Practice Camping
Originally Posted @ 7/23/2005 9:02 PM
In preparation for our upcoming camping excursion, we decided to have a practice run in the backyard. Saturday night was the big night. The day went something like this:
4:00 PM - Locate an appropriate 10 x 10 flat spot in the back yard. This turned out to be more difficult than it sounds since we barely have a patch of grass that big in the back yard, much less a flat spot. The eventual spot encroached on the neighbor's yard and was annoyingly close to their constantly running central air unit. Did I mention it was about 90 degrees outside?
4:15 PM - Attempt to setup the tent while my daughter pokes assorted items (including me) with the tent poles, walks on the tent, and asks assorted tent related questions.
4:30 PM - Bask in the glory of a fully assembled 5 person tent complete with rain fly. Despite the fact that there was no rain in the forecast, I felt compelled to place the rain fly on the tent.
4:31 PM - Exit the tent due to the stifling heat. Are we really going to sleep in here?
4:45 PM to 6:00 PM - Assorted neighborhood kids play in and around the tent. Playing in the tent involves running in circles, various pushing and shoving, and playing volleyball with a large beach ball.
6:00 PM - Various sweaty neighborhood kids exit the tent after coming to the realization that it's hotter in the tent than outside.
6:30 PM - Break for a camping appropriate meal of hamburgers and oven fries all cooked on the grill. My daugter consumes her reccomended daily allowance of ketchup while utilizing the fries as some sort of primitve vehicle for ketchup delivery and mostly ignoring the hamburger.
6:30 PM - 9:30 PM - Various playing inside and outside the tent with and without various neigborhood kids, some sweatier than others.
9:30 PM - Time to get ready for bed. Between the noise of the air conditioner and the slant of the yard, the management decision is made to move the tent to the only flat spot in the yard, the deck. The wood couldn't be any harder than the drought parched yard anyway. We pull the tent pegs and haul it onto the deck. I fill the tent with an assortment of pillows and blankets, a smal pink sleeping bag, and an air mattress.
9:45 PM - Everyone is washed up and in pajamas. Daddy and daughter head to the tent and snuggle in for a peaceful night under the stars.
9:46 PM - "I hope we don't have to many owls because I don't like all the whoing" my daugter worries. I explain that we don't have any owls in the area.
9:47 PM - We can still hear the neighbors air conditioner, and the guy talking on his deck across the yard. We can also hear people busily exploding their left over fireworks from the fourth of july. "It sure is noisy out here" my daughter exclaims.
9:48 PM - "Are you sure you don't want to sleep inside, we can camp out in the playroom" I offer. "No, I want to sleep outside."
9:50 PM - Time to get out of bed to re-adjust the sleeping bag. This involves holding it by the end and flapping it until it is perfectly smooth. Once perfectly smooth, you can wriggle into it which, of course, causes it to get wrinkly again.
10:00 PM - Time for a move out of the sleeping bag and onto the air mattress with Daddy.
10:02 PM - Back to the slpeeing bag
10:05 PM - Mommy joins us in the tent
10:10 PM - Daddy is ejected from the air mattress in order to sleep closer to Mommy.
10:12 PM - Back to the sleeping back since jumping on the air mattress isn't allowed at this point
10:13 PM - 11:00 PM - Listen calmly as the air conditioners serenade us.
11:00 PM - The next door neighbor turns on some sort of nuclear powered spotlight which illumintes their yard, our yard, and the tent. The shadows are aparently quite horrifying.
11:01 PM - After offering any number of wild sleeping options (in the playroom, in the sleeping bag, hanging in the attic like a bat), a bargain is struck to sleep inside.
11:15 PM - Everyone under the age of 5 is in bed and asleep. Is that bottle of wine still in the fridge?
Yes, the practice camping trip went well. I treasure every moment I spend with my daughter. I'm looking forward to the real thing in a few weeks.
In preparation for our upcoming camping excursion, we decided to have a practice run in the backyard. Saturday night was the big night. The day went something like this:
4:00 PM - Locate an appropriate 10 x 10 flat spot in the back yard. This turned out to be more difficult than it sounds since we barely have a patch of grass that big in the back yard, much less a flat spot. The eventual spot encroached on the neighbor's yard and was annoyingly close to their constantly running central air unit. Did I mention it was about 90 degrees outside?
4:15 PM - Attempt to setup the tent while my daughter pokes assorted items (including me) with the tent poles, walks on the tent, and asks assorted tent related questions.
4:30 PM - Bask in the glory of a fully assembled 5 person tent complete with rain fly. Despite the fact that there was no rain in the forecast, I felt compelled to place the rain fly on the tent.
4:31 PM - Exit the tent due to the stifling heat. Are we really going to sleep in here?
4:45 PM to 6:00 PM - Assorted neighborhood kids play in and around the tent. Playing in the tent involves running in circles, various pushing and shoving, and playing volleyball with a large beach ball.
6:00 PM - Various sweaty neighborhood kids exit the tent after coming to the realization that it's hotter in the tent than outside.
6:30 PM - Break for a camping appropriate meal of hamburgers and oven fries all cooked on the grill. My daugter consumes her reccomended daily allowance of ketchup while utilizing the fries as some sort of primitve vehicle for ketchup delivery and mostly ignoring the hamburger.
6:30 PM - 9:30 PM - Various playing inside and outside the tent with and without various neigborhood kids, some sweatier than others.
9:30 PM - Time to get ready for bed. Between the noise of the air conditioner and the slant of the yard, the management decision is made to move the tent to the only flat spot in the yard, the deck. The wood couldn't be any harder than the drought parched yard anyway. We pull the tent pegs and haul it onto the deck. I fill the tent with an assortment of pillows and blankets, a smal pink sleeping bag, and an air mattress.
9:45 PM - Everyone is washed up and in pajamas. Daddy and daughter head to the tent and snuggle in for a peaceful night under the stars.
9:46 PM - "I hope we don't have to many owls because I don't like all the whoing" my daugter worries. I explain that we don't have any owls in the area.
9:47 PM - We can still hear the neighbors air conditioner, and the guy talking on his deck across the yard. We can also hear people busily exploding their left over fireworks from the fourth of july. "It sure is noisy out here" my daughter exclaims.
9:48 PM - "Are you sure you don't want to sleep inside, we can camp out in the playroom" I offer. "No, I want to sleep outside."
9:50 PM - Time to get out of bed to re-adjust the sleeping bag. This involves holding it by the end and flapping it until it is perfectly smooth. Once perfectly smooth, you can wriggle into it which, of course, causes it to get wrinkly again.
10:00 PM - Time for a move out of the sleeping bag and onto the air mattress with Daddy.
10:02 PM - Back to the slpeeing bag
10:05 PM - Mommy joins us in the tent
10:10 PM - Daddy is ejected from the air mattress in order to sleep closer to Mommy.
10:12 PM - Back to the sleeping back since jumping on the air mattress isn't allowed at this point
10:13 PM - 11:00 PM - Listen calmly as the air conditioners serenade us.
11:00 PM - The next door neighbor turns on some sort of nuclear powered spotlight which illumintes their yard, our yard, and the tent. The shadows are aparently quite horrifying.
11:01 PM - After offering any number of wild sleeping options (in the playroom, in the sleeping bag, hanging in the attic like a bat), a bargain is struck to sleep inside.
11:15 PM - Everyone under the age of 5 is in bed and asleep. Is that bottle of wine still in the fridge?
Yes, the practice camping trip went well. I treasure every moment I spend with my daughter. I'm looking forward to the real thing in a few weeks.
posted by Steve at
12:24 PM
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