A Handyman's Memoir

July 4th is the heart of summer in upstate New York. The cynics in the Adirondack North Country will tell you that it

is

summer—there's July 4th, and there's winter. However you want to think about it, it's a beautiful time of year, and Penny put out feelers to see if the long weekend would be a good time to have a painting party at Camp Heaven. One reason she wanted to do it then was because Johnny was scheduled to play a Friday night gig in the village and he could join us for most of the weekend. I knew Lee had the weekend off, and I was hoping to invite Lindsey and Julia. I contacted the girls and they all wanted to do it. Lee was a little worried about the party that her daughters would probably throw when she was away, but curiosity over the wild times at Camp Heaven won out. Penny called to tell me Ron and Kathy were in, and that Johnny was traveling with another guitar player, and he was coming to. She also said there would be a surprise guest that I would like, but she refused to give me any hints.

The big weekend arrived and we all converged on Camp Heaven Friday around noon. Lee, Lindsey, Julia and I all drove up in Lee's SUV, with me as the chauffeur. Ron had volunteered to get all the paint and supplies, so all we had to bring was ourselves, a couple coolers of food, and some beer and wine. We each had a small overnight bag—it's easy to travel light when you're gonna be naked most of the time.

We caught up to Ron and Kathy's truck just as they turned onto the six mile dirt road leading to the camp, and Kathy just about fell out of the window waving to us and smiling. She looked like she was well primed and ready for more wild times. We hung back a bit due to the cloud of dust they were kicking up—it had been a warm, dry summer. Penny was at her car getting supplies when we pulled in next to her, and we all hugged and kissed. Lee, Lindsey and Julia were the 'new kids', and they fit right in. Everyone was relaxed and happy on a sunny, blue sky day.

We made the half-mile hike in to the camp, dropped our things, and went back for the rest of the paint and supplies. As we were closing up the vehicles we heard a roar coming up the dirt road, and pretty soon a motorcycle appeared, kicking up a cloud of dust. It was Denise, dressed in a tight black leather vest with nothing underneath it, skin tight black leather pants, and a small black 'brain bucket' helmet on top of her frizzy bottle blonde hair. A well worn sticker on the front of her helmet read 'FUCK IT.'

"Here's your surprise Steve," Penny said, as Denise rolled to a stop and took off her sunglasses.

"Fuckin' A Penny! You didn't tell me I needed a dirt bike to get here!" Denise said with a big smile.

"Dennie! I didn't know you were coming!" I said as I bent down to give her a hug. "I'm surprised Lacy's not with you."

"She'll be pissed Monday when she finds out where I went," she said as she dismounted the bike with a dancer's grace. "I didn't think she was ready for this shit yet."

"Hi Denise, how are ya," Lee said as she embraced her.

"My guardian angel," Denise said to me over Lee's shoulder. "She saved my life a few years ago, did she tell ya?"

"She did. I hope you're hangin' out with nicer guys these days," I said. Dennie didn't answer.

"I was at the bar the other day and Dennie told me about hooking up with you," Penny said to me. "I thought it'd be fun to get her up here."

"Damn right!" I said. "Best! Blowjob! Ever!" I said to Ron, and his eyes got big as he looked over the dusty, wild looking biker girl. "Believe me ladies, I love 'em all, I really do, but Dennie just about gave me brain damage. I swear to God I couldn't move for like fifteen minutes," I said, and the girls all laughed.

"You'll teach us, right?" Penny asked Denise.

"I volunteer to be the lesson dummy," Ron said, and we all laughed.

Penny said Johnny and his friend wouldn't be showing up until later, so we shlepped the rest of the supplies up the trail and settled in at the camp with a beer. A little while later we heard a familiar roar coming up the trail, and Denise pulled up next to the camp on her Harley.

"I hate leavin' it all alone down there in the dark," she said.

Ron wanted to get started on the paint work before we got too caught up in sexual escapades, and he played the role of Foreman nicely, getting everybody organized and working. None of us really brought any work clothes, and we didn't want to ruin our regular clothes, so we were stripped down to our undies pretty quickly. All except Denise that is — she wasn't wearing any underwear, so she was the first one naked, much to the pleasure of Ron who was quite taken with her.

"God I love this place," he said quietly to me as we watched her sweet little ass wiggle and her small perky tits jiggle as she scraped loose paint off some window trim.

"Ronnie, you're not gonna get any work done with that thing," Penny said to him, gesturing to his tented boxers. She walked over, slid them down, and gave him the honor of the first orgasm of the weekend, swallowing her afternoon snack with a smile.

"Fuck!" he said as she finished. "I don't know about you," he turned and said to me, "but I've been takin' vitamins and hydratin' for weeks gettin' ready for this, and Kathy's been doin' cardio." Penny and I laughed.

By late afternoon the little camp was all scraped and ready for paint. As they say, many hands make light work, and we all went down to the pond to clean up for the evening.

"Fuckin' A Penny, this place is sweet," Denise said as we walked down. "You come up here a lot?"

"I cum a lot when I'm up here, if that's what you mean," Penny said with a laugh. "It was my dad's place. He used it for hunting mostly. I inherited it a few years ago, but ever since Steve started comin' up here last year it's sorta become party central, right Stevie?"

"Yup, we've had some wild ones," I said as I stripped off my boxers and splashed into the warm water.

"Fuckin' nice cock, isn't it?" I heard Denise say to Penny just before I went under.

I swam slowly to the center of the pond and when I turned to head back to shore I noticed Penny and Denise already in a sixty-nine on a chaise lounge. Penny had confessed to me earlier that she'd always had the hots for Denise at the bar, just like most of the guys in the city.

I hadn't seen much of Julia and Lindsey—they'd been working on the opposite side of the camp—but they appeared to be settling into the surroundings and activities nicely, helping Kathy soap up her big husband Ron, and he was smiling like the king of the world. I swam over to join in and soon the five of us were in a doggy-style fuck session in shallow water. Just as some big orgasms were echoing off the hills Johnny and his friend walked down the trail with big smiles on their faces. Penny jumped up and greeted them.

"Johnny tried to tell me it was gonna be like this, but I didn't believe him," I heard the friend say as a naked Penny hugged him. She gave Johnny a longer embrace and a big kiss. The girls and Ron and I splashed ourselves clean and walked over to greet them.

"Steve!" Johnny said as we shook hands, "I won't hug ya 'cause your naked man, but it's great to see ya! This is my friend Phil."

Phil was smiling and handsome as hell. A Bradley Cooper look-alike with longer hair, maybe twenty-five years old. Johnny's attractiveness to the ladies had been well established on his previous visits.

Introductions were made all around, and I noticed Lindsey looking shy and hiding her naked body behind Kathy and Julia.

"You know," I said, embracing her from behind, "you look ridiculously hot today, out here in the wild."

"I suddenly feel old and fat," she whispered.

I walked her over a few steps to one of the flat lounges and we sat down.

"You know you're over thinking this, right?" I said quietly to her. "Why would you feel differently here than the other groups we've been with?"

"I don't know," she said quietly. "More new people I guess. I mean look at Kathy and Dennie — those bodies! They look like dancers or something. And those guys!"

"I know Johnny pretty well, and he's gonna eat you up. And Phil looks like somebody you'd like to eat up. Stop thinking so much and roll with it. You're every bit as sexy as anyone else here," I said as I pushed her down and buried my face in her pussy.

"Steve, wait!" she said, obviously uncomfortable in that position, so close to the casually talking group of others. My tongue, however, was already taking control of the situation, and she let out a deep moan.

"

yeeeAAAH!

" Penny yelled at the top of her lungs when she noticed us. "

That's

what I'm talkin' about! God that girl's fuckin'

hot

isn't she? It's like Marilyn Monroe came back to life or some shit."

Lindsey lifted her head and looked at me with surprised eyes when she heard it, and started giggling.

"You believe me now?" I said, and I licked her clit making her shudder and laugh.

"You boys gonna get naked or what?" Penny said to Johnny and Phil, and mere moments later the warm waters of the pond were the center of the sexual universe.

———————

"You seem to be fitting right in to these crazy shenanigans," I said to Lee as we were settling in around the evening campfire with a plate of food.

"You know, I'm surprising myself, but it just feels so right . . . sitting here naked, being free with my sex . . . I wish I had known about this kinda thing when I was twenty," she said, suddenly realizing that what Ally had told her about involving her daughter Nicki was probably true. "Holy shit," she said, deep in thought about her daughters.

Johnny and Phil had a gig in the nearby village at eight o'clock, so after we feasted around the campfire we all got dressed and ready for a night on the town. We all piled into the bigger vehicles and hit the little town like a whirlwind, laughing and ready to see our friend Johnny perform for the first time.

I had a funny feeling I should check my messages while I was in town and had a strong cell signal. There was a voice-mail from Barb asking me to call her right away. She didn't sound good. I walked to a little park across from the bar and called her.

"Steve, Connie passed away this morning," she said.

"Oh no . . ." I said, completely deflated and shocked. "What happened Barb?"

"She was with me. We were sitting on my back patio having coffee and laughing, and she just collapsed. They're pretty sure it was a stroke—she had had a couple of small ones previously. Did she ever mention that?"

"No , she never did. Oh, Barb . . . I'm heartbroken. Connie was . . ." my voice left me, and I wiped away a few tears. "Damn it Barb."

"I know honey. I can't believe it either. I'm sorry to ruin your weekend, but I knew you'd want to know," she said.

"I'm coming home. Will you still be awake around midnight? Can I come over?" I asked.

"Yes, I'll be waiting. I can use one of your big hugs right about now," she said.

———————————

Connie's memorial service was a warm and loving event, packed to standing-room only with friends, loved ones and admirers. She was a big patron of the arts all around the area, and very well known in those circles. There was wonderful music and lots of stories told about sweet Connie, and we all felt uplifted when it was over.

I was astonished when I learned just how wealthy Connie was. She never talked much about money or business, but it turned out she had sold her husbands business after he passed away, and it made her one of the wealthiest people in the area. In her will she left massive endowment funds to both the universities she and her husband went to, twenty million to the children's hospital, ten million to the symphony orchestra, and the list went on and on. Her sister and her late husband's brother got millions, her nieces and nephews each got specifically designed million dollar trust funds, and her close friends all received monetary gifts. I was one of those friends.

In her lawyers office, on a beautiful sunny day I'll never forget, I was gifted a million dollars. A million dollars! There was a handwritten letter from Connie.

My dear wonderful Steve, My husband John, and Steve Mills. It's as simple as that. The two men in my life that had the most profound impact are you and John. Your thoughtful, loving companionship has meant the world to me, and I can never, ever thank you enough. I hope this gift will make your life even more special than it already is. Of course it's yours to use freely, however you wish, but I'd love it if you use at least some of it to do something exciting and wonderful. I'm not a religious person, but I like to believe in heaven. If it's real and I do end up there, I'll be looking in on you now and then, envying the woman you are with. You are a wonderful, wonderful man Steven Mills. Thank you. With much love, Connie

To say I was in shock would be an understatement. I sat in the chair in the lawyers office and wept as I heard Connie's voice read the letter I was holding, and the full weight of losing her finally hit me. The lawyer's secretary brought me some tissues and a glass of water, and I slowly pulled myself together.

———————

Connie's death changed me. I'm not really sure how or why—I guess maybe it was as simple as being depressed. I had gotten closer to her than any of the other girls, spending almost an entire winter together working on her big house and making love countless times. Her gift of Camp Silver Beaver to me had cemented the specialness of our relationship. I can honestly say if there wasn't thirty-five years of age difference between us I would have happily settled down with her. We loved each other and loosing her was a big blow.

The rest of the summer I cut way back on the wild times. I turned down Penny's invitation to a late summer party at Camp Heaven, and I didn't even go to Lindsey's next bash in her playroom. Lindsey was crushed, and I felt bad, but it just didn't feel right so I went out to see a band that night. Some of the girls even staged an intervention, showing up at my camp one evening to try and help me talk through my depression. It was sweet of them, but I just felt like I needed a change in my life.

Having a camp on the state's canal system was fascinating—boats from all over the world passed by my back door in the summertime, flying their countries flags. I bought a small Boston Whaler that I kept on a hoist at my dock, and I got in the habit of running over to the public dock at the nearby village in the evenings and chatting with the long-distance cruisers who were tied up there for the night. It was a captivating lifestyle, and I started reading magazines and books on the subject. The more I learned the more the idea overtook me, and by early autumn I was looking for a live-aboard boat. Being a woodworker and a craftsman, WoodenBoat magazine had become my bible. I bought every back issue and read it voraciously. I found a listing in the classified section that led me to a web site, and I fell in love. It was a forty-foot power boat—built as a fishing trawler in the Northwest in 1940, and converted ten years ago into a live-aboard pleasure cruiser. Heavy wood construction, completely rebuilt by one of the best yards in the country, with a slow-turning, fuel efficient diesel engine and looks that would melt any boat lovers heart. I drove down to Virginia to see it, confirmed the love I had already felt, had it looked over by the best people in the business, and bought it. My heart soared when I drove down a week later and saw the name CONNIE freshly painted on the transom. I lived aboard for the next two weeks, getting used to things and learning the systems. The owner of the small boatyard quickly became a friend, and he and I took the boat out in the evenings so I could get used to handling it with his expert guidance. Being aboard Connie was pure joy, and I knew I had found my home.

New York's canal system closes for the winter on the first of November, so I reluctantly left Connie in Virginia and went home to sort things out. I met Ron and Kathy for dinner and offered Ron my business. He eagerly accepted, with Kathy's blessing. Even if he didn't treat the business like I did—having sex with some of the customers—Kathy knew there would be temptations, but she was cool with it. Their marriage had become quite 'open' over the course of the last year, and she figured if he was having outside sex she would too. Who knows how that would work out, but Ron was a stand-up guy and a skilled craftsman, and I knew he would take good care of my customers.

I invested Connie's money conservatively, and it gave me more than enough income to keep my camp as a 'home base' and cruise on the boat indefinitely. I planned on being home at least a month or two each summer. Lee said she would keep an eye on the place when I wasn't there, Ron would take care of any problems, and I hired a landscape guy to cut the grass and plow the snow. I put my small house in the city on the market and it sold quickly.

There was more than one party thrown in my honor before I left for the winter. We had some great times, and my new happiness had me back in the sack with everyone and loving it. There was sadness amongst the girls that things were going to change, but they were all happy for me, with two exceptions. Lindsey was devastated. She had managed to climb out of the depression she was in after her divorce, but me leaving seemed to have her perilously close to falling back in. The girls rallied round her and pulled her into the light again, and by the time I left she seemed okay with it, and even had a date which was a positive sign. She was going to be my first guest on the boat in three weeks time, and that cheered her up too.

The other girl that took the news of my leaving very hard was Becka. She and I had become very close after Connie died. It wouldn't be a stretch to say we had fallen in love with each other, although due to circumstances and age differences neither one of us had admitted it. She was, and is, the most sensual woman I've ever come across, and as sweet as sweet can be. If she wasn't half-way into her college career I probably would have stolen away with her, but I wanted her to get her degree and have some direction in life before she chose to spend her life with a 'boat bum.'

I packed up what I thought I needed, closed up the camp, and my buddy Mark drove me down to Virginia. After a few days on board with him, and a nice little party thrown by my boatyard friends, I slipped Connie's lines and quietly motored out of the harbor into my new life.