The Archer

In our continued effort to get the new farm ready for our friends' wedding reception in September, we had a couple bonfires this weekend to clear some more brush piles. My hubby decided he wanted to play Robin Hood by lighting the bonfires with a flaming arrow.

Friday night we had the soon-to-be-newlyweds over for the bonfire. While we're waiting for them to arrive, hubby is in the front yard practicing his archery. He comes in so excited that he has it down and we all head over to the bonfire.

So, we're all waiting there with eager anticipation to watch this huge brush pile light up in flames via the flaming arrow. We cut the headlights, countdown and hubby lets the arrow fly. What happens? It soars through the air in a beautiful arch only to land 3 feet short of the pile. We all double over in laughter. He takes 5 steps closer and tries again. The flaming arrow flies through the air and this time falls 2 feet short of the pile. More laughing follows. Determined, hubby picks up the arrow to try a third time and this time it breaks in half as he puts it on the bow so he decides he better just throw it on the pile. It may not have had the climatic effect he was hoping for, but all of us sure got some great laughs out of it. Of course, we had to tell the story to the rest of our group at church on Sunday.

Saturday night we had another bonfire and hubby was determined to get the flaming arrow to work this time. He realized that on Friday night he forgot to compensate for the fact that when the tip of your arrow is on fire, you won't be able to pull back the string on your bow as far. So, to compensate, he made the cloth tip shorter on Saturday night. We had a different couple over for Saturday and we're ready and waiting, cut the headlights and hubby lets her fly. What happened? The arrow reached the pile. Went right through the pile as a matter of fact, but nothing lit. He tries it again. Same exact thing. Turns out that the cloth wasn't thick enough so the arrow was extinguishing before it even reached the pile.

Poor hubby. He wants to light the fire with a flaming arrow so badly, but all he's accomplished the firstt two times is providing us with some good laughs. He thinks he has it all figured out now, so hopefully when we burn the next pile he'll get to fulfill his dream of being Robin Hood. Doesn't matter to me whether he succeeds or not...he sure looks cute trying!