A.G.E's Joint

Sitting on Daddy's lap  Holding the stick.  Eyes blinking against the smoke Red-orange fingers licking white sugar Slowly turning black Light brown squares on the table Waiting for molten goodness A tap on her arm Stick pulls back Squeeze squares together One Two  Three Blow Delicious

I have always been a camper and hiker. It is my preferred way to get out of the city and see parts of the country that I otherwise wouldn't. Back before I was married, I used to go to a state park in Beaufort SC, called Hunting Island. It lies about half way between Savannah and Charleston, making access to either place a snap. On trick I had learned in my trips down there is if I waited until the day after Labor Day I could get a campsite next to the beach and this year was no exception. I was with my buddy Karl and our site was next to the access boardwalk. We set the tent up and slipped the beer cooler discreetly under the picnic table for our week of fun and sun. And since we are pale people, we spend the time looking like Larry the Lobster. Late in the afternoon on our second day, we were sitting at the table figuring out where to eat. Our favorite fish shack was closed for a private event and we weren't thrilled about having to go all the way into town. We ha...

“Honey! Do you know where the camping box is?” “Out in the storage shed where you left it last, Dummy.” Yeah, Yeah. I knew that would be the answer. It’s a week until we leave and I want to make sure I don’t have any surprises. There have been too many trips with a hammer missing or the propane bottles were empty. It’s best to treat each trip like a new beginning , a fresh start. Like I had not done this a thousand times between family and scout trips. The storage bins are more or less organized from last time. There’s the gazebo. Need to rig up some better hangers to go on the inside, but it worked great the last time. A few coat hangers are willing to make a sacrifice to the greater good. The new lanterns are tested and they work. The coffee maker needs cleaning. Same with the picnic basket, although everything was clean when it was put back. Still have to work out the new Wapiti car top carrier. Never seen one quite like it, black with white elk silhouettes on the sides. ...

One of the things I learned the hard way was that it doesn't pay to get discouraged. Keeping busy and making optimism a way of life can restore your faith in yourself. with the pink poodle skirt  doing the macerena.- Courtesy, Kim Herndon-Ft Drum, NY About ten years ago, I took a week off of work to be a Counselor/Den Leader at a Cub Scout day camp in Gwinnett County, about 20 miles from my home. With 120 boys registered, this was the largest assembly of scouts I had been to up to that point.   I was assigned to lead a Bear (9 year old) den that my older son was in.  My younger son was six and assigned to a Tiger Den that he ended up liking. It was one of the more challenging assignments I had ever done.In this crew, I only knew my son. I had eleven 9 and 10 year old boys, two of them certified ADHD, and I had one day to mold them into a semi cohesive unit that could work together without the death of me or some of the boys. At my home pack, I had known all the b...