Camp: Writer

I've never described myself as the outdoors type. The one camping trip my father took me on as a child didn't turn out so well with the snake that almost bit me and the raging creek that almost drowned me. Needless to say, I've spent most of my life staying out of nature's way.

Jacob hamming it up for the camera. It took us
three moves to find a campsite we both liked. I
learned how important it is to have an awning
over the picnic table for shade .

Two years ago, Jacob, my youngest, convinced me to try camping. He had read several survivalist books and had gotten camping gear the past Christmas. He wanted to try out both his survivalist skills and new equipment.

After some research, I found Cedar Hill State Park not 20-minutes away from our house in the DFW metroplex. Close. Relatively inexpensive. I figured I could handle a day or two in the 'wilderness'.

For the most part, Texas is a very flat state. I'm accustomed to its flatness, so I've never given it much thought. However, as we drove toward the park, we encountered a real oddity: hills. The Cedar Hill (hmmm, maybe that second word should have given me a clue) area might only be a short drive from my house, but because of its hilly surroundings it was almost like leaving the state altogether.

I enjoyed that camping trip more than I thought I would. We've taken several other trips since then. This past weekend, Jacob and I loaded up his car, pitched a tent, and had an enjoyable time writing.


Me outside our snazzy new tent. On prior trips we slept in
the two-person tent Jacob had gotten for Christmas. This trip we
spent the first night in it, but the tent was too small for two
grown men and a full-sized air mattress. A quick trip to a
sporting goods store solved that problem. Our new digs was
so roomy, I slept on one side, Jacob the other, and we had at
least three feet of empty space between us. That was living!

My plans were to produce as many pages as possible, but the words didn't come easily (they never do for me). I managed to crank out seven pages on my quasi-steampunk novel and some edits on prior pages.

Jacob wrote over 20 pages on a story he says he'll never let me read (I suspect it's some type of fanfic). I was jealous of his prodigious production, but happy to see him writing again. He's a good author, but a lazy one. He's also one hell of a terrific editor.

Overall, I had a relaxing weekend spent in enjoyable weather with good company (Jake and I get along well - for the most part) and achieved some writing (any day with words on the page is a good one). I would say Camp: Writer was a positive experience. One I'll do again. I'm glad Jake convinced me to take that first trip.