February 12, 2003

           This is John Fletcher standing on a rock beside beautiful Coeur d’Alene Lake. We camped for a few weeks just east of here, this being around ten years ago. Behind her is the only large building in town, a resort hotel. I stayed there once but so long ago I can’t recall. That was around five years after Judy Minty and I broke up. I had driven just to see what was there. I stayed at that hotel, because months later I found the room key in my overnight bag. I sent back the key but kept the fancy key ring as a momento. It had rained the entire week I was there.
           6:30 a.m., Sunday, Miami. Frank, it turns out, has worked the last 28 days straight. I asked if he had enough to go for the pickup [we originally thought we needed a truck to move the toothpicks], but instead he seems to have caught up on his rent. Again. I went over and got him up at 2:30 p.m.

           [Author’s note: Frank was my partner in a trip we made to California. As previously mentioned, Frank often works overtime until he is not feeling well, and loses the money because he has to stay home and recuperate. Originally we had planned to purchase the truck as a joint venture, and let him keep it after we made a profit. In the end he had no place to park it, or cash to maintain it. We wound up with the Taurus station wagon instead. These items are documented elsewhere.]
           I saw a truck today with the business name “Jack Frost”. In Florida? Let me guess—he makes a killing once every 50 years.