We’ve previously posted about the types of people we meet while camping. As we said then, some are folks we wouldn’t associate with under any other circumstances, but “love of the outdoors and the desire for adventure can create strange bedfellows.” To be sure, we’ve met more than our fair share of colorful characters, but…
All right. We surrender. It’s summertime, and the livin’ ain’t easy. As much of North Texas sweats through a string of record-setting heat waves, we are beginning to refashion our lives simply to survive the ultramarathon of misery that now defines our white-hot summer. We already limit our weekend activities to the early morning hours,…
Once again, we spent our weekend avoiding the summer swelter. That meant limiting our outdoor activities to morning walks and evening cookouts, spending the better part of the day in Cloud 9’s air-conditioned comfort. It even seemed like the birds took a break. Jon noted on our Sunday morning walk that there wasn’t as much…
Next week, we will likely experience our highest summer temperatures to date, with predicted highs reaching 107 degrees, and the potential for heat indexes to be even higher. But for this weekend, with temperatures in the low triple-digits, we enjoyed the shady surrounds of Site 10 at Loyd Park. Although it’s normal for temperature highs…
Over the course of a sizzling summer weekend, Jon read a profile in The New York Times about a couple who recently married. It concluded with the line, “We’re both looking forward to a chapter of domestic bliss, where we stay at home on Sundays and do the crossword and read.” Although we didn’t spend…
We admit, we’re not feeling very patriotic this Independence Day weekend. Our sense of identity as Americans seems under assault. Our nation is more irreparably divided than ever before in our lifetime. Every single issue gets polarized and politicized. Nuance and complexity are nowhere to be found. Compromise is anathema. Instead, we have a pervasive,…
This was a weekend of revelations, brought about by the Supreme Court’s decision in the Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health case, an unexpected visit from a horse and a man with a feather in his hat, and a new set of curtains expertly made by our friends Dan and Stephanie Matney. A few words about…
It has been so long since we enjoyed the company of our Heart of Texas Camping (HOTC) group that we couldn’t recall the last time we did so. More than two years, certainly, but also not quite four. Let’s just say a reunion has been long overdue. This weekend found us connecting with friends old…
As temperatures soared well above 100 degrees, we did something this weekend we had never done before: We traveled back home to escape the afternoon heat. Cloud 9’s air-conditioner couldn’t compete with the afternoon sun directly overhead, so we turned everything off, packed up the pack, and went to Hampshire for an afternoon nap, cocktails,…
We had planned to travel to Shenandoah National Park and take in the monuments, memorials and museums in and around Washington, DC, but alas, it wasn’t meant to be. With inflation soaring and gas prices at historic highs, it just didn’t seem right to spend so much money on a long road trip. Instead, we…
Today we said farewell to one of our five canine companions. Although he was small, Baxter occupied a big space in Cloud 9. And in our hearts. Unlike our other dogs, Baxter had a bed of his own that took up floor space under the table. We thought it was a better alternative to him…
We had planned a big Memorial Day vacation trip to Shenandoah National Park and Washington, D.C., but we simply cannot justify spending so much money on gas and other expenses at this time of high inflation. So we’ll enjoy a “staycation” at Loyd Park, close to home, instead. After all, the capital’s monuments, memorials, and…
We’ve been talking about death lately. Perhaps it’s because we recently had our annual physical examinations, and, as a result, had to schedule and undergo follow-up tests. In addition to having to continue treating our cholesterol and gout, we’re long overdue for a colonoscopy. Cliff has hypertension; Jon has circulatory problems—so a stroke or a…
This weekend, we camped at Loyd Park, along the western side of Joe Pool Lake. With record-breaking heat, we were concerned that it would be difficult to keep Cloud 9 at a comfortable 73 degrees, but Loyd Park’s dense tree canopy made climate control more manageable. We arrived on Friday in time to set up,…
We spend most weekends “at the lake,” but the fact of the matter is that we spend very little time in or even near the water. Oh, we catch an occasional glimpse of the shore as we drive in or out of the park. We see a couple of ducks swimming in a tiny inlet…
Garinns on the Go 