Tom and I spent the last two weeks camping with our friends, the Shaws. We have known Sandy Shaw since John and her son Steven were grade-schoolers and ended up in the same Cub Scout Pack. When Sandy and Eric got married nine years ago, I was able to perform the ceremony on the rim of the Grand Canyon. We have been on vacation many times together, so we know we have compatible styles.
Having compatible styles is very important when you are camping with friends. I love having Sandy around because she is always up for anything. She can climb a mountain in the morning and will be ready to do it again that afternoon. Eric is great because he enjoys cooking when we camp and we enjoy eating what he cooks. He can spend all day long (while the rest of us are climbing up mountains) preparing the evening meal and it will be delicious. Eric’s daughters, Kendra and Dana, also went with us and they were a joy to have around. They like to play games and are smart, well-read young women. Kendra will be a Freshman at Miami University of Ohio next month, and Dana will be a Senior at Copley.
It was a lot of fun to be camping with friends. We hiked, talked, knitted, played games, hiked some more, read every historical plaque within shouting distance, and explored Franconia Notch, Salisbury Beach, Salem, and Boston. Of course, because they were on vacation and only had two weeks, we had to pack every minute full of things to do.
One of my favorite times was the day at Franconia Notch that it rained all day. Kendra, Dana, and Sandy spent the day in our RV because we have recliners (!) and more room. We read, knitted, crocheted, talked, and watched “Monty Python and the Holy Grail” which is one of Tom’s and my favorite movies. That day stands out in my memory because it was the only day we didn’t spend a lot of time hiking and seeing things. We just enjoyed each other.
Camping with friends was a wonderful change from our usual solitary travels. We laughed more, hiked more, and ate more ice cream (I thought I was an ice cream fiend, but you should see Sandy pack it away!) because they were with us. Tom and I are always inviting people to come join us on our travels and it was nice to have the Shaws take us up on the invitation.
