Never mind the dapper young fellow with the most baseball patches on his jacket. Never mind his older brother with five, count them, five such patches--Do the math if you feel the need, I won't stop you. Never mind the detachable, unique, uno-level, luxury-model, camper with master bedroom and a panoramic view. Never mind that the view included a stopover in Missouri. Never mind the mangy, homeless mutt that got between the two boys. None of these things matter. It's just an old family photo of two youngsters enjoying a camping trip with their parents. I'm sure, as this Labor Day weekend comes to a close, there will be new family photos of camping trips all across the United States (and Canada too).
Fast-forwarded approximately thirty-five years, and that toe-headed youngster with the photo-scratched eye will tell you that he no longer goes camping. "I mistakenly took my wife camping once. I pitched a tent over some pine needles and her allergies kicked in. Her misery became my misery," he says. And so the story goes.
Here's the latest:
I didn't do much of anything this weekend. I stayed home and walked my dog around the subdivision each evening. On Saturday, with my dog on leash, I encountered a fawn. It followed us for two and half blocks. I ignored it, yet it kept pace and kept bleating.
"Hey Dad," I heard a kid yell, "there's a deer following that guy walking his dog."
His dad looked up and yelled, "There's a deer behind you."
I ignored the dad, the son, and the fawn. I concentrated on walking my dog. A few minutes later, the fawn trotted in the direction of a house where I smelled hamburgers on a grill. I had finally lost it.
What else did I do this holiday weekend? Ivan's going to love this; call it the tie-in no matter how contrived it seems. I read a negative comment regarding my YouTube video about a deer on my front lawn. The title of the piece, which I posted here on June 23, 2007, is "Ted Nugent Visits My House." Here's the comment:
Now go and eat your hamburgers PETA. PETA is an extremist organization. Dogs hate PETA; they do because they know PETA members refuse to feed dogs meat. And anyone knows every dog will tell you they need at least one can of horsemeat per week. PETA treats dogs the same way Hitler treated the Jews. They round'em up against their will and exterminate them. PETA kills more dogs then most hunters will ever kill deer in their lifetimes. Join NRA- hunters.
Other than that,
I didn't do too much this holiday weekend.
15 comments:
Ha! And you made fun of my Mom's camper! The nerve. I don't get that comment about PETA at all. It sounds like something my daughter would say when she was drunk. Maybe SHE left the comment. On a related note, I had just posted something about PETA and what they feed their cats. Years ago I read in Cecil Adams' "The Straight Dope," that a cat fed only vegetables would go blind. Those poor PETA people, such a dilemma!
I thought peta was an Arabic bread now they want you to join the NRA and shoot your bread?
But if you really want to go camping...motor home for sale, never been shot at.
Animal protectors are just another sign of boobery in the world. Feed your carnivore dog, rice fish free jambalaya.
That will make for some fun cleaning up.
Well so far though as your week end goes you've done more than I intend to do. Slaving at home just like work instead of laying around in your underwear watching mindless drivel on the E channel.
peace
mark
Five more patches than your big brother! (More on the back??)
What a coup.
I love the line -- her misery became my misery. Ah, so often in life, yes? Camping, shockingly, is not my thing, although drinking by a campfire sounds nice about now!
LOL, I immediately thought of your comment about Geewits' Mom's camper when I saw your picture. Ha!
I'm not a big fan of camping, either, although I do love the smell of the smokey campfire, and the smell of the trees in the morning, and the swimming, and the fising. Say, I must like camping.
As long as it's in a luxury RV.
I meant "fishing". But you knew that.
Nice memories, nice pictures.
Years ago, when I was just a little lassie, my uncle and his wife took my family with them to Washington DC and they had one of those tiny vans...it was back in the late 60's/early 70's and I don't even know what those vans were called, but it is the kind you always see the "hippies" driving in those 70's photos...anyway, rather than spending nights in a Hotel like normal people would my uncle had created homemade bunk beds in his tiny little van and I remember freezing at night and being cramped during the day. It was NOT a good trip and I think then is when I decided "camping" was not for me, not at all. I think back in that time of yesteryear people did more things with less..know what I mean? Like your families little camper....
I do like camping, but really didn't do to much of it. I have this friend who always wanted to go to a World's Fair, so we decided to see the one in Nashville many years ago. We had no money of course, so decided to camp. Things were going great until the mega rain storm hit, I think we were wet for a week.
However, the Fair was great.
Enjoyed the read and pictures. Brought back good memories. Thanks for sharing. MW:)
oops, meant Knoxville, Tn.
I love camping! Some of my best family memories are from camping.
Way to kick your older brothers butt! As a younger sibling myself, yippee!
As for the PETA quote, whatever! I am an environemtalist and a social activist and the stuff that PETA does is just embarassing and certainly not based on science or logic.
I suppose all social groups have extremist in one form or another, but groups like PETA and ELF are just disgraceful and do nothing to encourage people to coexist with the natural environment in a reasonable way.
Happy Labor day!
-P
I never enjoyed sleeping in a tent, even as a kid. But there is a way to get the feel of camping and the smell of the smoky campfire - stay in a cabin on the beach. It's clean, has indoor plumbing and fridge and stove, you can still build a campfire and listen to the sound of the water lapping against the shore. Yes, I have wonderful memories of our summers at the cabin and really miss those times.
I love the direct simplicity of this. It's been quite a little while since I've done any camping, but nothing to do with allergies. These days, I prefer hiking through urban canyons ;)
The deer following you -- some might see this as a mystical experience.
I knew a PETA person in Virginia Beach. She was Danish, she was gorgeous and naive. Unfortunately, she was also married. Evil!
My best friend is a walking PETA ad, as much as I am embarassed to say. In high school she was the ONLY person in school to not get a normal letter jacket because it had leather sleeves. Man, I loved that jacket, the smell of the leather and the feel of it. She stood out a mile away and everyone knew why.
But family camping trips always have some kind of memory, good and bad. Once, before the State tested the waters of the Great Lakes to check that it was safe for swimming, my brother and I got severe cases of dysentery. The whole campground of people who went into the water got it, minus my parents who didn't swim, and it was hellish. =D But nearly every other camping trip was great.
You came a long way from St. Louis!
Ivan
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