Categories
camping recreation

Tenting

We’ve been campers for quite some time and our primary form of residence has always been a tent. I grew up hiking, camping and tenting so for me it’s really nothing new. In Scouts we had our fair share of erecting the heavy canvas tents so the transition to the nylon variety was a welcome […]

Categories
camping food recreation

Hot Dogs

Nothing beats food over a campfire. There’s just something about preparing your meals over the open flame that makes it taste better. Probably the easiest food to prepare is the hot dog. Granted it’s not the most sophisticated of meats, but a nice convenient serving fit for being prodded and suspended over the pit. Camping […]

Categories
camping food holidays Memorial Day memories recreation

Memorable Weather

Today we kick-off the eighth annual Memorial Day camping weekend with my in-laws. In that time we’ve experienced all kinds of weather which, if you’re tenting, can make all the difference. Most years the nightly lows would hover just above freezing. Other years we’ve nearly been carried away by the rain and high winds. And […]

Categories
games

Ninja, Hunter, Bear

My boys introduced me to an alternative approach to decision-making. Everyone’s familiar with Rock, Paper, Scissors but have you heard of Ninja, Hunter, Bear? I have to admit, I was intrigued with how this worked and the boys were so kind as to indulge my curiosity. Turns out it isn’t as discrete as one would […]

Categories
camping Memorial Day recreation

Snipe Hunting

All this wet weather should really bring out the snipes for camping this Memorial Day weekend. Snipe hunting opens after dusk on the Friday before Memorial Day every year and it’s a tradition that’s been kept alive for generations. Surprisingly enough, in all the years we’ve been out hunting we’ve yet to bag one of […]

Categories
games recreation

Risk

Last night I spent a picture-perfect evening on the patio with my two boys playing a somewhat civil game of RISK®. I realize that the serious gamer would consider RISK® to be ‘Ameri-trash’ because of its dependency on dice to settle a player’s fate but all things considered, the aptly-named Parker Brothers classic teaches simple […]

Categories
games memories recreation

Billiards

I always enjoyed the game of pool. I think a lot of that had to do with the fact that we never had a table growing up. It was always something we wanted – especially after visiting any friends or cousins who did. It didn’t occur to me until I was much older that there […]

Categories
cartoons memories recreation

Swimming Lessons

I was fortunate that I grew up in a town that made it mandatory for every kid to learn how to swim. Seriously! As eighth graders we were all shipped off to the local indoor pool and evaluated to see where we were on the swimming skills ‘food chain’. I think I landed somewhere between […]

Categories
illustration recreation

Assembly Required

If I see another schematic on how to assemble something, it will be too soon. I spent most of  today assembling patio furniture and installing new door knobs in the house. Most would assume that those projects wouldn’t take all day, but then they’ve never thoroughly consulted the manufacturer’s assembly instructions. I think the individual […]

Categories
baseball recreation seasons sports

Baseball

There may still be snow hiding in the northern recesses of my yard, but the season of America’s game is officially upon our household. My oldest is starting his sixth season and has, for the first time, tryouts for the 10 year-old Bismarck All Stars traveling team this Saturday. I know he ranks baseball as […]