The first weekend of fall found us at our beloved Loyd Park, weathering storms, high humidity, and heavy downpours. We love this time of year, when, as the poet Humbert Wolfe said so beautifully, “the air is wild with leaves.” Autumn has a certain scent, thanks to abscission (from the Latin ab, meaning “away,” and…
When Jon worked on the real estate sections at The Dallas Morning News, he often had to deal with “romance” copy — content written by realtors to evoke emotion and speak to the dreams and aspirations of their target market. You’ve probably read “romance” copy in some form or fashion. Here’s the romance copy for…
The long-anticipated cold front arrived on Friday night, bringing gloriously cool temps and low humidity throughout the remainder of the weekend. It also provided a welcome relief from the stresses of the week, which included Jon’s grand jury service, a nonfunctioning refrigerator, spoiled food, a new fridge delivered and returned and replaced, and the typical…
The time has come. The end is near. Throughout the summer, the leaves have absorbed all the energy necessary to transform carbon dioxide and water into the sugars and starches needed to help trees grow and thrive. But now they’re spent. They’ve done their duty. Daylight is shortening, temperatures are falling, and the trees are…
Once again, the weather forecasters seemed to agree we would have a wet weekend, with 80 percent coverage in some areas. What they couldn’t agree on was the timing. Clearly, other campers were deterred by the dire warnings. But we pressed ahead, knowing that being holed up in Cloud 9 would be as good or better…
We arrived for our weekender at Loyd Park on the hottest day of the year. With the mercury climbing to 107°, we wondered aloud “what the hell were we thinking?” Yet by Sunday morning, the temperature had dipped to 77°. The weather was actually pleasant! When we left for the weekend, we received dire forecasts of…
We spent our second consecutive July weekend at Loyd Park discussing the political news, walking our doggies, and enjoying grilled foods. Colleagues have asked how we can go camping in triple-digit temperatures, and the answer is simple: The temperatures are just as hot at home. With the major parties’ political conventions now over, the contest…
We spent the weekend at our favorite backyard campground, Loyd Park, a place we’ve visited at least once a month for almost a year. There is a certain calm here that is restorative. As we like to say, a little Loyd goes a long way. When we arrived on Thursday evening, many in Britain were…
We returned to Cedar Hill State Park, after nearly a yearlong absence, to enjoy a lakeside site on the Coyote Crossing camping loop. The mid-June temps soared into the upper 90s, prompting heat advisories and indoor activities. The sites in this loop are relatively shallow, so most occupants were tent campers. We noticed several tents…
The third day of our Aluminum Under the Rainbow rally began with authentic French Quarter-style beignets, prepared by our hosts from Louisiana. Our water heater repairman, from Florida, gave a very helpful and informative tutorial on awning maintenance. Yes, we have to lubricate all the various parts every 30 days with spray silicone. We have…
Day 2 of our Aluminum Under the Rainbow rally greeted us with a mechanical failure: our water heater wouldn’t work. An investigation indicated an obstruction in the flue, about which we had no clue. We joined the group for breakfast and began pestering people asking for advice. As it turns out, one member of our group…
Memorial Day Weekend found us attending our first Aluminum Under the Rainbow rally at Tom Sawyer’s RV Park in West Memphis. Sponsored by the Friends of Dorothy camping group, it’s the only official rally of GLBT Airstreamers in the nation. A couple of cultural references may be helpful here: “Friend of Dorothy” is a slang…
