We decided to camp out the weekend before Election Day, for both expected and unanticipated reasons. We expected that, by this time in the 2024 campaign season, we would be eager to tune out the relentless barrage of political ads. But we hadn’t anticipated needing the weekend to familiarize ourselves with our new tow vehicle: a 2023 Platinum model F-150. This technological marvel not only bumped us up to a new level of luxury but also helped us set aside our “politics as usual.”

After learning we would have to pay out of pocket for the second set of cam phasers on our XLT model 2017 F-150, we decided to purchase the luxury class entry-level Lariat, similar to the 2014 model we had before we downgraded to the XLT. For the uninitiated, Ford’s F-150 lineup currently has eight models, in order: XL, STX, XLT, Lariat, Tremor, King Ranch, Platinum, and Raptor. Without question, our Platinum is a luxury vehicle with a cargo bed.

We arrived on Friday afternoon and set up to spend a few hours completing our work remotely. Then we joined old friends a few sites over for happy hour before returning for Date Night dinner and a campfire. We ended the evening with card games and conversations hosted by Denise and Scott.

It was a good evening.

Saturday morning found us at DFW Truck & Auto Accessories in Arlington having a bed cover installed. Afterward we headed to Abuelo’s Mexican Restaurant for a lackluster lunch to celebrate Dia de los Muertos, the Mexican festival of remembrance. An afternoon nap gave way to cocktails with heavy hors d’oeuvres, a campfire, a walk around the camping loop, and a viewing of Saturday Night Live, with a surprise (and delightful) appearance by Vice President Kamala Harris.

It was a good day.

The end of Daylight Saving Time meant we could sleep a little later on Sunday morning before settling into our routine of watching NBC’s “Sunday Today” and “CBS Sunday Morning,” reading The New York Times, and enjoying breakfast cocktails and brunch amid a gentle with distant rumbles of thunder. We ended our weekender with a luxurious nap.

It was a good weekend.

We needed the distraction. Come Tuesday, Election Day, we will do what we have done for the past 24 years: we will be among the first to the polls when they open at 7 a.m; we will cast our ballots and then head to Norma’s Cafe for a greasy-spoon breakfast; then we will head off to work and return at the end of the day to watch the election returns.

We are under no illusions. We fully expect the vote counting to extend for several days. We expect that a clear winner won’t be declared on Tuesday night. But the difference between the expected and the unanticipated can sometimes lead to pleasant surprises.