As Ranger Rusty raised the flag at the crack of dawn, he thought it was “just another day. Little did he know his day would turn into a 3-book odyssey, plus an abridged version on the way. Buy Books
Intro - Birth of a trilogy
It was only supposed to be a 30-minute campfire talk
By Robert V. Sobczak
The origin of the trilogy ...
Is as improbable as it is absurd.
Trilogy Trailer
In December 2014 Rudi was trying to get back in the groove of civilian life after returning from a nine month tour overseas in Kuwait while Bob was on the mend from a procedure to get his heart to beat right. But for one night everything was right, perfect in fact. Big Cypress National Preserve was celebrating its fortieth birthday at the Collier County Museum. As the festivities wound down, Bob found himself entering the ember glow and crackle of the campfire to take a brief respite when a lumbering Rudi stepped forth from the shadows.
“Can you help a fellow American down on his luck?” Rudi asked with a slightly brooding look on his face. The flicker, aroma and sound of the campfire also made him simultaneously relax as he approached.
Bob told Rudi to ditch the powerpoint
South Florida’s winter tourist season was just about to begin. Three weeks and it would be in full swing. The kickoff for Rudi was January 9th. That’s when he was scheduled to give an evening talk around a campfire at a remote campground ― halfway the distance between Miami and Naples ― in the epicenter of the swamp preserve.
“I love the idea behind the campfire program,” Rudi lamented as he settled in around the orb of light and reached for a slider sandwich that Bob offered from his paper plate. “The problem is, nowadays, the actual campfire … munch munch … is almost an afterthought. It’s the giant outdoor screen that gets all the audience’s attention. I just sit in back … munch munch … and let the Power Point do all the work … munch munch.”
“A POWER POINT at a campfire? Apocryphal!” Bob stammered in disbelief. He flicked a pebble toward the pulsing embers. “—That doesn’t seem right.”
Fast forward a week later to the edge of town where Bob greeted Rudi with a proposition he couldn’t turn down. “What do you say you forget about the Power Point?” Bob suggested. “We’ll partner up to do a campfire talk ‘on the campfire,’ just you, me … and my guitar. We'll make it a theatrical production -- part off-Broadway, part Vaudeville and part Shakespearian.”
Rudi nodded his head as the concept slowly soaked in before calling it a "capital idea."
Do you have a fear of being squeezed to death by a giant Burmese Python? Or does being followed around all day by a Florida Panther rattle your nerves? If so, join Rusty, a well meaning but – how shall we say – “often distracted” park ranger who is scheduled to give an evening talk in a swamp preserve on a topic he doesn’t much like. Not to worry (or maybe worry a lot) as the unwitting ranger meets a mysterious stranger who catapults him on a breathtaking journey to confront and maybe finally answer the deepest and most confounding question of his life. That is assuming he can ever get done (or to) his campfire talk …
Merle Turkle bursts onto the scene. What’s Merle’s strength? For one, he knows his enemy, and he knows where to hit him where in counts. In the case of Candidate Burt Silver, that’s in the smoky boiler room where he gets most of his work done. Keep in mind: Not only does Burt do all his major negotiations around the card table, it’s also the primary source of funds that pays for his campaign. As good a politician as Burt is, Merle knows his only hope to defeat him is to trick him out of the smoky boiler room and early morning diners. But will Merle prevail, or does Burt have a trick or two up his sleeve? Moral of the story: For Merle the best defense is a good offense and for Burt it’s doing whatever it takes to make it back to the late night smoky boiler room night after night.
I don’t know much, but I’m inclined to spill whatever I do out at the campfire
The origin of this book is as improbable as it is absurd.
In December 2014 Rudi was trying to get back in the groove of civilian life after returning from a nine month tour overseas in Kuwait while Bob was on the mend from a procedure to get his heart to beat right.
But for one night everything was right, perfect in fact. Big Cypress National Preserve was celebrating its fortieth birthday at the Collier County Museum. As the festivities wound down, Bob found himself entering the ember glow and crackle of the campfire to take a brief respite when a lumbering Rudi stepped forth from the shadows.
“Can you help a fellow American down on his luck?” Rudi asked with a slightly brooding look on his face. The flicker, aroma and sound of the campfire also made him simultaneously relax as he approached.
South Florida’s winter tourist season was just about to begin. Three weeks and it would be in full swing. The kickoff for Rudi was January 9th. That’s when he was scheduled to give an evening talk around a campfire at a remote campground ― halfway the distance between Miami and Naples ― in the epicenter of the swamp preserve.
“I love the idea behind the campfire program,” Rudi lamented as he settled in around the orb of light and reached for a slider sandwich that Bob offered from his paper plate. “The problem is, nowadays, the actual campfire … munch munch … is almost an afterthought. It’s the giant outdoor screen that gets all the audience’s attention. I just sit in back … munch munch … and let the Power Point do all the work … munch munch.”
“A POWER POINT at a campfire? Apocryphal!” Bob stammered in disbelief. He flicked a pebble toward the pulsing embers. “—That doesn’t seem right.”
Rudi conceded as much as he gestured toward the campfire with a second slider sandwich he’d grabbed from the plate.
“The campfire should be ‘center stage.’ It’s how Yellowstone … munch munch … the entire National Park system … and human civilization for that matter … got its start.”
Rudi looked at the lone remaining slider. “—Are you gonna eat that?” he asked looking up.
“No, take it. It’s all yours.”
“Thanks man,” Rudi said in a brightening tone. “These sandwiches … munch munch … are really delicious. What are they?’’
“Pulled pork.”
“Oh yeah … munch munch … so, like I was sayin’ about the campfire …”
. . .
Fast forward a week later to the edge of town where Bob greeted Rudi with a proposition he couldn’t turn down. “What do you say you forget about the Power Point?” Bob suggested. “We’ll partner up to do a campfire talk ‘on the campfire,’ just you, me … and my guitar.”
“So … are you going to send me an email?”
“NO! I’m not gonna send any EMAIL … for crying out loud!” Bob gasped. “― A presentation like this, you gotta work on in-person. It’s a theatrical production.”
“You mean like Vaudeville?”
“NO! Not Vaudeville. I’m talking Off-Broadway. You gotta carefully choreograph everything in real space. It’s more than just a script.”
Rudi nodded his head as the concept slowly soaked in. A moment or two later he broke out of his reverie with an affirmative yes.
Welcome to Campfire Park where the campfire’s always cracklin’ and visitors are always welcome. And most of all, where the Cowboy at the Campfire is waiting patiently, and always with a story to tell. Who exactly is the Cowboy at the Campfire? Let’s just say that he has a way about himself. He’s never too rushed, and inquisitive, but never nosey. And yes, he always has a story to tell.
Well howdy folks, and I’m completely freaked out. And you know why. The fringe middle. The silent majority. Why are they so quiet?
Well, every once in a great while there’s a politician that everyone sort of loves. Why? For one, Candidate Burt Silver has a silver tongue, and also a pretty good idea of who he is and what he stands for. There’s no mincing of the words when it comes to describing his favorite color, why he loves the late night smoky boil room, or talking about late-night feedbags after a long night of cardplaying. Find out more about Candidate Burt Silver in the videos below.
As Ranger Rusty raised the flag at the crack of dawn, he thought it was “just another day. Little did he know his day would turn into a 3-book odyssey, plus an abridged version on the way. 
