Camping in a Lawn Chair

Tonight, I'm going to sleep in a lawn chair inside a bivy inside a sleeping bag under the stars. I love sleeping this way. The lawn chair keeps my old back from aching and the bivy is like a one-man tent with no poles and keeps the dew, light rain, and mosquitos out. I still get to breathe fresh air and look up at the stars in the middle of the night. I miss being in with Mike, but it's worth it. Nick is in with Adrian and his parents in a two-room tent. We are camping with about nine Cub Scouts and their families on an island in Puget Sound. People have brought sisters, brothers, two dogs, and one puppy.

Dinner was great. It's amazing how good hamburgers and hot dogs taste outside. They even had salads! Mike spent all afternoon making peach cobbler and pumpkin-pie cake in Dutch ovens over the camp fire. I only had a bite of each, but they were delicious.

We had a great campfire too. Mike, usually a quiet guy, gets up at Scouting events and tells stories, leads songs, and encourages the boys to do skits. They are usually really bad, but the boys love doing it and we always seem to laugh at the right time. The favorites usually involve rolling in the dirt and making gross sounds.

I'm going to tuck in now.

Good night and thanks for listening, jb

Sleeping in a Covered Wagon

I am sleeping in a covered wagon in woods with two ten year old girls. One girl was scared and the other wasn't, but said she wished that her mom had come, that she was trying to be more grown up. I told Sara, the one who was afraid, to tuck into the quilt I'd made, close her eyes, breathe deeply, and name the people who love her. That's what I do with Nick when he can't sleep. Their teachers are talking quietly in the wagon next to ours. It's a comforting sort of sound. Tree frogs are singing. They almost sound like crickets, but it's a fuller sound and a little more sing-song. I can hear horses and an occasional car on the road.

I'll be able to sleep after spending the day helping twenty-nine kids in groups of six cut potatos, carrots, and potatoes for stew, apples and crumbles for apple crisp, and dough for fry bread. The kids were so proud that they made most of the meal and I was happy that no one cut themselves. Some of them had never held a knife. I was glad that Nicky knew just what he was doing with the knife.

He's in an open-air cabin. It has a roof, but it feels fresh and a little dewy already. I hope he can sleep. I hope the dad who is with him is kind if he can't. Most if the men here are kind, but there was one that I was glad didn't end up being in a cabin with Nick. His boy is rough and bullies the other kids. Dads usually have a lot to do with that.

I'm going to sleep now. I brought all of my pillows. I should be comfortable and warm in my sleeping bag.

Good night and thanks for listening, jb