A Super Weekender

While the rest of the known universe focused its attention on the historic showdown between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX, we spent the weekend listening to birdsong, watching squirrels frolic in the forest, and finding respite from the Trump Administration’s firehose of activity. We set up on a…

Alternative Plans

We thought about going to the 15th Annual Blues, Bandits, and BBQ event at Kidd Springs Park, but when we saw the ticket prices we decided to camp out instead. For just a few dollars more, we enjoyed an entire weekend at Loyd Park rather than just a few hours at the festival. It gave…

The Expected and Unanticipated

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 Return to Routine

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…

A Much-Needed Break

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…

Soon, More Sunshine

This weekend, we were surrounded by several large groups of people who had encamped for the maximum time allowed–families with children, pets, friends, and visiting relatives, which meant we had to witness more than our fair share of dysfunction. Their shouted expletives, screeching voices, and excruciating karaoke punctuated an otherwise peaceful experience. We arrived in…

An Early Spring

In the northern hemisphere, meteorological spring begins on March 1, with the spring equinox occurring on March 20. That means the first weekend in March can vacillate between winter and spring. Fortunately, we experienced spring-like weather throughout the weekend, with mild temperatures, gentle breezes, and clear skies. We arrived on Friday afternoon and immediately went…

Tired of the Weather Whiplash

We arrived on Friday afternoon, anticipating a chilly night. After setting up, we realized we had forgotten the charging cable to our Surface Pro, which meant Cliff would have to severely ration his use of the 90 percent of battery power left on the device. So, as Cliff prepared Date Night dinner, Jon raced back…

A Super Weekend

After the recent winter storm, we’re happy to say that the only reference this weekend to ice and salt had to do with margaritas. We arrived at Loyd Park on Friday afternoon, with Cliff setting up while Jon took a lengthy work-related call from a colleague in Boston. By sundown, the temperature had dropped into…

Caught Off Guard

Last Sunday afternoon, when we decided to stay the week, we had no idea we were about to endure yet another winter storm — one that would result in thousands of canceled flights, hundreds of traffic accidents, dozens of highway closures, at least 10 deaths, and Cloud 9 encased in ice. Although our water supply…