Date #2: Moonlit River

Name: "Gondolier"

Profession: Handy Man

Date Theme: Kayaking on the moonlit river

"Gondolier" (Gondo) surprised me with his laid back personality. He sounded like he was from Southern Cali but is actually from UT. He used to live on the slops at Snowbird and then the Lord told him to fly away from the snow to Arizona. "Gondo" shared his Alma-like conversion story throughout the night and it was very interesting!

The Vessel

We went to the store to buy the ingredients for what he called "Mexi-Brauts" and then we loaded up a two man kayak and drove to the end of the Salt River. Once we got there he busted out his propane stove and started cooking away. He made sweet potato fries with butter and garlic, put the brauts on the grill, and pulled out his outdoor lounge chairs. Oh I can't forget the awesome Reggae music he had playing from the truck.

When it came time to put the brauts together "Gondo" realized he'd forgotten to buy hot dog buns! No worries my friends, he happen to have two English Muffins in the cooler so we used those instead. We had brauts with cilantro, onions, avocado, and some other yummy delicious things. The Sweet Potato friends turned out great and all the food was wonderful. "Gondo" made all the food on the tailgate of his truck so that was fun!

After dinner was over we took the kayak out into the river. Some parts of the river were so shallow we didn't even need to paddle. The ambiance was incredible with the moonlit, stars, and being out on the water. "Gondo" said, "I guess i should have put your seat facing me so that I could gaze into your eyes instead of talking to the back of your head." We both laughed at his cheesy line! I had a blast out on the water and getting to know "Gondo". Then he stood up like a Gondolier in Venice and steered the boat standing up.

When we finally found out launching spot again we headed home to drop off the kayak and then back to my place. "Gondo" walked me to the door and said something like, "You're a cool chick so I'll keep your number." Then he...

I had a wonderful time getting to know "Gondo" better, taking in the wicked awesome moonlight, and enjoying the river!