This series of posts started out as an allegory about the life path ahead of me reconceived as the river flowing behind my grandparent's backyard, broken down between the known and the unknown, with the blackberries found in that first, forbidden curve representing all the good things yet to come, as in, "If this is waiting just around … Continue reading Bring a Pie for Everyone
Author: Camp Host Chad
The Things We Remember All Through Our Lives
Every Sunday night for about a year, my mother and I enjoyed competing to solve Murder, She Wrote. Week after week, I emerged from my bedroom after she'd watched the very boring (to me) 60 Minutes just in time to catch the last few minutes of funny grouch Andy Rooney, then I dutifully tracked the clues Jessica … Continue reading The Things We Remember All Through Our Lives
The Smoke of a Distant Fire
A riddle: When you surround it, memories are created. When it surrounds you, memories are lost. What is it? FIRE! With multiple fires raging across the Los Angeles area, a friend of mine advised me to, "have a suitcase with valuables ready to go," after I sent a couple of photos of the smoke looming over my commute: While I … Continue reading The Smoke of a Distant Fire
I Wish I Had a River
Oceans freak me out. They are so massive; they go from here to there. (Points towards horizon.) When you get into them, they flip you over, then try to drown you. #sandfacial They are full of deadly beasts (not as scary as the sharks in swimming pools swum in alone, but I digress... some of you … Continue reading I Wish I Had a River
Wednesday Words on the Wild: Imprudent (or I’m Prudent)
Never cut a tree down in the wintertime. Never make a negative decision in the low time. Never make your most important decisions when you are in your worst moods. Wait. Be patient. The storm will pass. The spring will come. ~ Robert H. Schuller Ever heard the phrase, "This too shall pass"? How about the … Continue reading Wednesday Words on the Wild: Imprudent (or I’m Prudent)
Over the River and Through the Wood
One of the joys of hiking are the surprises found just around the bend. What lies ahead? What sights will be discovered... Ugh. Sorry. I can't do it. You don't need me to explain the excitement of the unknown. You have shopping to do. I have turkey to digest. Besides, it's November. Who is (or wants to think … Continue reading Over the River and Through the Wood
Roadside Art: Hay Bales
Cruising through the Tennessee countryside with my cousin, I spotted some roadside art: "Art?" you say. "Those are hay bales. That's not art. That's farming." (And here's where you assume I'll teach you how farming is artistic.) (Wrong -- At least the part about me teaching you anything. Maybe it is artistic... Not why we're here.*) … Continue reading Roadside Art: Hay Bales
Story Tilling
My friend Sarah came to visit (from out of state) last weekend. Also this month, she is participating in NaNoWriMo, an international writing challenge to write a 50,000 word draft of a novel during the month of November. I've done NaNoWriMo* in the past, but skipped it this year to concentrate on Campfire Tales. On Friday, Sarah … Continue reading Story Tilling
Take Your Pic
A friend of mine tried to see the Grand Canyon several times, only to be foiled by poor visibility (I think it was fog, most times). She liked to say the Grand Canyon didn't exist, which always reminded me of that Jamie O'Neal song, "There Is No Arizona." There is no Arizona No painted desert, … Continue reading Take Your Pic
Trail Wisdom: Cane vs Able
I survived a stroke almost nine years ago. After weeks laid up in an ICU in Albuquerque ("Stroke City") New Mexico, I transferred to a specialized ward at a hospital in California, where I spent several more weeks recovering before heading home. The transition from NM to CA required I be able to climb in and out of a wheelchair on … Continue reading Trail Wisdom: Cane vs Able
Campfire Tales 