The cabin in Hocking Hills that was cohabitated by dog and cat people.
The wife and I enjoy cabin getaways; a place surrounded by nature, you know, flora/fauna, a babbling brook, lots of birds, and a firepit for the compulsory peanut butter s’mores. (If you don’t put peanut butter on your s’mores, you can’t be my friend.)
And when we plan these adventures, we like to include the company of friends. So, we were thrilled when some dear friends, with whom we have never traveled, suggested that we do a cabin getaway together.
In order to protect the innocent and avoid future litigation, I shall call this couple the “Auditioners.”
“Honey,” I said to the wife, “while I am excited about vacationing with the Auditioners, I hope we all get along when we are under one roof for a long weekend.”
“What are you worried about?” The wife said, “We’ve been friends for years. They are just common folk like us.”
“No, they’re not! They are liberal, independent thinkers, socially conscious, environmentalists, music connoisseurs, and one of them is even a vegetarian. Conversely, I am not a single one of those things.”
The wife agreed, “I see your point. Maybe I’d better leave you at home.”
“Hey! I wanna go!”
“Of course you’re going. You may not be any of those things, but you have some qualities they might enjoy. I can’t think of any right now, but there must be some.”
“What about our dog? Do you think they will have a problem with Charles Ralph coming along?”
“Hmmm … that could be a problem … they are cat people,” the wife hesitated.
“Cancel! Cancel right now! Dog people, cat people cohabitating for four days? Someone is going to get bit!”
“They are absolutely fine with Charlie going, so the trip is on.”
“Wow! They are liberals … well, we’ll consider this as an audition for future getaways …”
A few days before our trip, we met with the Auditioners to plan our meals and hiking activities.
It turns out, the Mister has some serious culinary talents, and can rub fish into submission for grilling.
The Missus can mix a wicked, delicious wine cooler garnished with lemons, guaranteed to make your liver pucker.
With Hocking Hills being our destination, the four of us and the dog arrived at our beautiful cabin a week later. The flora was flora-ing, the fauna was fauna-ing, and the hot tub was babbling.
“Hot tub! We forgot to discuss the hot tub! Are we really going to do it? Soak in a cauldron of bubbling juices with cat people?” I asked the wife.
“Of course we are!” the wife said. “It’s all a part of the experience, relaxing with an adult beverage, listening to a cacophony of nature sounds to the hum of the tub.”
“But what if we turn into cat people from marinating with the Auditioners in the hot tub for hours?”
“There’s chemicals in there that prevent that from happening.”
All in all, it was a spectacularly fun weekend and the Auditioners definitely passed their cabin getaway audition. Plus, they were okay with peanut butter on their s’more…so we can still be friends.
Raul Ascunce is a freelance columnist for the Sentinel-Tribune. He may be contacted at [email protected].
