Improv Camping

 Day 1

A couple of my improv friends decided we needed to take a camping trip up to Lake Sommerville as the Texas summer is approaching fast. Soon it will be much too hot for tent camping. The trip started as all great trips do, with a bit of over packing. We had three coolers which consisted of food and drinks for one full day and two nights. That in addition to the several grocery bags full of dry goods. No doubt we could last if a freak storm came up and we were forced to live in the campgrounds for a while. With the vehicle packed so high the rear-view mirror was useless, we headed up for the two hour drive.

We arrived just as the sun set and picked out our campsite. Joe and Angie were on "put up the tent" duty and Ellen and I were on "get some ice for the coolers" duty. Ellen and I haven't really had much one on one time in our past interactions so this gave us a great opportunity to get to know each other. Of course, for me that always means going through the divorce and answering all the questions that go along with it. By now I have the routine down.

When we arrived back with the ice the tent was up and camp was ready to go. It was completely dark by now so the only thing left to do was get a campfire going, make s’mores, and have a good time.

Day 2

There is no sleeping in with camping. As soon as the sun was up so were we. After breakfast (pancakes) and getting ready it was time to head down to the lake for some fun in the sun. We drove down to the lake so we could take out the kayak. The water was just right. It was cold when you first got in, but great once you submerged yourself and became acclimated to it. Dolly (Angie's dog) had a great time playing in the surf. We all took turns in the two person kayak. Unfortunately, Joe, Angie, and Dolly had some trouble and sank the kayak. Luckily they were in chest deep water and nothing but their pride was hurt. It was getting late so we decided to head back to camp for a late lunch.

For lunch we did the hamburger and hot dogs thing. It was my first time using charcoal in a long time. At home, when I grill, I use a gas grill. So it took a few tries at getting the charcoal going. Nothing a little (or lot of) lighter fluid could not solve. We were all pretty wiped out after playing in the lake all morning, so we relaxed around camp for a bit. We were relaxing at camp when we had a visit from a female cardinal. Shortly, thereafter several male cardinals came in and competed for her attention. I tried to take a picture, but none of them did the scene justice. However, as you can see when I cropped the female cardinal picture I noticed the massive snake on the log. Kind of wish we would have noticed that at the time.

Wish we would have noticed the big snake on the log.

 After our rest, we decided to go on a hike. After my barefoot run, and being barefoot in camp all weekend, I decided to try a barefoot hike. The asphalt was hot on my feet and the rocks were uncomfortable, but once we hit the trail I was pretty good. I even went for a barefoot tree climb. The barefoot part was pretty easy, the climbing up and down the tree less so. After about 2 miles we decided it was time to turn around and head back to camp for dinner. I was glad I brought my Vibrams as my feet were getting a bit sore at this point.

 

The day ended much like the first day. Originally we planned on fajitas but opted for leftover hamburgers and hot dogs. The campfire was then made and back to s’mores, drinks, and good times.

Day 3

I awoke in the middle of the night gasping for air. I'm not sure what happened but my uvula (the little thing that dangles at the back of your throat) was swollen so large it was resting on my tongue. I finally got back to sleep only to be awoken by a dog barking. I get back to sleep again when the neighbors decided to yell at their kids as they were packing up camp to leave as the sun rose. Once the sun started to come up it was useless to try to get more sleep so I got up. Angie had given up about a little earlier, so I joined her and Dolly. Turns out Angie had the same uvula issue but said after a coke and some water it went away after an hour or so. After breakfast (breakfast tacos and bacon), we broke down camp in record time and headed home. We arrived home just in time to unload, take a quick shower and head to improv practice.

Everyone had a great time. It was nice to bond with my friends outside our usual improv practice and shows. We learned a few things for next time. Hopefully, we'll get a few more to come along next time.