Camping

My dear friend Geneva gave me these delightful cocktail napkins as a souvenir from her trip to Oregon. Please keep in mind that I am the mother of a cub scout, a boy scout, and the wife of a den leader (who is an avid collector of all things Coleman). Peeing on poison ivy in the middle of the night is NOT my idea of fun. It is also very important that I am surrounded by perfect temperature control at all times-no sweating or shivering for me, please-else there's hell to pay. Probably the reason I'm not invited on many of these outings.

Here is an excerpt from my 2008 Christmas letter on which I did reflect on my one-and only-scout camping trip:

Camping is a relative experience: for some, consuming weak coffee & cold eggs for breakfast, sleeping (an impossibility when camping) on a half inflated mattress in freezing temps, no showers (unless you are a polar bear), 132 hikes uphill to the latrine in the dark, endless treks through a mud gulley, and smoke & dirt filled tents & clothes can actually be considered FUN to some people. For others, the return to civilization is worth the 29 loads of laundry!

Notable Quotes:

Camping: nature's way of promoting the motel industry. ~Dave Barry,

Some national parks have long waiting lists for camping reservations. When you have to wait a year to sleep next to a tree, something is wrong. ~George Carlin