As we talked a bit more over dinner, I found myself thinking she looked familiar. Not someone I knew personally but someone...then it hit me. She bore more than a passing resemblance to Lisa Ling. Oh man, I'd had a thing for that Asian beauty since I'd caught a few clips of Lisa when she was on "The View," and with Lisa on that new CNN show, "This Is Life", I made sure to never miss an episode. Elaine's face was slightly more rounder, but the resemblance was more than suggestive.
Elaine saw me looking, and grinned as she said, "Lisa Ling, right?"
At my look, she giggled and said, "You're not the first one to notice the resemblance. I've actually had people come up to me and ask for an autograph!"
I replied, "They must have been disappointed when you told them that you weren't her."
She gave me a mischievous grin, and said, "Actually no. If they wanted to believe I was her, hey, I went along with it. There are several people that have my autograph, as Lisa Ling! Hey, it made them happy!"
She giggled again, and I chuckled along with her. And as if to prove the point, our waitress asked her for an autograph, and again, another "Lisa Ling" autograph was given by Elaine.
Back on the road again, this time, Elaine was upfront in the passenger seat, as we looked for a spot for the night. A half-hour later, we saw a sign for an RV park/campsite, and it looked good from the approach. Electrical, sewer, and water hookups for RV's, the price posted was a fair rate, always a plus. We decided to call it a day, right there.
We found a spot that had lots of trees, about a hundred feet behind our site a river ran along. Being that it was a Monday, we had most of the RV region all to ourselves. Ah good, peace and quiet, and no noisy neighbors nearby. There was a pallet of split logs for firewood, and after parking and hooking up to the electrical, sewer, and water services, I asked Elaine if she'd like a fire.
"I'd love it, firelight is always so much fun to watch, ever since I was a little girl, I've loved it. Do you have some wine or beer to drink?"
I replied, "Indeed I do, in the cabinet next to the sink, there's a bottle of Cranswick Estate merlot, it's an Australian merlot that's become very popular, and you'll find a couple of wine glasses, along with the cork opener."
Elaine smiled and said, "If you want to get some wood and start the fire, I'll pour us some wine."
The pallet was just a hundred feet or so away, and I picked up an armload and carried it over. I got out a small hatchet and chopped one of the half logs into kindling. My boy scout learning stood me in good stead and I soon had a fire going, placing two lawn chairs around it, and Elaine came out of the van, carrying two glasses filled with the dark ruby color of Merlot. She had changed into a sleep style jersey, a pair of sweatpants, and sandals. The curves of her body and the lack of underwear lines made it plain that she was totally naked under her clothes. I filled my eyes with the sight, then tore my gaze away, god, she looked amazing.
Elaine handed me a glass, and said, "I want to toast. To my white knight, who came to my rescue. Salut!"
I added, "And to the lovely damsel in distress, who saved me from having to go cross country without a charming companion. Prost!"
We clinked glass, and the firelight caught a gleam in her eye as we went over to the fire pit. She picked up her chair and brought it over right next to mine, and she seated herself.
Elaine said softly, "I love sitting around a campfire. My parents are avid outdoor enthusiasts, lots of great camping places in Washington state, and it was always a treat. So tell me more about yourself Colin."
"Well, I can trace my American lineage all the way back to the Revolutionary War. One of my ancestors, who is several generations back of grandfather, was a Major in the 2nd New York Regiment. The regiment was authorized on May 25, 1775, and formed at Albany from June 28 to August 4 for service with the Continental Army under the command of Colonel Goose Van Schaick. The enlistments of the first establishment ended on December 31, 1775. They went on to see action in the Invasion of Canada, the Battle of Valcour Island, the Battle of Saratoga, the Battle of Monmouth, the Sullivan Expedition, and the Battle of Yorktown. The regiment was furloughed on June 2, 1783, at Newburgh, New York, and disbanded on November 15, 1783. He survived the war, as you can see, or I would probably not be here. I wish photography had been invented earlier, I'd love to see what he looked like."
Elaine smiled, and said, "My ancestors go back to the Qing dynasty. That was the last imperial dynasty of China, established in 1636 and ruling China from 1644 to 1912. As best as we have been able to figure out, somewhere around the early 1800s is where we've gotten a record of my great great great great grandparents. My grandparents got out of China in 1939, they were fortunate, the Japanese army was murdering civilians left and right, just for the simple fact that they were Chinese, and not Japanese. They were able to get passage on a freighter from an understanding and sympathetic ship's captain, whose port of call was Seattle. Once they landed, they fell in love with Seattle and Washington State, and they quickly put down roots. Their baby daughter, who grew up to be my Mom, loved Seattle just as much, and when she got married to my Dad, they wanted to stay in Seattle just as much. Their love of the city has been passed down to me, and I can't imagine living anywhere else."
The first glass of wine had gone smoothly, and I said, "Would you like a refill?"
Elaine cooed, "Trying to get me drunk, so you can take advantage of me?," then she broke out into giggles. When her giggling subsided, she said, "I'd love another glass, please."
I brought the bottle out and poured us out another glassful.
