The death of Jon’s mother earlier this month, while sad, was not unexpected. For the better part of the past two years we have traveled monthly to stay with her for several days at a time, sacrificing our regular camping life along the way. Now it’s time for us to recalibrate our camping life, directing…
We chose the weekend of the winter solstice for our monthly camp-out. Despite the weekend having the shortest day of the year (only 10 hours of daylight), we enjoyed relatively mild temperatures and calm conditions. In addition to enjoying an excellent Date Night steak, accompanied by a 2021 Treana Cabernet Savignon, and a crackling campfire…
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:…
After seven weeks without camping, we made our way to Loyd Park for a magnificent fall weekender. The weather was ideal, with warm temperatures, low humidity, and clear skies. We spent much time outdoors, walking around the park and relaxing under the pavilion, enjoying cookouts and campfires. We’ve missed the regular cadence that has been…
Cliff was offered the opportunity to visit Salt Lake City for meetings with his team from Western Governors University and commencement exercises, so we decided to camp there for the week. The first day of our Salt Lake adventure was spent driving from Dallas to Amarillo, traversing seemingly endless miles of oil fields, cattle ranches,…
Our weekender at Loyd Park was our first campout without a dog. We said goodbye to our precious little Duke just 10 days ago, but the feeling of loss is still profound. When we started camping in 2013 our canine companions were Gunny, Baxter, and Ranger. We said goodbye to Gunny in March 2014. Then…
We headed to Loyd Park for a beautiful spring-like weekend, but our minds were focused on the main event: the funeral for Cliff’s Aunt Doris. She died on February 12 at the age of 100 after having lived a good life, by all accounts. There was sadness, but also a sense of relief. She had…
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…
Last month, Jon traveled to Belleville, Illinois, to help his mother transition from a weeklong hospitalization back to her apartment at Cambridge House of Swansea. Having made the trip by himself, the last thing he wanted to do on a follow-up visit was manage it alone. So Cliff joined Jon for an extended visit, with…
A quotation by the New York marriage and family therapist Vienna Pharaon caught our eye this weekend: “The extent to which you allow yourself to be seen is the extent to which you allow yourself to be loved. When you hold back, share only parts of yourself, pretend to be ‘fine’ when you’re not, or…
Garinns on the Go 