Right Brain Right Lane : August 2012

One benefit of the drought - fewer mosquitos!

I was worried about the number of mosquitos - my last trip to Waldo was sharply curtailed by the swarms of mosquitos at dawn and dusk. Despite the beautiful setting, the great paddling on this crystal clear lake, I couldn't hack the 'skeeters'. The mosquitos were quite light on this trip - so this campground gets a note to reserve after mid-August!

However, this is the first year for online reservations for North Waldo - and their campground descriptions do have bugs. I reserved a '29 foot' campsite, but when I got there found that it would have been a tight fit for a VW bug! Fortunately, there was an open site right next to it that would, just barely, fit my rig. A quick trip to the camp host (Bill), and the trade was made.

Campsite with xpen set up for Molly

Continuing the 'dry-camping' experiments

The learning curve is steep! First, I forgot to top off the fresh water tank, so we ran out of water. This required numerous trips to a campground spigot and a somewhat sloppy transfer to the onboard tanks. Having water inside again was short-lived as the battery gave out - no water pump, no lights, not even enough power to keep the fridge going on propane! So, we really felt like tent campers again. Fortunately, I had brought the big cooler filled with ice (I knew I'd need ice for my creaky knees) - so all the food stayed safely cold. I still don't know why the batter discharged so quickly. I'll have to get it checked - this is just making me want to invest in some solar panels sooner.

Good sized picnic area, unfortunately on the wrong side of the trailer. Many of the lakeside campsites have HUGE picnic areas between the camp and the lake.

Molly - looking a little worried. This trip she had to share the trailer, sleep in the car, and spend a lot of time outside on her sleeping bag. The prima donna prefers a little less roughing it and a few more creature comforts.

Beautiful sunsets and the Perseid Meteor Showers - what a great weekend!

Turning 60 caused a moment of introspection and retrospection

Just celebrated my 60th and, as I looked around at my circle of friends, I was struck by the incredible history I have with them. As a kid, my family moved frequently, not just to a new school or town, but often to a new country on a different continent. Friends were replaced with the same frequency as outgrown school shoes.

At this birthday celebration, I saw friends who have been attending my birthday parties for over 30 years.

Sure, I've lost touch with lots of folks, and there are new people who have come into my life, but I'm so touched and grateful for the core of friends who appear again and again in my photo albums, celebrating birthdays, holidays, and, more importantly off-camera, those peak (good and bad) moments of my life.