This time last week

School starts Tuesday. After a summer filled with play, camping, goofing off, bicycling, and travels the kids will be back in school. Sitting at their desks, listening to their teachers, filling their brains with new information, reconnecting and making new friends. But today they are this strange hybrid of emotions familiar to all parents. They are sad, excited, energetic, and a bit crazy about the end of summer and the imminent start of school.

But as they fight & scream through their last weekend of summer, I think about my last weekend of summer. Last weekend I was privileged to camp on the south bay of Gull Lake, five miles south of Canada. And the view was glorious...

I canoed in that lake, hiked on surrounding trails. From my campfire I cooked pork chops, steak, eggs, bacon, and potatoes. After the fall of the sun, i was warmed by that campfire, it's smoke providing a fragrant mosquito repellent. And from my camp chair, I could see canoeist, glorious sunsets, loons, ducks & geese, and eat those delicious campfire cooked meals. And on occasion, there was a refreshing, adult beverage or two...


You can tell it's a quiet, safe, wonderful outdoor experience when the lavatory smells fresh and has a  wonderful view.

This was camping at its finest.

This weekend is stressful. But whenever a bit of steam forms under my collar, I reminisce of my last weekend of the summer, gliding through still waters, listening to the call of the loon.