Camping is usually a novelty given the frequency at which I get to do it. I don't know why I choose to put myself through it as it is actually quite a bit of work. This time I went with only my 2 older daughters (Jennifer, 7 & Sara 5 in ten days). So I had to take care of them solo this time, make sure they're fed, safe, decent sleeping arrangements, change of clothes, etc. Basic parenting stuff that seems to come naturally to my wife but for me I fumble through it and somehow manage.
There is a novelty to getting to spend a night in a different environment, making fires, full day picnic for meals, etc. When we can go camping and have something to sleep in other than a tent that will shield us from the elements, it's much nicer. Don't get me wrong, my tent can be set up in less than 5 minutes and sleeps 5 people but not having to worry about making sure it's clean inside & out before putting it away and making sure its rolled up just the right way so it fits back in that tiny storage back all neat and compact is a nice burden to be rid of occasionally when going camping.
This time we had a cinder block cabin to stay in. It's about 20 x40 foot room with 8 bunk beds, a wood burning stove, a long table and some chairs inside with lights, electricity, and even a smoke detector. Outside there was a covered fire pit, small covered porch with another long table, hose with running water, and 2 picnic tables.
The main reason for going was to do some maintenance and improvements on the property. One thing we did was shovel gravel from a tractor bucket into wheelbarrows and spread it around the outside edge of the cabins. Someone brought the tractor to where we were, turned it off, then went elsewhere to do other work. In our group there was 4 or 5 adults and about as many young men. The first cabin we worked on was on a slight slope and after a few seveal minutes of shoveling, the tractor started to roll towards the cabin. I yelled so everyone would be aware and not get hurt. One adult quickly jumped in the tractor and put his foot on the break to hold it in place. The next thing I did was look to see where everyone else was. I saw the rest of the adults 5-10 feet out of the path the tractor and the youth trying to hold or push back the tractor. When the danger was over, the result was a blatant and somewhat humorous demonstration showing the experience and wisdom of those involved. The naive youth thinking they could prevent the tractor from rolling with their own strength and the adults knowing full well that the best thing to do was to just get the heck out of the way and the one adult who had the quick thinking and reflexes to jump in and apply the foot brake. We found out later that the parking brake didn't work and the bucket should have been all the way down on the ground lifting the front wheels up to serve as the brake.
Who thought that giving volunteer service could have such excitement. Too bad there weren't more people that could come to be part of such an event. Now when I return in August with my family, I can show them what we accomplished and where these events took place.
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