Gone fishin'

Bags are packed, car is loaded and we’re ready to hit the road!

Last evening was productively spent organizing all the gear and preparing food. It’s far easier to make meals in advance and to wash fruits, veggies or anything that requires extra attention. In my active camping days, I would often spend countless hours cooking six-course feasts over the fire, in tinfoil ovens and with a variety of other Macquiveresque contraptions. I once even cooked a full Thanksgiving dinner, complete with a turkey cooked in tin bucket and ham roasted in a pit. My current mantra is, “Keep it simple!” This time, I’ll be serving up basic grub that can simply be heated on the Coleman stove or over the fire…hooray for the homemade chili sitting in my freezer!

The only small hiccup in all this camping preparation, is that my husband managed to misplace the main supports for our dining shelter. I love him dearly but I could have killed him when he came to this realization at about 9:00 PM last evening. He had dragged the tent bag out of storage several days ago but somehow failed to notice that bag was as light as a feather. When I was moving the gear to the front entrance last evening, I noticed that something was missing the moment I picked up the bag (namely, I wasn’t experiencing any back pain). My husband is a lovely man but organization and observation skills are not always his strong suits. Unfortunately, after a few choice comments on my behalf, I was left flying solo to pack and prepare most of the gear, while he combed through the house and his father’s basement looking for the lost tent supports. Sadly, his search yielded zero poles. Today he purchased a new dining shelter on his way to work, so I have no doubt that the other half of our tent will mysteriously reappear when we return...that’s just how these things work.

So far the weather looks promising. It’s a sweltering and sunny 30ºC today and tomorrow’s forecast is 28ºC. Does anyone else find it strange that the two hottest days of the year, when hubby and I would actually use our AC, we’re going to be stuck sweating it out in a tent? Even more hilarious, is the fact that tent is about as cooling as a damn greenhouse. Guess I’ll get a little more mileage on my bikini this summer after all! The only downfall is that I’ll have to fend off the eager mosquitoes from attacking my overexposed flesh. Pray for my folks or I could very well end up looking like a Leper in my brother’s wedding photos in two weeks.

Enjoy the weekend folks and make the most of these last few lazy, hazy days of summer. I’ll undoubtedly have loads to gripe write about upon my return. Rest up, because the next one is bound to be a doozy!