Thursday, April 3, 2014

The Enjoyment of Camping



      While writing about my mother for my last blog, I spent some time going through her things.  I found some writings that she had written on paper plates.  Yes, paper plates.  Maybe at the time she only had paper plates to write on.  I also found my first college paper that I wrote back in 1984 for an English class.  Not sure why my mom had saved that paper, but she did.  We moms save the strangest things.  When going through my things two winters ago, I had saved a Slo-Poke sucker with a tooth stuck inside.  Can’t remember whose tooth that was, but both girls claim it was theirs.  I threw it in the trash.  I should have done that thirty years ago, but I do have hoarding in my blood.  Now back to that college paper that my hoarder mom saved.
      It was the summer of 1984, and I was on my way home from Florida.  I remember thinking about my life and where I was heading during that drive.  My youngest Julie was heading to Kindergarten that fall.  What was I going to do with all my free time?  Was I going to continue doing childcare, teaching preschool, or get a job at McDonalds?  I knew I did not want to go back to Northwestern Bell, since it had been seven years.  I was teaching preschool at church and enjoyed that.  The preschool director, Carol Owen said go to college and get a degree in teaching.  I of course, said “no way. “  I never had plans for college. My goal when younger was to be a wife and mother and nothing else.  Going to college stayed in my mind, so I prayed about it.  College would give me something to do, and I might even finish when Angie graduated high school in ten years or so. 
      I did it and started with a Sat. English class back in 1984 at UNO.  I was so fearful of going to college at such an old age of 33.  My first English assignment was to write about something that I enjoyed doing.  I wrote about, “The Enjoyment of Camping.” I got my first college paper back with a 98% and comments from the professor of, “It has been a long time since I have given such a high grade on a first paper.  Congratulations! I liked it, Excellent, Far Out, Perceptive, open, honest, clear, concise and to the point!  I made it a point when grading my students English writing projects to make encouraging comments like my professor did back in 84. 
I am now going to write about camping now days and then compare it to camping in the 80’s.
      In 1984 I began that paper with:  Like many Americans, who reportedly flood our parks every year, I enjoy camping.  Camping: that chance to enjoy the great outdoors, to sleep under the stars.  I first caught the camping fever a few years ago when we purchased our first camper.  The purchase allowed me to discover and experience the many things that camping has to offer.  As a result, I have found that camping can be an inexpensive way to travel, a leisure break from work and everyday pressures, a stimulating outdoor activity, and an entertaining way to encourage family closeness and harmony.
     30 years later, my thoughts are:  I still enjoy camping.  We currently camp in a 2014 Newmar Bay Star Class A motor home, a very big move up vs. the pop up 30 years ago.  People are still flocking to campgrounds on weekends and you have to make a reservation to get a weekend summer camp site.  That is why we like to camp Sun. afternoons until Wed or Thurs.  We recently got back from Florida, having spent three week there enjoying the sunshine, warm weather, flowers, green grass, palm trees, beaches, and meeting new people.
     1984: I have this desire to travel and see America.  During my travels, I have found that camping can be an inexpensive way to travel.  On our last vacation, which was a trip to Florida, we saved ourselves hundreds of dollars traveling by car and sleeping at night in our camper.  In fact, my family of four could not have afforded a vacation to Florida without our camper since the prices of airfares, motel, and restaurants were so outrageously priced.  I think of myself as being an economically minded person:  in fact, some people call me thrifty, others, like my daughter, feel I am cheap.  Whatever the case may be, I do like to save money.  So, when given the choice of staying in a sixty-dollar-a-night motel versus a ten-dollar-a-night campground, I would choose the campground without further thought.
       Today: I still have a desire to travel and see the USA.  I was not able to travel as a kid, but we did go to Louisville swimming in the summer.  We also took trips to a small town far from South Omaha called Millard.  My dad had a friend who lived in Millard, so we would all pile in the car with a lunch packed and travel. I am sure we made comments like, “Are we there yet?”  Or “she/he is in my personal space.” No we were not that nice; we probably just punched or got hit.  I was laughing as I was copying the above paragraph.  Nothing has changed about me in 30 years.  I still like to save money.  Not sure if one could find a $60 a night motel or a $10 a night campground.  Our Florida campsite at Lazy Days was $52.63 a night.  We got a free breakfast and lunch on M-Sat.  I love that place and can’t wait to go back.  We did find some free campsites along the way.  One was a gas station outside of St. Louis where we stopped for gas.  We were tired, it was dark and cold. It got down to 19 degrees that night.  I asked the guy if we could camp at their gas station, and he said yes.  We also stopped and camped twice at my favorite free spot-Wal-Mart.  One of those nights we splurged, and I let Pat go into Wal-Mart and buy chicken for dinner.  One day at Lazy Days I also let him buy a $15 sandwich at their café.  That was it with the eating out.  I like to make our own healthy meals when on the road.  I had the freezer stuffed with premade meals or items to grill or bake.                                                                                                                                                                                                    I don’t even want to think about what gas cost us for this last trip.  Back in 84 it was 1.24 and now ??.  I quit filling up my car with gas many years ago when the prices went up to $2.00, because I was on strike until they go back down.  Having a great husband comes in handy. He would pick up my car at work and take it to get washed and filled up when needed. I do not know what the gas price is today, nor do I care to know.  That would take the fun out of traveling for me if I knew.  I also do not know what we paid for the RV or what our monthly payment is.  I told the sales person that I did not want to know the price and just show me where to sign.  The day we got the RV, I loaded up with Peace and Calming oil and prayer for strength to follow my husband. This was why I was able to sign on the dotted line.  Pat has been talking/hinting around about getting a new pickup truck, but I am sure that would cause me to have a stroke.  He can get a new one when he gets the RV paid off in 30 years??  I am sure I have heard the grandkids at times call me cheap.  I did buy their souvenirs at a thrift store before our trip, and then gave them the lighthouse snow globe that plays music when we returned from Florida.  I did see a lighthouse at St. Augustine, and it looked just like the one I bought at the thrift store. Weston my three year old grandson knows grandma does not like to spend money. Last weekend, I told him he could have candy if he pooped on the toilet.  He asked if it was Angie’s candy, since he knew grandma does not buy candy.  It was grandpa’s candy.  Pat had bought it when I was not with him grocery shopping.
     1984:  Camping can be a leisurely break form (from, needed to proofread better back then and still need to now) work and everyday pressures.  Such a break could be anything from a two-day weekend to a five-week vacation with pay.  The warm spring days are a sign: the camping season has finally arrived.  The long wait for warmer weather has been spent planning and looking forward to summer vacation and weekend outings to nearby campgrounds.  The camping fever has overcome my thoughts with anticipation of things ahead.  The day is here, the sun is shining, and the weather is just right.  What a great feeling it is to lock up the house, hop into the station wagon loaded with the children, dog, and camping equipment, and head for the campground.  The everyday pressures and demands for my time have been left at home: no telephone to interrupt my quiet thoughts or the novel I have been trying to find the time to read for the past year.
     2014, March 29.  Not much has changed, I still have that same feeling.  I can’t wait for the weather to get nice and we can go camping.  My summer months  this year is filled with camping outings with the Good Sam Pathfinders club, Samborees for NE, IA, KS and other states maybe.  Julie has our family trip planned for July to CO.  We are even campground hosts at Walnut Creek in Sept. Now we pile in the RV with 3 dogs, 4 grandkids, and my daughter Julie, plus all the other things we need for our trips.  Most of the time it is just Pat and I and two dogs camping.  No longer can we leave a phone at home, we got rid of our phone last month, and Pat always has his cell phone.  He has to be able to check Facebook and post pictures, play his many Words with Friends games that he has going, and watch his ball games on his phone.  I listen to novels that I downloaded on my I Pad or player for the blind.  Camping is no longer a break from work.  When you are retired it is something to do!
     1984:  I can not wait.  The great outdoors, that a place to unwind, allowing my senses to come fully aware and alive.  In the fresh, crisp air, there is the aroma of coffee and breakfast bacon cooking over an open fire.  I listen to the songs of nearby birds as I am sipping my morning coffee.  I allow my senses of sight to come alive, observing the prismatic colors in the dew drops upon the blades of grass, the rough textured bark of the nearby trees, and the transparent blue of the morning sky.  The clouds, in God’s spacious sky gently drift overhead, taking on the forms of imaginary creatures.  This restful time is my chance to praise God for His numerous creations.
      Today:  We only eat bacon if it is nitrate free. I precook it at home and then take a slice or two out to microwave for breakfast.  Coffee is from a K cup machine but mine is tea.  No open fires for us.  We did get a propane campfire with the mock logs to warm up with at night or roast marshmallows for the grandkids.  It is still nice just sitting around and doing nothing, praying, or listening to my Go Bible.
     1984:  In addition, I look at camping as being a stimulating outdoor activity, my chance to tighten up flabby muscles and obtain a healthful glow.  This goal can be achieved by various outdoor activities, such as a hike up a mountain trail with my backpack loaded with gear or a five-mile nature walk through the woods, with camera in hand, ready to film some unsuspecting doe and her fawn.  Since I need a few rest breaks along the way, I choose my favorite stop, one beside a quiet stream.  Patches of sunlight find their way through the trees, causing my reflection to move across the surface of the water.  I take note of the hidden life that surrounds me as I hear a rustling in the bushes and splashing in the stream.  
     Today:  My stimulating outdoor activity now is walking the dogs around the campground.  Pat would never take me up a mountain trail or go on a 5 mile nature walk. He will walk a little with me around the campground with the dogs.  We are not looking for nature, but we are just looking at all the different RV’s that people camp in.  We might stop to visit with those who are walking their dogs.  In Florida, I stopped and asked a man what kind of dog he had?  It was a mix of two breeds that cost him over $10,000.  This is not a typo.  He uses the dog in his job of hunting down bed bugs.  I do enjoy walking with the ladies in our camping club.  This last summer we walked so far and long that we had to call for a ride back to the campsite.  We were just a little lost, hot, thirsty, and tired of carrying the dogs we had on the walk.  I get my healthful glow by sitting in my lawn chair while listening to a book.  I worked on my flabby muscles this past month in the RV by doing an ab workout that increased each day.  That was a very hard workout but worth it, because now I have a 2 pack.
     1984:  Back at the campsite, a game of yard darts or horseshoes can be played, being careful not to be too far off target.  Just before dusk, I enjoy a bike ride around the lake.  It is a great way to burn up the dinner calories after eating too much barbecued steak, fried potatoes, and corn-on-the-cob.
     Today:  No outdoor games for me, maybe an inside game in an air conditioned RV of a camping club friend.  They like playing a game called marbles, that is not played with marbles but cards and a peg board.  I tried to learn the game last camping season, and may try again this season.  I still love bike riding, but have to be extra careful when riding.  Pat, I, and the grandkids love steak, fried potatoes, and Jocelyn’s favorite corn on the cob.  I have to add pickles and popsicles to that meal.
     1984:  Most important of all, camping can be an entertaining way to encourage family closeness and harmony. Family members can talk and listen to one another because the television has been left at home.  Together as a family, we can go to the nearby beach, to swim, and build castles in the sand.  We will try our hand at fishing, cheering on the one who catches the first fish.  Most of the fish caught will be thrown back into the lake because of their small size.  We will play games such as our favorites, UNO and Sorry.
     Today:  Our television is not left behind!  We have two tv’s in the RV and Pat wants to take an extra one to watch outside.  He recently got DIRECTV for the RV.  We can’t watch DIRECTV when camping under the trees.  I love camping with the grandchildren and family.  They love it also. We took Jocelyn to Grand Canyon and South Dakota when she was 4.  Fall 2012 we all went to Washington, DC to visit Angie, then traveled south to visit friends and family on the McGee side.  This past fall we all went to see Niagara Falls where we met and camped with Angie. We also visited the Owens in NH.  On our family trips we have to take our two dogs and our grand dog Maggie.  Tiger the grand cat gets left behind at his house. Julie has a summer trip planned for CO, this time my son in law Sean will be going.  He will be following along in their van, while I and the grandkids will be in the RV playing games, working on legos or puzzles, drawing, watching movies, or whatever things they think up as we travel down the road.  Last time we camped with Sean in MO, Katelyn was very little and cried all night.  I also enjoy traveling with Pat, Riley and Missy.  The grandkids each have a fishing pole stored in the RV, and love to go fishing with grandpa.  We tend to play most of our games on our I Pads, my favorite is Scrabble.  The grandkids each have an I Pad that is loaded with games and movies.  We still enjoy a board game at the table.
     1984: At nightfall, there is a special feeling that overcomes me as I watch my family gathered around the campfire.  My husband tells me he loves me, as he throws a new log on the fire.  My children have long sticks in hand with white or black marshmallows at the end.  A few marshmallows will fall into the crackling fire, causing amber sparks to dance into the dark night.  I am stretched out in my lawn chair with a Pepsi on one side and chips and dip on the other.  I treasure this moment knowing that soon we will have to return home to the telephone, television, work and everyday pressures.
     Today:  We still enjoy the fire and roasting marshmallows.  You will not find me drinking Pepsi. I quit drinking pop years ago.  I still might have a small handful of salt free chips. That is a portion size.  Yes I read the package and count out the number on the bag.  I would be too tempted to eat too many if I had the whole bag in hand.   My dip is for dipping healthy vegetables.  Pat still thinks dip is for chips, and I remind him that we have vegetables for that dip.  We can stay longer at the campsites since I don’t have to go to a job.  I am retired.  I hated saying that word a year or two ago.  Now I can say it.  In fact I just attended my first Millard Public Schools yearly retirement luncheon.  It was great seeing old friends and coworkers.  It was a very nice free lunch.  Pat still tells me he loves me, he seems to enjoy getting away to camp also.
     1984:  Why are new campgrounds being built and old ones full to capacity?  It is because so many people like myself are finding out what camping has to offer.  It is a way to see America and save money at the same time.  Camping offers a way to leave the city behind for a chance to relax and enjoy God’s creation, the opportunity to partake in many different outdoor activities.  Also, through camping, families can enjoy the special closeness of family unity, a harmony and oneness that gets shoved aside while at home, lost in our busy world.  These are the reasons why I enjoy camping so much.
     Today:  I can’t wait for camping season to start.  Our first campout is planned at the end of the month with the Pathfinders camping club.  
     Florida trip in June 1984:  It was our first trip to FL and Disney World.  We camped at Fort Wilderness Resort on the Disney property for 8 nights at the cost of $27.00 a night. We had a popup camper back then, and used a port a potty for the nighttime bathroom trips.  We had an ice box.  It kept things cold with ice. We kept cool with a fan and slept with the screens unzipped to allow air to pass through. Fort Wilderness was the best place we had ever camped.  We had electrical power and transportation to the Disney properties.  We could go back to the campsite and grab a bite to eat. We visited the Magic Kingdom and Epcot for 4 days at the cost of zero.  We just had to stop at guest relations and pick up our four 4 day passes.  A friend from church knew someone that worked there who got us free tickets.  The girls swam at Fort Wilderness and we made our first trip to the Atlantic Ocean. I made the girls wear life jackets and they played near the water and collected sea shells and built sand castles.  I told the girls to make sure they do not swallow the water.  Next thing we knew Julie was vomiting up salt water. We met a couple from Louisiana who had a boy and girl who were our girl’s ages. We all hung out at the campground as the kids played together. They left at the same time we did, so we followed them back to LA.  We camped and ate out together.  We even traded kids.  We traveled with one of theirs and they had one of ours.  It was a peaceful trip to LA.  No sisters fighting in the back of the station wagon or a husband threatening to pull over to give a spanking. 
     Florida trip March 2014:  Just Pat, I, and the dogs.  Jocelyn and Katelyn begged to go with us.  They would have wanted to visit Disney World and the prices now days are around $100 for one day, per person.  To camp at Fort Wilderness is over $100 a night.  I wanted to just relax, so I told them that they could not miss school.  Jocelyn replied with, “Grandma you can do school with us.”  I promised to bring home a snow globe for their collection. I love Florida in the winter.  It was so nice to enjoy the warm weather and sit in the sunshine. I got to see green grass, outdoor flowers, and palm trees.  Pat got to see the Yankees play four times.  The Lazy Days resort was beautifully landscaped.  They are a site that is just as big as the Magic Kingdom.  They had a shuttle that took you around their resort.  One day I went walking by myself to explore and enjoy the greenery.  I walked and walked and then got lost, so I flagged down a shuttle that took me back to the RV.  I even swam in their outdoor pool.  We took day trips to the beach and collected sea shells to add to the seashell collection that was started back in 1984.  The only ride I went on was a ferry ride from Honeymoon Island state park to another island to see nature and the dolphins.  I did not miss Disney World, I am sure we will be back with the grandkids someday since the boys have never been.  Hopefully with Julie, so she can pay for her kids.  It’s that cheap thing that sneaks in.  Maybe in the future when Pat retires, I still make him work his part time job, we will live in FL during the winter months.  But then maybe not, I really like it when he goes to work.  After spending 3 weeks in FL I got homesick, and wanted to go home.  I missed my family, grandkids, and friends.  I really missed my routine that I was used to.  It is great to be back and into my routine.  I just looked out the window and I think I saw some green grass trying to come up.  I also have blooming flowers in my living room to enjoy thanks to Bag ‘n Save.

                                     
Grandkids with popsicles on our last fall trip.  Rene, Julie, Angie, Weston, Jocelyn, Easton, and Katelyn at Niagara Falls.

Camping in NH with the Dave and Carole Owen and their family.  Campsite is their driveway.

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