Camping's Calm At Last

My mother says it always takes a few days to settle in when you are camping, and then all of the work of it pays off.

And that is how I feel on this third morning on the lake, my last day here.

And so after breakfast I pulled my lounge chair up to the edge of the water, and felt the cool windy air sweep across the lake and into my lap.




And I opened my book, the Liturgy of the Hours, to read the most amazing words, words that spoke to me literally right where I was, relaxed and drinking in the waters of the lake that surrounded me.

From an instruction by St. Columban, abbot:

My dear brethren, listen to my words. You are going to hear something that must be said. You quench your soul's thirst with drafts of the divine fountain. I now wish to speak of this. Revive yourself, but do not extinguish your thirst. Drink, I say, but do not entirely quench your thirst, for the fountain of life, the fountain of love calls us to him and says: Whoever thirsts, let him come to me and drink.

Understand well what you drink. Jeremiah would tell us; the fountain of life would himself tell us: For they abandoned me, the fountain of living water, says the Lord.

The Lord himself, our God Jesus Christ, is the fountain of life, and accordingly he invites us to himself as to a fountain, that we may drink. Whoever loves him, drinks him; he drinks who is filled with the Word of God, he drinks who loves him fully and really desires him. He drinks who is on fire with the love of wisdom.




In Awe Once Again,
Ronda

Location:Jordan Lake

Camping's Little Culprits

When I woke up this morning, I saw a squirrel clawing his way across the skylight situated right over the top of my bed.




The sloped roof on my A-frame meant that he could scramble up the side of my camper, poised for only a moment at the top of his ascent before he slipped and fell back to the ground from where he started.

I didn't think too much of his antics until I sat down to breakfast to enjoy both the view and the toasty warm omelet I had prepared with fresh red peppers, yellow onions, and mozarella cheese, all fried up in butter and seasoned with salt and pepper.




Suddenly there appeared a gray furry head at the skylight above my dining table..accompanied by the sound of claws climbing and slipping back down the camper's side.




It began to sound like popcorn in here as squirrel after squirrel began dive bombing my little oasis by the lake, doggedly coming after the food promised by the wonderful breakfast aromas wafting out from inside.

Feeling like I was trapped in a giant bird feeder, I thought, "Oh, what can I do?"

I repeatedly lept to my feet from my place at the table to shout, to clap, and to wave my broom at the brazen and besieging rodents who wouldn't retreat no matter what I tried.




...And then suddenly I had an idea, and you'll NEVER GUESS what it was!

I turned on my camper's radio and began playing classical music on both the inside and outside speakers, yes, I did.

And you know what happened next? Those squirrels scrammed and I sat back down to finally enjoy my meal in peace.


Ronda

Location:Pittsboro,United States

Camping's Little Victories

I wonder if you can guess what that little black panel is, hanging on my camper door.

Because of it, I am filled with joy, realizing that I no longer have to conserve my 12volt battery at my nonelectric site, but can splurge on electricity to run my fan, my lights, and even my cellphone recharger...because I know I will be able to continuously recharge my camper battery...with this solar panel...as long as I am here.

Thank you, Ron & Larry, for sharing your wealth: your technical know how, your years of camping experience, your extra resources like a solar panel! and your found string.

Because of your interest in me and your kindness, you have given me even more of the "good life", something we all enjoy to greater or lesser extent out here!





Amazed,
Ronda

Location:Apex,United States

Camping's Little Luxuries

Now don't get me wrong, in my little 12' long A-frame camper by the lake I have plenty of luxuries myself. Indeed, I have a tremendous amount of comforts that our family did not have when we camped for two and three weeks at a time in the family 4-man tent for vacation each year.

Then, we slept in sleeping bags on the hard ground, lined up like sardines, mom and dad on an air mattress for added padding.

Then we stored all of our dry goods in trunks and our cold goods in coolers which we refilled with ice everyday, sorting through things that got waterlogged and tossing them out.

Now I have a refrigerator that runs on electricity or on battery/propane and keeps food not only cold for endless days, but has a freezer compartment too.


Then we cooked dinner outside in the fire or on a propane stove perched on the picnic table, now I prepare meals INSIDE my camper, though still on a gas stove.






Then we washed dishes in a tub of hot water sitting on the edge of the picnic table, tossing the water into the woods after we were done.

Now I wash dishes inside, in my sink with either carried or running water and let the water drain down the sink's drain and onto the ground.





Then we lit a lantern when the sun went down and used it to light the way to the bathhouse for brushing teeth and using the facilities before going to bed.

Now I use the bathhouse for most things, but have a port-a-potty in my little camper, and halogen lights too, to make using the facilities a little more comfortable after dark.

And then we gathered sticks and built campfires to see who could roast their marshmallow into the perfect crisp, light brown color that meant gooey goodness inside. (When my siblings burned theirs, they actually claimed they preferred the burned, charred flavor, though I highly doubt that!)

Yes, those were the days, yet even now, the good times are here too. They are ours for the asking, ours for the taking, ours if we'll venture out of our comfort zones to see what is out there, what is calling out to us, what is only waiting for us to do.





In Joy,
Ronda

Location:Apex,United States

Camping: The Great Equalizer

Okay, so I am set up in my "happy place" once again, and I am, first of all ASTOUNDED at the beauty of my lakeside setting.


















Secondly, I am a little bit surprised that having been out "in solitude" for only 23 hours and 45 minutes, I am brimming over with things to say.

Thirdly, I discovered that in the act of camping, where we leave our daily lives behind to become closer to nature, to spend time with loved ones, and to settle into a more tranquil frame of mind, the playing field between camping neighbors is leveled, we come more closely into contact with others, we spend time with people from different walks of life.







Take my friends Larry and Ron Getz, for example, whom I met three or four years ago out here at the lake. They were born and raised in West Virginia, one chose maintaining aircraft in the U.S. Air Force for a living and the other one raising cattle and hay on their 80 acre family farm. After a lifetime of living apart, these brothers get together almost monthly to camp and fish at Jordan Lake, maintaining a strong family bond and inviting others into conversation, into fishing, and into their veritable camping feasts.







When I heard they would be at the lake this week, I packed up and got a campsite of my own on another part of the lake from where they were situated.

They arrived by boat at my camp last evening and took me out for a little fishing. The price of my admission? Being brave enough to bait my own hook. When a storm chased us in at dusk, they invited me to join them for dinner, which I accepted.

While Ron cooked chicken outside on the grill, Larry was in his camper kitchen, mixing up a salad, slicing homegrown tomatoes, and inviting me to look around as he showed off all of the features of his home-away-from home.

Well, they have lights, they have refrigeration, they have TV. They have air conditioning, they have real furniture, they have several rooms, and a full bath. They have hot and cold running water, a double kitchen sink, and when I remarked that I could hear the lady in the camper next door actually using a vacuum, they replied, "We have one too!"

And that, my friends, is when I realized that while camping just might be the "great equalizer," among men, it turns out that SOME of us are definitely MORE EQUAL than others!!!

<3 Joy!

Ronda

Location:Apex,United States

From Action to Contemplation to Action Again.

It is good to get away for a while ...

On a bike,


By the water,


With a good book,


Watching boats go by,


Enjoying the solitude of a fisherman going about his task,


And then returning home again after an hour, after a morning, after a day, after a few days of really unwinding and gaining perspective,

To embrace those we love, those we work with, those we meet, those we reach out to with open hearts and open lives.

❤️ Ronda

Location:Carolina Beach,United States

Pulling Up Stakes

It is my last morning on retreat here at Carolina Beach State Park and I've wound down so much that I don't see how I can get going again enough to leave.












Ah, but in a few more minutes, I will try.


❤️Ronda

Location:Campground Rd,Carolina Beach,United States