Campfire

A fire lit outdoors, normally ignited after countless matches, newspapers, obscenities, and, finally, coleman fuel, which is normally surrounded by a group of people either telling stories or singing.

There really is something magical about a campfire. Normally inattentive groups of people can be transfixed for hours by a single flickering light when they would probably lose interest in a television show after five minutes. This is one of the many things that restore my faith in humanity.

A fire builds the most primitive form of community - people who have found light in the darkness around them. Isn't that what all communities are based on?

Disclaimer: Fire is dangerous. You could get burned!

1. Prepare the fire pit. Clear out all the leaves and anything else that would burn for about ten feet.
2. Dig up the grass where you are going to have the fire pit. You can put it aside in the form of sod blocks to replace it later.
3. Place stones to border the fire pit.
4. Gather wood. You will need logs about 2½ to 6 inches in diameter and 1½ to 2 feet long (for an average size fire). You will also need smaller sticks and twigs, and dead leaves (or paper - if you want to cheat). All kindling wood should be dry.
5. Stack the wood. My favorite is the log cabin style. Place the two largest logs parallel, and place two more parallel logs on top, perpendicular to the first two. Continue, going from big logs to small, until you are out of logs.
6. Put the smaller sticks inside the logs. They should go from the center to the holes in between the big logs.
7. Put the twigs and leaves/paper on top of the sticks.
8. Light the leaves/paper (use matches, a lighter, a flint and steel, or whatever). If you had enough leaves, they should light the twigs, which will light the sticks, which will light the logs.
Now you have a fire. You can add more logs as the first logs burn.

Please correct and add to this.