Green Jello with Hot Dogs

 During the summers of the early 1970’s there would be potluck dinners at least once a month on the Orleans Ranger Station for the employees, including seasonal employees living in the bunk house.  Everybody was asked to bring something.  The wives of the staff, living in the family houses on the station would provide hot dishes, fried chicken, salads, deserts and other items that single people would dream of.    Seasonal employees usually brought bags of chips, can of olives, beans or a large bottle of pop.   The local market did not provide much in terms of gourmet items or even deli food.  It was pretty basic shopping there with bread, cold cuts, some dairy products, can goods, limited produce, soda and plenty of wine and beer.    Serious grocery shopping was done by most people once a month in Arcata or Eureka, about a two hour drive from Orleans.   Upper management would chip in and have a keg of beer available for all to enjoy.  Since alcohol was not allowed in the barracks, most beer drinking was done at one of three bars in the community or down at the river.   There was one fellow who lived in the bunk house that would always put together a dish of green jello with hot dogs lined up in it.   He would place it on the long row of picnic tables lined up on the lawn in the center of the compound, where all the food was served.   This dish was only popular with the young children of the families living on the station.   The adults always got a few laughs seeing it there on display with all the other dishes.   As the evening wore on and the beer consumption increased, most of the families retreated to their houses leaving the bunk house people to finish off whatever remained.   By the time the keg was empty, and all the food eaten it was well into the night, and the seasonal employees slowly made their way back to the bunk house or stumbled down the highway to wherever home was.  Even the green jello with hot dogs had been devoured.