Our weekender at Loyd Park was our first campout without a dog. We said goodbye to our precious little Duke just 10 days ago, but the feeling of loss is still profound. When we started camping in 2013 our canine companions were Gunny, Baxter, and Ranger. We said goodbye to Gunny in March 2014. Then…
After last weekend’s long journey to Illinois, it was good to break away for a weekender at our beloved Loyd Park. We needed to reconnect with nature, unwind, and create lasting memories with our little Duke, who likely won’t be with us much longer. Spring’s lengthening days and warmer temperatures beckoned us to Site 8,…
A sure sign of spring is daylight saving time, which occurred this weekend. We reluctantly accepted losing an hour of sleep because it meant we could leave a little later on Sunday. As people who travel often, we appreciate the 7.5 months we spend in daylight saving time. In fact, we’re among the majority of…
We headed to Loyd Park for a beautiful spring-like weekend, but our minds were focused on the main event: the funeral for Cliff’s Aunt Doris. She died on February 12 at the age of 100 after having lived a good life, by all accounts. There was sadness, but also a sense of relief. She had…
We finally returned to Loyd Park, after a nearly seven-month absence. During our time away, we redirected our weekly camping budget to a monthly visit to Jon’s mom in Illinois. Now that her condition has stabilized, we felt comfortable embarking on a weekender at our favorite backyard campground. The weather was perfect, with daytime highs…
We began planning for our weekend at “The Barbecue Capital of Texas” the moment we received the invitation from our AluminumPride rally group in July. Despite our decision in August to divert our camping funds and activities to visiting Jon’s mom for one week of every month, we were determined to keep this longstanding commitment…
Last month, Jon traveled to Belleville, Illinois, to help his mother transition from a weeklong hospitalization back to her apartment at Cambridge House of Swansea. Having made the trip by himself, the last thing he wanted to do on a follow-up visit was manage it alone. So Cliff joined Jon for an extended visit, with…
A quotation by the New York marriage and family therapist Vienna Pharaon caught our eye this weekend: “The extent to which you allow yourself to be seen is the extent to which you allow yourself to be loved. When you hold back, share only parts of yourself, pretend to be ‘fine’ when you’re not, or…
The first weekend of August was much like nearly every weekend this summer: Torrid, arid, languid. After enduring many days on our heat island under a heat dome, moving from one air-conditioned space to another, we were eager to get away, even if the heat prevented us from pursuing outdoor activities. We arrived on Friday…
The weekend weather forecast included slightly cooler temperatures, with highs only reaching the mid-90s and lows dipping to the mid-70s. Considering eight of the last 10 days saw temperatures in excess of 100 degrees, the slight dip was a gift from the climate gods. We actually were able to spend time outdoors–dining al fresco, walking…
This weekend marked the 10th anniversary of living the “RV lifestyle.” For the better part of a decade now, we’ve packed up and headed out for a weekend away from it all. Jon’s first camping-related blog post was titled “Simple Pleasures.” In it, he described a camping experience he had when he was serving as…
We began our July Fourth 10-day stay at Loyd Park with a bitter argument, fueled more by resentment and vulnerability than actual disagreement. It reminded us both of previous flare-ups we’ve had and how these events have the ability to completely derail an otherwise enjoyable camp-out. We finally found forgiveness by talking our way through…
This past week, as the world turned its attention to the Titan submersible that disappeared last Sunday during a dive to history’s most famous shipwreck, it was reported that OceanGate’s chief executive, who was piloting the vessel, was married to a woman who is the great-great granddaughter of Isadore and Ida Straus, two of the…
The weekend began with the federal indictment of former President Donald Trump, unleashing a wave of calls by his supporters for violence and an uprising to defend him. Once again, Trump dominated every aspect of American life, including a retreat to Loyd Park. The camping crowd includes a disproportionate number of Trump supporters, who have…
After spending time with Jon’s high school buddy, staying 10 days in Cloud 9 while Hampshire’s interior was painted, visiting Jon’s mom for Mother’s Day, and two weekends at home recovering and doing follow-up projects, we finally got back to the basics: a weekender at Loyd Park. We arrived at mid-afternoon and set up camp,…
Garinns on the Go 