The past few days have been pretty good. Nothing out of the ordinary at work (the same people call about the same apps) and the weather has been a touch cooler (lows at night about 68-72 degrees F). We received some rain last night, saving me from having to water this week. It rained all night and all of this morning...cooling things down nicely.
My wife and I went to Target last night to pick up a few things that I needed for my upcoming trip (which I hope to document as well as I can) to visit family and friends. I bought a 10x12 foot two room dome tent for $50 and while the quality will not be as good as a nice tent, it will suffice for what I need it for. I also got a citronella candle, some munchies, and a gift for the newly wedded couple, Holmes and Belinda. I hope it fits.
Speaking of the newlyweds, The Duck sent me a short video clip a while back of the cake cutting at the reception. I cannot get over how little Holmes has changed over the past 20+ years. He still looks like teenager.
My out of state friends have helped me firm up my itinerary so I now have something to do every day for at least a few hours. This is the first time that has happened in many, many years. We have plans to visit two state parks, our old stomping grounds, and visit the grave of our departed partner in crime, "Carp".
I still have a lot of packing to do tonight and tomorrow. I still need to pack: food, clothes, and toiletries. Most of the things I need handy...some are even in a spot in the closet, but it is collecting the little things that is going to me time consuming. I need to get all the little camping gear (first aid kit, axe, twine, etc), all my electronic junk (laptop, camera, pda plus cords and chargers) and unload the stuff from the van that I do not need and load in the stuff from my truck that I do need. I am not over good at packing for a trip because I tend to do a lot of things last minute, meaning I miss a lot. The last time I did this I forgot my road maps (I know the route, but in case of detours...) and at least once or twice before I forgot my toolbox. I have a pattern that I use on packing (I cannot use a list) and most of the time when am able to follow it, it works great. I go into each room (office, bedroom, garage) that has the things I need and start looking in each drawer or shelf to see if I need the item. For example, when packing clothes, go to the dresser and pull out a change of clothes for each day I am gone plus a spare, plus swin trunks plus pajamas. Then I go to my closet and get belt(s) and shoes to got with what I packed. I then go to the bathroom and get my toiletries bag and make sure I have the basics (soap, shampoo, razor, toothbrush/paste, q-tips) grab a towel (if needed) and then pack any meds I will need. I have failed on that last part more than once.
After the essentials are packed, I go into the office and grab my bookbag and pack it with all my electronics and cables/chargers, my bible, and any other reading material I may need. This is usually when I pack any books or magazines I am taking to my mom. Stuff like this I try to pile together as I collect it. Right now I have about half of it done.
Since this is a camping trip, I have to check a few places to get what I need. The bulk of it is in totes in the closet (tent, sleeping bad, camp chair, misc supplies), but some things like camp lighting (candles, flashlights) are in the kitchen, the axe is in the shed (it gets used a lot), and the monster tarp is in the garage.
The day of the trip I pack the cooler, butI make ice blocks (cool whip bowls work well) two nights before to keep the provisions cold. I have not gone to the store to get the few things I need yet (hot dogs and buns, yogurt, drinks) but I have some of it already. if not, I can stop at the store next door. There are lots of stores along the way as well.
I am not a serious camper. I have not been serious about camping for a long time. I hope to get back into it, but that all depends on my wife. I am not one to camp alone and she likes a bit more luxury than I do. A clean bath house with electricity is a must for her, optional for me.
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