Stalled in traffic and trying to make it to Rodney's bonfire before the lighting of the fires at seven o'clock, there I was (with a painfully full bladder) piloting the minivan with half of Travis's family, with Travis five cars ahead of us with the other half of his family.
I gave Travis a ring on his cell phone. "Travis, what do you want to do?"
"I don't know." he said, trying to think of something quick.
"By the way, I REALLY have to go to the bathroom," I said with urgency.
"You're gonna have to pull over and find a tree or something," he said laughing, but in complete seriousness.
"No! I can't do that! People are all over the place, Travis. There's no place for me to go!"
"Well, wait then, but it's obvious we won't be moving anytime soon."
"Alright, bye." I said and hung up the phone.
Suddenly, we saw a flame shoot into the air.
"Wow!" I said. "They just lit one of the bonfires! So much for being there BEFORE they started lighting them."
Orange and yellow flames began exploding one by one from the bonfires, licking the the sky as smoke billowed up. The clear, black night was the perfect backdrop for the flames and the glittering sparks from the fireworks shattering above the fires. Fires (and cars) were lined up further than our eyes could see! I even forgot I had to go to the bathroom for a moment.
My ringing cell phone focused my attention back to the fact we were in the car, not at the bonfire, and that I still had to find a bathroom!
"Why don't we just pull over, park and walk so we can see them up close?" Travis suggested.
"Okay, I'm pulling over here."
I pulled into the nearest "parking lot," and discreetly did what I had to do to take my mind off my bladder with the watchful eyes of the family as lookouts. We were then all ready to get an up-close look at the fires.
Cameras in hand and coats on to keep toasty in the "cold" weather (upper forties), we all climbed to the top of the levee to see the fires up close.
Warmth from the fires and the smiles from the locals made us feel welcomed to take a first-hand peek into the bonfire tradition. Marveling at the uniformity of the tepee-shaped bonfires built with logs, we walked along the top of the levee looking at the fires, receiving "Merry Christmas!" from the locals and enjoying fellowship as a family.
We never did find Rodney's fire, but we thoroughly enjoyed the mystery and cheer that the Mississippi River bonfires on the levee brought to our Christmas Eve.
Travis and I plan on getting the kids and ourselves to the bonfires EARLY next year, and maybe even packing a picnic supper and some hot chocolate to enjoy beforehand. Oh, and we'll make sure we have the diaper bag!
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