Camping
We spent the weekend camping with Jason’s parents, who hold an annual family campout in their yard. On Friday night, the group spent a pleasant evening under star-filled, non-city-light-polluting sky and around 12:30 a.m., we clambered into our tent and sleeping bags.
Around 2:30 a.m. or so, the sky turned into a proverbial disco, with constant horror movie, creepy-people-revealing lightning and rolling thunder. I wasn’t too nervous, although I was mentally picturing the thousands of ways we’d made ourselves into a giant bullseye. (Outside during an electrical storm: check. Right underneath large trees: check. In a flimsy tent: check.)
As it started to rain, I comforted myself that the thunder was of the rolling kind, not the “Just struck the giant elm tree four feet to your left” variety. I then remembered that as a kid, my mom used to tell me rolling thunder was just the sound of God bowling, and I entertained myself with the thought of God wearing bowling shoes while kicking back with a few cold ones.
When the 65 mph wind kicked in, I pretended not to be a wuss and diverted my attention from the possibility of dying by brainstorming names for God’s bowling team. After dismissing “The Almighty Strikes,” I told Jason my idea, while he enthusiastically described the ideal bowling shirt:
God apparently didn’t like the name “Holy Split!”, because our tent suddenly caved in at 4:00 a.m., leaving us to flee like rain-soaked ninnies to the house, but not before I had to spend an agonizing minute and a half in the downpour fighting with the tent zipper, which was hellbent on eating the tent flap.
We then had the fun of trying to dry out our blankets and other gear the next day after retrieving them from our upside down tent while the humidity was 94 percent. Humidity that equated to melting skin and air that could physically be wrung out.
But I already can’t wait until next year’s campout.
I don’t know about God, but I LOVE IT!
Ah, temperate summer weather. How I miss thee.
Comment by Tessie — August 13, 2007 @ 1:43 pm
That is too-oo-oo funny! “Holy Split”…ya gotta love it! You definitely described the humidity and the storm to a tee! I’m thinking the weather can’t get much worse for next year’s camp out! Actually it could, so let’s not even think about it.
Comment by Becky — August 13, 2007 @ 7:14 pm
Long comment alert! I’m behind on your blog due to unpacking craziness, but I think I have to declare my all-out-blog-crush on you. I promise not to doodle your name with hearts while I chat on the phone to my friends, though.
I swear I’m not creepy!
A) Centipedes are scary. SCARY. I would way rather have a freezer full of angry hornets than one centipede within three hundred yards of me.
B) I grew up in Missouri, but since we’ve been in Wyoming two years I forgot what thunderstorms were like. I used to love them and run outside in them (idiotically). Now that we’re here in Iowa I’ve had my first real thunderstorm in a long time, and I have to admit I got a little (a lot) freaked out. Good job on not fleeing to the house sooner, is what I’m trying to say.
Comment by blacksheeped — August 14, 2007 @ 9:55 am
Hi Blacksheeped,
That is TOO funny, because while you were in the middle of moving and having your pets hang out of car windows on the freeway, I was impatiently checking your blog waiting for you to update and I may have (MAY have) read all of your old entries.
So there. I too am not creepy.
I’ve made a lot of new blog friends in the past week or so and am loving all of them: you, Tessie, Swistle…awesome!
Comment by Shauna — August 14, 2007 @ 10:34 am
[...] Every year, Jason’s parents hold a family campout on their property. They have an outdoor fire pit; a pool, bounce house and mini waterslide for the kids; and even a homemade mini golf course. They wear bright yellow t-shirts that say “STAFF,†and pound stakes into the backyard with campsite numbers on them. They send out a brochure ahead of time saving the date, and list the rules and regulations. (“No fireworks!†“Quiet time is from 12am-5am!â€) Everyone pitches a tent in the backyard, and plays badminton, bocce ball, cribbage, dice and cards. It’s always a great time. (Weather permitting.) [...]
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