Everything at camp smells like insect repellent - or as Drew says, bug spray. He happily coats every inch of bare skin, clothing, and then, for good measure, sprays it in the air and stands under the fallout shower. This does seem to be effective for mosquitoes (only saw one or two and didn't hear any), but attracts bees (we encountered three or four bumblebees and a good dozen wasps and hornets). As for the spiders, they have launched an all out frontal attack to take over the park. They tie everything up in cobwebs and for every spider killed, then send three replacements!
Everything at camp smells like sunscreen - and mixed with the bug spray, its pretty potent stuff. I have discovered that no matter how carefully you apply sunscreen, there is always some little slice of skin that didn't get enough and burns anyways. Especially for chemo people, direct sun is a no-no, but how can you walk on the beach and not be in direct sun? It's too hot to cover up (other than a hat), so we try to go in the morning before it gets TOO hot.
Everything at camp smells like smoke - what would camping be without a good fire? It has always been a guy thing to make fire happen. Something primal and manly about that. I have to laugh sometimes about the seriousness of the endeavor. It was all I could do to hold Drew back from lighting up until afternoon. He wanted to start when he got up (not exactly breakfast time, closer to lunch) and didn't think about the fact that we would have to thoroughly douse it every time we went for a walk. It's also true that no matter where you sit, the smoke is always in your face.
Canvas does not protect you from noise or light - a truism especially at 3 am when your restless neighbors are laughing and chatting and shining their flashlights in all directions without realizing that they are shining their light in your eyes even though you are behind a tent. You can hear every snore, every whispered comment, every dog whine, every child cry. I do appreciate the thinness of the walls for the purpose of hear the sounds of nature (leaves rustling in the wind, birds singing, animals burrowing, wind whistling) - providing you can hear them over the noise of humanity!
People either can't read or think they are the special exceptions to all the posted rules - how can you walk right past a huge sign stating "Swimming Prohibited" and think it is OK to jump into the lake up to your neck??? I could understand wading, even maybe up to your knees though that is pushing it. But out so far that you can't stand up? We watched the poor police motion people out time after time after time. As for "Don't leave your dog unattended at any time (to me that's like saying don't leave your toddler alone while you go to the beach), well, judging by the howling and moaning we heard, that was pretty much ignored.
All things considered though, today was a great day of gentle moving (we walked the length of the pier and back - probably 4 miles) and peaceful resting. I did get to lean back in my new outdoor recliner and be entertained by the breeze making the leaves dances in delightful patterns of light and shade. The fire crackled merrily, the marinated chicken bronzed perfectly, the marshmallows blushed the exact shade of brown to taste delicious. Even Sugar curled up contentedly on the grass and snoozed. Yes, this is helping. I remember why I like to camp.
Everything at camp smells like sunscreen - and mixed with the bug spray, its pretty potent stuff. I have discovered that no matter how carefully you apply sunscreen, there is always some little slice of skin that didn't get enough and burns anyways. Especially for chemo people, direct sun is a no-no, but how can you walk on the beach and not be in direct sun? It's too hot to cover up (other than a hat), so we try to go in the morning before it gets TOO hot.
Everything at camp smells like smoke - what would camping be without a good fire? It has always been a guy thing to make fire happen. Something primal and manly about that. I have to laugh sometimes about the seriousness of the endeavor. It was all I could do to hold Drew back from lighting up until afternoon. He wanted to start when he got up (not exactly breakfast time, closer to lunch) and didn't think about the fact that we would have to thoroughly douse it every time we went for a walk. It's also true that no matter where you sit, the smoke is always in your face.
Canvas does not protect you from noise or light - a truism especially at 3 am when your restless neighbors are laughing and chatting and shining their flashlights in all directions without realizing that they are shining their light in your eyes even though you are behind a tent. You can hear every snore, every whispered comment, every dog whine, every child cry. I do appreciate the thinness of the walls for the purpose of hear the sounds of nature (leaves rustling in the wind, birds singing, animals burrowing, wind whistling) - providing you can hear them over the noise of humanity!
People either can't read or think they are the special exceptions to all the posted rules - how can you walk right past a huge sign stating "Swimming Prohibited" and think it is OK to jump into the lake up to your neck??? I could understand wading, even maybe up to your knees though that is pushing it. But out so far that you can't stand up? We watched the poor police motion people out time after time after time. As for "Don't leave your dog unattended at any time (to me that's like saying don't leave your toddler alone while you go to the beach), well, judging by the howling and moaning we heard, that was pretty much ignored.
All things considered though, today was a great day of gentle moving (we walked the length of the pier and back - probably 4 miles) and peaceful resting. I did get to lean back in my new outdoor recliner and be entertained by the breeze making the leaves dances in delightful patterns of light and shade. The fire crackled merrily, the marinated chicken bronzed perfectly, the marshmallows blushed the exact shade of brown to taste delicious. Even Sugar curled up contentedly on the grass and snoozed. Yes, this is helping. I remember why I like to camp.
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