A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

                                                 A Picture is Worth a Thousand Words

We were all set to go.  Car was packed, reservations made, and all the extra gear we need was safely tucked away in the top car carrier.  This was my husband’s and children’s first camping trip.  Camping in a tent was old hat to me, but for my husband and children it was a whole new experience.  The weather forecast was for sunny, warm weather during the day but a little cooler at night, so a couple of extra blankets would come in handy.

It was a short drive to the New York State Park and I was optimistic that it would be a great weekend for all.  My cousins and their families were all going to the same park so we would have companions for the girls and lots of time around the campfire together. 

My husband’s concerns were the safety of our girls.  He is a city boy and the idea of camping in a tent, sleeping on the ground, and wild animals was foremost in his mind.  Needless to say he did not sleep very well the first night.  The night sounds when you are in the woods are deafening.  A night owl hooting, a deer foraging for food, a squirrel scampering through the campsite, all kept him on edge. 

Early the next morning I awoke to find him gone.  Looking out of the tent I saw him wrapped in a blanket sitting near the fire with a baseball bat in his hand.  I just had to laugh at the picture before me, but the funniest part was that sitting next to him was an albino skunk.  As quiet as I could be I spoke in soft even tones telling him not to move.  Between my wanting to giggle, I tried to make him understand what was happening.  I told him to slowly turn his head to the left and look downward.  The look that overcame him was one for the picture books.  I was by now laughing so hard I could not contain myself. 

The sun was finally coming up and the skunk kind of looked up at him, wiggled his head and ambled slowly away from his chair, stopping to turn and look at him.  It seemed to say to him, “You’re no fun so I’m leaving.”

After that night my husband, when the sun went down, sat and slept in the car for the rest of our camping experience.  To this day he refuses to go camping.  I wonder why?  (giggles)