Yes, once again it rained on our camping trip. Of course it was at 4:30 am and didn't last long, so all in all a great weekend.
Modern day camping tools that I had in my pockets:
i-pod
cell phone with internet connection
digital camera
*~Dave Barry
Showing posts with label camping. Show all posts
Showing posts with label camping. Show all posts
May 26, 2008
It always rains on tents. Rainstorms will travel thousands of miles, against prevailing winds for the opportunity to rain on a tent. *
Yes, once again it rained on our camping trip. Of course it was at 4:30 am and didn't last long, so all in all a great weekend.
Modern day camping tools that I had in my pockets:
i-pod
cell phone with internet connection
digital camera
*~Dave Barry
March 12, 2006
To help people at all times,
We plop down on our mattresses and as I start to review the weekend itinerary, Ryan looks around and realizes that there isn't anyone that she knows. She starts to worry that she won't know anyone all weekend. I tell her that maybe there is someone she knows in the other cabin and that she will see them when we all meet at 7:00. Finally someone from he
r troop comes down the stairs and she gets excited and visibly relaxes. They wave and smile at each other, and then promptly pretend to ignore each other.
By then it's time to go upstairs. Upstairs everyone is milling around and no one is quite sure what to do. Finally we are told to make name tags. We then learn what the 3 different groups will be, what their kapers (jobs) will be and what the nights activities are. We break into 2 large circles and start to play a game where the person in the middle says something that they like and whomever likes the same thing runs
out into the middle and then back out. The last person out is then in the middle and it all starts over. After a little while, I tell Ryan that she will "have" to be the last one out and she starts grabbing my hand and hiding behind me. I tell her that I will go out with her and I see the look of panic in her eyes (a look that I know very well - see previous). I even tell her that I will go out and stand with her. But still no go and we are done before I can convince her otherwise.
We then break up into 3 groups
and start to rotate among the different activities (storms - charades of a storm for everyone else to guess, smores and keep the ball from touching the ground. We then get the room ready for breakfast in the morning. We head downstairs to get ready for bead. It's late and Ryan has had a long day so I'm sure that she will fall asleep quickly. But I quickly realize that she is too excited to fall asleep. At about 10:30 she finally falls asleep. I close my book, roll over to watch her sleep for a couple of minutes and then close my eyes.
to be continued...
r troop comes down the stairs and she gets excited and visibly relaxes. They wave and smile at each other, and then promptly pretend to ignore each other.By then it's time to go upstairs. Upstairs everyone is milling around and no one is quite sure what to do. Finally we are told to make name tags. We then learn what the 3 different groups will be, what their kapers (jobs) will be and what the nights activities are. We break into 2 large circles and start to play a game where the person in the middle says something that they like and whomever likes the same thing runs
out into the middle and then back out. The last person out is then in the middle and it all starts over. After a little while, I tell Ryan that she will "have" to be the last one out and she starts grabbing my hand and hiding behind me. I tell her that I will go out with her and I see the look of panic in her eyes (a look that I know very well - see previous). I even tell her that I will go out and stand with her. But still no go and we are done before I can convince her otherwise.
We then break up into 3 groups
and start to rotate among the different activities (storms - charades of a storm for everyone else to guess, smores and keep the ball from touching the ground. We then get the room ready for breakfast in the morning. We head downstairs to get ready for bead. It's late and Ryan has had a long day so I'm sure that she will fall asleep quickly. But I quickly realize that she is too excited to fall asleep. At about 10:30 she finally falls asleep. I close my book, roll over to watch her sleep for a couple of minutes and then close my eyes.to be continued...
Tags:
February 23, 2006
To serve God* and my country,
You know that you are getting old when your daughter has more of a social life than you do. On our way out of town to go camping we stopped at every kids favorite (and parents for the ease) eating establishment. And of course as soon as we walk through the door, it's:"Can I go play?". "No, we're here to eat and then we are going camping"
"Ok" (and there is no way I can convey how heavy that ok was).
And of course not 2 seconds after we sit down:"Hey I know her."
And next thing I know, she's off playing anyway and I'm sitting there eating dinner by myself.
I gave her about 10 minutes and then we are off. After being on the expressway for about 20 minutes, I get the question.....How much longer? And I can't help but say hours yet (even though at this point in time we are just about there). Then I realize that with her winter coat on and the heat cranked, that she may fall asleep, so hours turns into almost there.
After a few wrong turns (it was dark and it was raining) and the inability to see the sign for the camp in the dark (even though all of the other dads turning
around did let me know that I had passed it), we made it just in time for check in. We park the car, get out into the mud and walk into the building to be greeted with "Are you here to check in? If so it's the other building up the road". And you can tell that she has had to say it a hundred times already and just wants to shout "Idiot". Back through the mud, up the road, find a spot to park and we are here at Camp O' Fair Winds.
We get in line behind a couple of other people to check in, when I experience a moment of panic....They have yellow pieces of paper. I don't. Wait she is asking for the paper because it is a health history. Shit, I don't have one. Will I be able to fill one out now?...."Name?" "Stieb" a couple of page turns and then, "Ok, your down stairs. Here's the agenda, be back up here at 7." And that's when I realize that my wife is way, way ahead of me and that she turned in the health history when she dropped off the money (reason number 1,010 as to why I love her).
We walk through the doors, down the stairs, into what looks like an elementary gym. There is a stack of plastic mattresses and it appears that we need to grab a couple and find space on the floor. And since we were are one of the last to arrive, it looks like we are going to be in the middle of the floor. We get our stuff from the car, grab a couple of mattresses, stake out our homestead (equal distance from everyone on all sides) and spread our sleeping bags and blankets out. Ryan turns to me and says:"Is this what you were expecting?"
I don't really answer her, but all I keep thinking is fireplace, TV and me in a state of vegetation.
....to be continued
* The word "God" can be interpreted in a number of ways, depending on one's spiritual beliefs. When reciting the Girl Scout Promise, it is okay to replace the word "God" with whatever word your spiritual beliefs dictate.
Tags:
"Ok" (and there is no way I can convey how heavy that ok was).
And of course not 2 seconds after we sit down:"Hey I know her."
And next thing I know, she's off playing anyway and I'm sitting there eating dinner by myself.
I gave her about 10 minutes and then we are off. After being on the expressway for about 20 minutes, I get the question.....How much longer? And I can't help but say hours yet (even though at this point in time we are just about there). Then I realize that with her winter coat on and the heat cranked, that she may fall asleep, so hours turns into almost there.
After a few wrong turns (it was dark and it was raining) and the inability to see the sign for the camp in the dark (even though all of the other dads turning
around did let me know that I had passed it), we made it just in time for check in. We park the car, get out into the mud and walk into the building to be greeted with "Are you here to check in? If so it's the other building up the road". And you can tell that she has had to say it a hundred times already and just wants to shout "Idiot". Back through the mud, up the road, find a spot to park and we are here at Camp O' Fair Winds.We get in line behind a couple of other people to check in, when I experience a moment of panic....They have yellow pieces of paper. I don't. Wait she is asking for the paper because it is a health history. Shit, I don't have one. Will I be able to fill one out now?...."Name?" "Stieb" a couple of page turns and then, "Ok, your down stairs. Here's the agenda, be back up here at 7." And that's when I realize that my wife is way, way ahead of me and that she turned in the health history when she dropped off the money (reason number 1,010 as to why I love her).
We walk through the doors, down the stairs, into what looks like an elementary gym. There is a stack of plastic mattresses and it appears that we need to grab a couple and find space on the floor. And since we were are one of the last to arrive, it looks like we are going to be in the middle of the floor. We get our stuff from the car, grab a couple of mattresses, stake out our homestead (equal distance from everyone on all sides) and spread our sleeping bags and blankets out. Ryan turns to me and says:"Is this what you were expecting?"I don't really answer her, but all I keep thinking is fireplace, TV and me in a state of vegetation.
....to be continued
* The word "God" can be interpreted in a number of ways, depending on one's spiritual beliefs. When reciting the Girl Scout Promise, it is okay to replace the word "God" with whatever word your spiritual beliefs dictate.
Tags:
February 21, 2006
On my honor, I will try:
My daughter (and because she is the troop leader: my wife) is now a brownie and part of the Girl Scouts. Sometime a month or so ago I was told that there was a daughter/dad camping weekend in February and would I want to take Ryan. My first thought was "in the winter?" and my second thought was "in the winter?". But it sounded fun and it was next month.Before I new it, it was the beginning of February and time to go camping. Ryan was excited by it all week, whispering to me every chance that she could get (so her sister wouldn't hear and then a.) think she was going and b.) get upset when told that she wasn't going). And of course I didn't want to go. I left work early, but it had been a long week. It was cold and rainy, I was tired and I just wanted to throw on the sweats, turn on the fireplace (love the modern technology, why start a fire when you can just turn on a light switch) and veg in front of the TV. And though I try not to be around the kids (although if Ryan is any indication, it's too late), I'm not the most outgoing person in the world and spending the weekend at a camp, with the only person I know being my daughter, was kicking in all of my "anti-social" tendencies.
But being the good dad that I am, I sucked it in, loaded up the car and headed out into the rain. And I'm glad that I did.
to be continued........
Tags:
July 23, 2005
There's a trail that I'll be hiking just to see where it might go
I had big plans to post pictures from my cellphone while we were camping, but my cellphone company had other ideas.Then after seeing that the campground had Wi-Fi available, I had big plans to post while we were camping. But again the campground had other ideas.
The other campground geeks and I made multiple attempts to connect while sitting at the picnic table outside of the camp store, all to no avail. Of course they also said that they had a heated pool, they have a strange notion as to what heated means.
have rain will travel
For Rent: Rain
For a nominal fee, local guidebooks and a daily allowance for touristy trinkets and baubles; the Stieb clan is willing to schedule their family vacation to where rain is most needed. No location is too dry. Rain guaranteed within 7 days. Please respond ASAP so we can start planning our next vacation.
For a nominal fee, local guidebooks and a daily allowance for touristy trinkets and baubles; the Stieb clan is willing to schedule their family vacation to where rain is most needed. No location is too dry. Rain guaranteed within 7 days. Please respond ASAP so we can start planning our next vacation.
July 22, 2005
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)