After last weekend’s set-up fiasco, we needed to get our groove back. Fortunately, we had a beautiful (and level) campsite near the water’s edge, perfect fall weather, gorgeous sunsets, and a spectacular Blue Moon.

We arrived around 6 p.m. on Friday, and after setting up–without incident–we enjoyed cocktails while watching the sun set over Joe Pool Lake. Soon, Chef Cliff fired up the Big Green Egg and delivered a Date Night dinner of grilled ribeye steaks, asparagus, and baked potato.

Cliff returned to Hampshire for his Saturday morning work shift while Jon stayed at Cloud 9 reading “What Have We Lost,” an excellent series of essays from the opinion writers of The New York Times. Cliff returned around noon and set about making Bloody Marys. Mild temperatures and sunny skies beckoned us to brunch at the picnic table, followed by an afternoon nap with gentle breezes drifting through the open windows.

Another stunning sunset called us to the lakeshore, cocktails in hand. We then enjoyed a crackling campfire and a rare Blue Moon while watching the Grand Ole Opry. Chef Cliff prepared stir-fried vegetables and beef on the Blackstone grill, and, to commemorate the death of Sean Connery, we ended the evening watching “Dr. No,” his first film as James Bond. What a period piece!

In the 1962 spy movie, James Bond is sent to Jamaica to investigate the disappearance of a fellow British agent. The trail leads him to the underground base of Dr. No, who is plotting to disrupt an early American space launch from Cape Canaveral with a radio beam weapon. 

Although this was the first of Ian Fleming’s novels to be made into a movie, it wasn’t the first Bond novel (that was Casino Royale, published in 1953). As the first in the Bond film series, it introduced not only Connery, but also “all things Bond,” including his favorite cocktail (a Vesper martini, shaken, not stirred), his theme music, and the so-called “Bond girl.”

Sunday found us engaged in more mundane pursuits, albeit a little later, thanks to the change to Daylight Savings Time. We enjoyed yet another early morning walk along the lake, with the moon shining brightly and the mist reflecting the rising sun. It was magical.

Our regular Sunday routine followed: “CBS Sunday Morning,” Bloody Marys, New York Times, brunch, nap, cocktails, televisit with Jon’s mom. We veered slightly off course with our Sunday supper: Jon had a hankering for shrimp scampi, and Chef Cliff happily obliged. We finished the evening with the final Season 1 episodes of “Arrested Development.”

We’re still establishing a Monday morning routine, but it already includes blogging and surfing the net, in addition to “breaking” camp and making ready to leave. Getting back in the groove makes departing all the more difficult.