It was summer, we had a long weekend coming up, and we were pretty low on funds. It was tough being a single parent but I was determined we would do something all of us could enjoy. My daughter was eighteen; my son was eleven, so it was hard to find a common interest. I’m just thankful my daughter was more flexible because it takes a lot more to interest my son. All she really needs is a book to make her happy!
So I sat the kids down and told them what we had to work with and asked them if they had any ideas. We all wanted to get away, see something new, and check out some new scenery. We had a little three man dome tent and decided we would go camping. We were not really keen on the whole no air conditioning thing since we lived in Texas. The nights were not much different than the days as far as the temperature went. We called around to a few of the state parks but could only secure a cabin for two nights and not the three we needed. These cabins had real beds, air conditioning, safety from mosquitoes, and a place to cook. What more could you want?
Now we just had to figure out what to do for the first night. We decided to go half way and stay at a state park closer to our home. We brought along a small fan, a small television with videos, and our two small Toy Fox Terriers. Everything started out joyous, my son loved to fish and we had our poles ready. My daughter was equipped with enough books and I brought the games. The car was packed tight because of all the extra electronics and also because mom is not as young as she used to be and brought along lots of padding! We were just happy to be on the road and on an adventure.
We got a late start the first day, probably from packing the car, I’m not very good at packing. Plus the fact that I want to make sure I have absolutely everything I might ever need for any and all circumstances! My children tease me about this, because at times my purse resembles Mary Poppin’s magical bag. This makes me think of another time when my daughter went on an all day trip with her class to a local amusement park. I faithfully check the weather every morning to make sure the kids are dressed for it. The season was fall and in our part of Texas that means nobody really knows what the weather will be! It said rain was a possibility and it might turn chilly. So into my daughter’s back pack to her chagrin went an umbrella, hoodie, fresh pair of socks, band aids, Pepto-Bismol tablets, ibuprofen, snacks, juice, and well, I think you get the picture. I was so proud of myself that day and I made my daughter the hero of the hour.
Needless to say it did rain and when I say rain I don’t mean sprinkle. The first part of the day was great and I thought perhaps it was overkill on my part. But then it was torrential, they huddled in masses under coverings; they had split up into groups and had a meeting point at the end of the day. Since they didn’t know where anyone was they had to wait in the meeting place and most groups were staying where they were because of the heaviness of the rain. First of all my daughter was thrilled that she could get into her locker and had one of the only umbrellas. After that someone came up with an awful headache and stomach ache, for which she had the remedy. Someone else had a blister and she produced the band aide. When they arrived at the bus a little girl was noticeably turning a bit blue from being soaked to the bone to which my daughter offered a dry pair of socks and a towel, yes, I forgot to mention the towel. *pats herself on back* The teachers were impressed, the kids called it the magic bag, and everyone that needed it got a handful of snacks for the trip home. Ta Da! I think I regress, back to the story now.
We arrived at our first park at dusk. Not a good time to put up your tent when you are novices. Granted, it was a dome tent, how hard could it be? I’m so very thankful that my daughter was there, the reader, because had it been up to me and my son we would have slept with the mosquitoes! (More likely, the car) My daughter finished with the tent, we put our padding down, the fan in, the TV in, and the dog’s kennels in. Remember now, this is a three man tent; it was cozy to say the least. Since it was dusk when we erected our home for the night we were negligent in scoping out the terrain. It was something like the Princess and the Pea book I suppose, in that we could feel every root and rock under all that padding. In the beginning we were snacking and watching a video, we had decided to make the best of it. It was during the dark of the night when the mood began to shift. Never mind the fact that we had roots in our backs, or that we had doggy breath in our nostrils, or that my son was sleeping on my back. A very large dog began to bark relentlessly, following this we heard loud voices, and then a shot rang out. The dog stopped barking…. We didn’t know if the dog was happy now that the intruder was dead or the dog was dead. Here we are under a piece of material that I assume is nylon and that is all that separates us from the wild and the crazies. We all sat up and listened. We decided then and there that as soon as the first hint of light came up we were getting out of there! You’ve never seen two children help pack faster. Too bad you can’t bottle this type of adrenalin!
