One last backgrounder

Here's one last person stuck in the background, to round out my week's reportage.It's this guy captured in a picture by a kindergartner with an i-phone.The child and I had just been to the dump where he scored this very attractive gold plastic moon and stars on the Swap Table. We left in exchange a set of porch-sofa cushions and a lamp, both so attractive to our fellow dump visitors that we didn't even get to set them down; out they went to their cars to everyone's great satisfaction.But back to this guy: This guy is the family member who normally shuns photo sessions, the guy who, for work, fights fires and practices first response medicine and for fun executes a zillion upside-down pushups while standing on his hands.And also reads. When he's not explaining to two little boys how Wall Street works and why the sky is blue he is reading reading reading. He's a little like Madame Defarge in A Tale of Two Cities knitting everything up between her needles.  One day when all the libraries have been turned into drive-throughs and the Internet pops and goes dark John will recreate civilization anew by explaining everything to everyone all over again.Right now he's really in the background: he left Sunday at noontime to hike alone in the mountains.Carrying all his food and water, natch.And his tent.And perhaps some BandAids I don't know.He advised us that we wouldn't hear from him until we saw him.He's due to reappear tomorrow before dark.I sure hope he does. We have more questions about the sky. And what if we get another splinter?