Jay Michael Jorgensen

I was at the front of the rope, inching my way back down what seemed to be an impossibly steep slope of snow and ice. Mt. Rainier is only 14,400 feet; the three-day hike wasn’t supposed to be that tough, was it?

The following story is my somewhat sappy reaction to "The Girls in Their Summer Dresses," a marvelous short story by Irwin Shaw. Please enjoy the original here. The following is a mostly-true account, with some license to counter the rather uncomfortable conclusion to Mr. Shaw's story . . .

It was a typical November afternoon in the Valley of the Sun. I can’t call it an Autumn day, as there is no Autumn here. Just call it gorgeous—about 75 degrees with a few banks of clouds here and there. Almost sweater-weather, but not quite… Lisa and I were going to go see a band later, but decided to head out and start Friday night at about four o’clock. Unfortunately, much of Cave Creek, Arizona doesn’t believe happy hour starts until five. We tried one of our favorite wine bars, but the door was locked for another hour; likewise for the bar at the steakhouse up the road. Now what?

I’ve been to a place called Cody’s in Cave Creek, Arizona several times now, and I like it. On my most recent visit I saw a good comedy show and one reveler playing with a sombrero, which reminded of my first time there…