizon. These little bugs were glowing in the dark as they flew around our fire pit. I was able to catch one in my hand and look closely at the glow of its tiny body. I was like a mini flashlight on my finger shining on and off with a rhythmic pulse. The soft buzz of mosquitos could be heard in my ear. It’s an annoying buzz, especially when you cannot see them, but just swat at them to keep them away. Sitting closer to the heat of the fire seemed to keep them at bay. I also noticed that as it grew darker, I could see some black objects swooping and fluttering above our heads. It appeared to be birds scattering about, but I was thinking it might also be bats flying about. It freaked me out a bit to think about a bat swooping close to us, but they stayed away and didn’t seem to bother anyone else.

I listened intently to the sounds around me and I soon noticed the hoot of an owl in the background. You could hear what sounded like a conversation going back and forth from one owl to the other. There was a definite pattern to the “hoo hoo” of each owl going back and forth from one tree to another tree. You could never get a glimpse of the actual owl, but you could almost pinpoint high up in the trees where the sound was coming from. Again, it was another soothing, simple sound that could only be heard if you were able to block the other subtle noises out.

What I love about bonfires could not be put better than by a song by Tim McGraw and the simple words he sings. He could not have sung it better. “Sunset skies, bonfire nights, I love the simple things…that’s how I’ll always be.”