"Okay, Amy and Caleb, your two kayaks are going to lead us in. There should be enough light from the stars and moon to see, so I want you to put your...lights away. Give it time for your eyes to adjust and then head in. Now you are in for a real show."We followed his orders, and after our eyes adjusted I looked at Steph since she was paddling the kayak for her and Amy. She gave me a smile, gripped the paddle tight and said "You are going to love this… try and keep up." With that, she began. The neighbouring allotment had remained untended for some time, so I was taken by surprise to see a new guy working there, clearing the weeds and working the soil. “Hi, you must be my new neighbour,” I called out as I approached. Although I wanted to appear friendly, part of me had enjoyed the fact that my plot was isolated, and I somehow felt a bit miffed at the prospect of having another owner so near to me. At my greeting, the guy stood up tall from his work and smiled at me. Well, to say I. Guy wasn't sure that she would actually get off the train, but he was prepared for her if she did. As part of his side-business, he always had a need for lumber and hardware, and had plenty in stock. Mindy was waiting for him in the lobby of the Amtrak station Friday evening when Guy stopped there after his day job. She was a very pretty blonde girl with a Midwestern accent."All your affairs in order?" Guy asked as he carried her one small satchel to his car."What affairs? All I have is. I had the feeling Mr. Porter was planning on running some sort of dude ranch or other tourist operation. The old me thought it was a pretty wise move. The Columbia River had gotten a lot of press in recent years, and there would be a lot of curious people who would be willing to come experience it.-oOo-The ride down to the river was nice, but I could have seen doing it early in the morning when it was cooler. By leaving in the middle of the afternoon, we bore the brunt of the day's heat, both.