Summer Kitchen, 1958

The dishtowel hung on the ponderosa pine tree, which stood guard over our summer kitchen along with the dishpan, the net bags of tin plates, and cutlery. It smelled of pine and coffee and fire baked potatoes. There was a campfire where we cooked gingerbread in hollowed out orange rinds. We washed our dishes over the fire. We ate on the ground for the picnic table… … we ate simple things going to the ranch down the road to get fresh milk. His wife gave us fresh stuff from her garden. We ate tons of candy bars and ding-dongs from the camp store. It was a free sort of summer. Dad had taken a job in the Tetons so Mother packed all seven of us into the old woody station wagon. We drove to Jenny Lake and camped with the moose, the bear, the pine squirrels, and the birds in the trees all summer long. We never once had to sweep the floor.

Jesse