A Brief Note on Camping

Camped, this weekend.

And by camped, I mean put a tent out in a campground, and then proceeded to follow my three-year-old nephew around for 24 hours to keep him from peeing on things.

I don't know how many times you need to be told not to pee on the red cooler, but judging by my nephew's responsiveness to the admonishments, it's at least seventeen times.

Seriously, though.  If there's a kid who's embraced the idea that, as a man, the World is his Toilet, it is my nephew.  Oddly, he is one that fights having to go the bathroom, unless it is suggested that he may pee in the grass.  Shyam and he were engaged in a fine game that involved her blowing bubbles and he popping them.  Despite the fact that he was visibly, physically uncomfortable, he kept with the game of popping bubbles until it was said he could go pee.  Which he did joyously, though a little wary that Shyam would be blowing bubbles in his absence.

A good weekend.  My sister, the nephew, Shyam and I loaded up and wandered up to the Chilhowee campground, surrounding Beeyooteefull Lake McKamy.  Tremendous weekend for it.  Warm, verging on hot during the day, and cool at night.  Clear as a bell both days, which says something, considering the quickest way to end a drought in my neck of the woods seems to be handing me a tent and telling me to camp someplace nearby.

Also?  Complete lack of crowds.  Shyam chalks it up to this being the weekend after a holiday, and I'm not one to disagree.  We found a walk-in site on the B-Loop.  We had neighbors on the other fork of the walk-in, but they were like us--just looking for a quiet place to hang their hats for an evening.

There was swimming.  And hiking.  And a brief moment where we thought Duke, my sister's dog, who also camped with us, might try to eat the man who was emptying the trash bins for the park service. 

It was the second time this summer we've made it camping.  Which is good.  It used to be a regular outing, whether it be with family or friends.  Then both family and friends started having kids, and for some reason weren't willing to drag a 3-month-old out into the woods for an evening.  Some of the kids are getting older, so hopefully we'll start making the pilgrimage a little more regularly...