Ivan called and said he really enjoyed the western shoot. The photos were amazing! And that I was doing excellent work and the ladies really loved working with me. It is always nice to hear compliments on your work. However, being modest, I said the credit should really go to the women of DICE. And I really meant it. After all, they were my friends… or at least that is what they said. Ivan said either way, the investors at StarDreamers really appreciated the work and they decided to offer a work/vacation getaway. Cool! They were going to rent a cabin in the mountains by a lake and that I would have a variety of ways to photograph the ladies. The cabin had a fireplace, a dock with a motorboat, a hot tub, and all in the scenic mountains. This was incredible! It would be just like going home to Easter Bay! Without Mom and Dad of course. I cannot even imagine doing … well, doing what I do with Mom and Dad watching! Nightmare!!! Anyway, getting away from the city and being in the woods was like a dream. I might even, I hope, I hope, to see some wild beavers!!! I wish I could have called or texted the ladies, but of course in my contract there is a no contact clause. Not sure why. I have to go through Ivan for all the arrangements.
I really didn’t have to make any plans to pack as I was so used to being in the woods that my stuff was pretty much ready to go. I would have liked to have gone hunting, but wasn’t sure if the ladies would like that too much and it was only for a weekend. But, I could still go fishing! I was so looking forward to this. We were to leave on a Friday and return on the following Monday. It was late summer so the mountains were going to be so beautiful and the trees would just be beginning to turn colour for winter. I couldn’t help but smile thinking about it! I arrived at the Mansion early Friday morning and parked my soft serve melted vanilla ice cream smelling Chevy Nova in the garage. There was a new Audi A7 all ready for us to take to the mountains. The ladies were already there and after warmly greeting my friends, I quickly loaded their stuff, along with mine into the trunk of the Audi. I couldn’t believe how much room there is in the back of an Audi!
We set off. Our destination was already pre-programmed into the car’s navigational system. Super easy. Although, I grew up with maps that my Dad taught me how to read. Aurora sat up front and seemed very eager to see the mountains. It was going to be about a 4 hour drive and Piper said she had made a playlist of classic rock songs on her phone. I also grew up on Dad’s love for classic rock. It always made long drives way more enjoyable. The mountains soon loomed towards us and traffic became less and less. Tom Petty was playing Southern Accents. The sun was shining, but you could sense a slight drop in temperature and the elevation made my ears pop.
We passed a large sign that said we were now in bear country. Home! Well, not quite. Aurora, for most of the trip had been quiet until she saw that sign. She was asking if that sign was a joke. And I said no, we are in bear country. She started to become a little frantic. Okay, she became a lot frantic. Piper and Josie attempted to calm her down. I reassured her that more people were killed by moose and elk and deer than bears. We probably wouldn’t even see a bear. Bears tended to stay away from humans. She really had an animal phobia. Then I remembered her being uncomfortable around the animals at the ranch even though they all seemed to be attracted to her smell. I told her that she was more likely to see moose, elk, deer, maybe a mountain lion, birds, rabbits… She freaked when I said rabbits! Are there white rabbits?? White rabbits? Apparently, she was even more afraid of white rabbits than bears. Did I say Aurora was strange? I said if there were any rabbits they would not be white since it wasn’t winter. It didn’t really seem to help.
For the rest of the drive she would go through periods of pensive silence and then ask me a litany of animal questions. Finally, I told her to relax, which later in life I would realize you never ever say to a woman, that I grew up in the mountains and I would be there to protect her and Piper and Josie. She made me promise to protect her. Of course, I promised. A vacation with a hysteric woman is no vacation.
We arrived at the cabin in the afternoon. A log cabin and the scenic view was all I imagined. The air felt so clean. Piper and Josie ran down to the dock. Aurora asked if I would help her check out the cabin. She just wanted to be inside for a bit. I think she was still feeling nervous. I really did feel sorry for her. The cabin had that inviting rustic smell of wood. There were photos hanging from the walls of all sorts of animals that could be found in the area. A stuffed deer head hung over the fireplace. None of this seemed to sooth Aurora. She insisted that I check out all the rooms. And afterwards she asked me to check them again. Holy. The cabin was spacious. The kitchen was well stocked and the dining room table resembled a picnic like table. There were multiple bedrooms and also a couch with a pullout bed. Off the kitchen was a deck with a BBQ and a Jacuzzi. It was very nice. Piper and Josie came in and said the view from the dock was incredible. There was a nice boat and you could see little fish swimming around the dock.
By the time they got themselves settled it was later in the afternoon. Piper and Josie took a room together and Aurora took her own room. I decided I would sleep on the couch pull out. For dinner we agreed that I would cook some burgers on the BBQ and the ladies would make a simple salad. It was almost … homey. Almost. There were still a couple hours of sunlight so I suggested that the ladies enjoy the Jacuzzi and I would take some pics. Get a head start. They all got into their bikinis and jumped into the Jacuzzi. Even Aurora. Although, just not as enthusiastically. The sun was like just behind them and there was even a view of the dock. It made for some excellent pics. Afterwards, I made them some cocktails while I enjoyed my beer. It felt nice to be able to just relax with them and watch the sunset. They did ask if I wanted to join them. I respectfully declined. I really didn’t want to get into the Jacuzzi with these 3 naked women. After all, they were my friends.
We were all a little tired from the drive and add a few alcoholic beverages it was soon time to turn in. Josie and Piper went to their room and Aurora went to hers. I was a little surprised Aurora didn’t join the other two, but I guess she was just tired. I got a fire going. I just love sleeping next to a fire. I heard some grunts and moans coming from Piper and Josie. That wasn’t really a surprise. It did make me smile. I was soon in bed myself, lulled to sleep by the dark night and the crackling of the fire. At that moment, I couldn’t think of a place I would rather be.
I woke the next morning and found Aurora in my bed curled up behind me. It was still early morning. I wasn’t sure what she was doing there, but I decided to let her sleep. I wanted to go fishing anyway. I quickly dressed and grabbed my gear. I went down to the dock. The lake was calm and there was a morning mist hovering over the surface. I could hear loons in the distance. I should have brought my camera, but there was always tomorrow. I settled into my fishing and soon caught a couple nice trout. Dinner for tonight. I missed this. Nothing could break this tranquil moment.
Except maybe a scream coming from the cabin. What was going on? I dropped my pole and rushed up to find Aurora in hysterics! Piper and Josie were trying to console her, but she looked at me and crying kept asking me where I went and why did I leave her alone and she could have been killed by white rabbits or bears or moose or elk or sharks or … WHY DID YOU LEAVE ME!!!??? Josie went and came back with a glass of water and some pills that she said were muscle relaxers. She gave one to Aurora. And soon, thankfully, Aurora began to calm down. She said she was sorry. She just panicked. She had a bad dream. Wow! I am so grateful I am not a woman. Aurora was strange to begin with, but she always seemed so in control. After being tucked in by Piper and Josie, she finally fell into a peaceful sleep on the pull out bed. What a morning.
Later that day, Piper and Josie joined me down by the dock so we could get some pics of them pretending to fish. For most of the day they had been watching Aurora and after she woke and apologized again, she said she would take a quick shower and join us after. The ladies were wearing waders and tight shorts with a fishing vest just barely covering their bras. They had on sunglasses and cabin hats. Their lines didn’t actually have any hooks or bait. It was all for show. They posed in various seductive positions and I captured them from various angles. It was nice.
And low and behold if Aurora didn’t come down to join us. She hugged everyone, but me. But she looked nice. She had made a jug of orange juice with vodka and we were soon enjoying cocktails and taking pics. They soon lost their waders and shorts and underwear. They were left with sunglasses, hats and their vests. Piper could have gone without a vest she was just so … big. And Josie’s snake glistened in the water. They were all laughing. They would slap their poles in the water and Aurora was holding the pole from the wrong end and while I kept taking pics, I just thought these women were nuts! And then… Aurora stood straight up in the water and did a nose plant into the lake! Like face first! Of course I got an excellent pic of her going in, but then we all looked at each other expecting her to get up. She didn’t! I rushed in and picked her up into my arms. She was choking and gasping. I had Piper and Josie run up ahead to get some towels as I carried Aurora back to the cabin. She was squirming and laughing and singing. For someone so petite, she was heavier than I imagined. She grabbed my head and kissed me! I mean she really kissed me! And then she just laughed! She was clearly out of her mind. The women dried her off and got her back into bed. She was still babbling incoherently. Josie discovered her pill bottle on the counter and she guessed that Aurora may have taken another 2 pills! No wonder and that was with the vodka and orange juice. That was it for the day. No one was leaving Aurora alone.
We spent the rest of the day looking after Aurora and we also decided to cut our vacation short and leave the next day. I did end up cooking my trout with some mushroom rice on the side. Everyone enjoyed it. Everyone, but Aurora, who was still asleep. Then we, except Aurora, played a game of Monopoly to pass the time. After that, Piper and Josie got into some pajamas and I took some more pics. They were even able to get Aurora in her pajamas and positioned her in some pics even though she was completely passed out. It was rather easy to do because she always wore sunglasses anyway.
Piper and Josie convinced me it was a good idea if I slept with my arm around Aurora. At first, I was hesitant. They were worried she might wake up and hurt herself so I reluctantly consented. After all, we slept together the night before. Piper and Josie went to their room and I crawled in behind Aurora. It felt weird putting my arm around her. I had to get close to her. But… it was for her own good. She smelled nice. She was warm. She grabbed my hand and held it to her chest. I fell asleep breathing in her scent. I had some nice dreams that the next day I couldn’t remember.
I woke up the next day to the smell of coffee. Usually, I am the first one to wake. But Piper and Josie were making breakfast. Eggs and bacon and toast and fresh coffee. Aurora was still asleep. But shortly, even she was awake. She asked what had happened and when we explained she apologized for ruining everyone’s vacation. We told her that we were leaving a day early. I made up some excuse that I had to get back early for some various reason. And after breakfast I loaded up our gear in the Audi A7 and we left. Aurora was in the back seat behind me and Piper sat up front. The trip back was quiet and uneventful. I did get some excellent shots so it wasn’t all a waste. Aurora was explaining to Josie and Piper how sorry she was and that she had this huge dread of animals. Especially white rabbits. She watched this movie, The Holy Grail, and there was a white rabbit that bit people’s heads off. She was never able to get over it. Hours later, we arrived at the Mansion. I unloaded the Audi A7 and hugged the ladies goodbye. I told Aurora to take care of herself and I would see her soon. Better I hoped. She still seemed out of sorts. After loading it up, I got back into my soft served vanilla ice cream smelling car and headed home. As I was pulling out of the driveway, I imagined I heard someone call my name, but no, I really only imagined it. Right?
Badger Unfiltered 