My first backyard camping experience

Cooking On Open Fire ♧ Inside My First Tent ♧ Great Camp "Stove ♧ Hairspray and Bugs ♧ Your Opinion Counts ♧ Summer Camping ♧ How To Camp in Backyard Video ♧ Short Camping Quiz ♧ Ammoinia and Wild Animals ♧ Your Score ♧ Out Under The Stars ♧ Camping Became Popular ♧ Do You Squidoo? ♧ Follow Me On Twitter ♧ Re-Tweet ♧ Contact Me ♧ Your Voice Counts ♧ Grand-daddy Camping Quiz ♧ What People Are Saying About Camping ♧ About Towanda ♧ My Other "About Me" Lenses

I grew up in a small town that only had dirt clay roads. The clay road that we lived on was cut down the middle of a forest. Well maybe forest isn't the right term, but to a small girl it was a forest. Lots were being sold on the side of the road that we lived on. Across the street the land was still raw land that had mainly oak trees and lots of pine trees. The trees were tight so all you saw was trees. My parents built that home. It was made from cinder blocks and when I was three we moved into it. I lived in that house till I was in high school. On the block that we lived there was only two other houses. By the time I was in my tweens the number grew to around ten homes. My closest neighbor was one lot over from where we lived. They had two boys who were several years older than I and a girl that was one year younger than I.

I had been camping out in my bedroom for a year or so. Summer to me was all about camping. One afternoon I was over to my friends house and the boys were putting up a tent. They were a camping family and was airing out the tent before they went on their next camping trip. Their sister was begging the brothers to let us have a tea party in the tent. Of course it wasn't much of a tea party just a tea party play set. Her parents said it would be ok. I was hooked on tents.

Photo credit: Webmaster graphic packages.

For my fourteen birthday I wanted to sleep out under the stars. We didn't have a tent and I was told "we" couldn't borrow a tent so not to even think about asking to borrow my neighbors tent. By this time I had friends at school that camped out in their backyards and just used blankets. My way of thinking was if they could do then why couldn't I. Since my birthday was during the school months I made a deal with my parents that I would wait till summer after all it was just a few weeks away. My birthday wish was to camp outside under the stars.

Summer came and I was waiting for the day. One thing that my parents would tell me over and over again was that I was a persistent child, today I am a persistent adult. When they realized that I wasn't going to forget our deal they finally began to say lets plan this out. I had wanted to invite my friend but was told that they didn't want to take responsibility for any one else but me. I had an answer for every objection they came up with.

Photo credit: Webmaster graphic packages.

Just outside our back door was a clothes line that Mom would hang things that was too large for the dryer. It was perfect for my tent. Now what was I going to sleep on? I didn't have a sleeping bag and somehow I knew sleeping directly on the ground was not going to work. Mom at one time had a set of yard loungers. They were "old" so I am not sure when they were made. My Dad had worn his out so out of the set; there was only one left. It had a cushion that at least four inches thick. When I laid down on it I had plenty of room to stretch out on it. A sheet would fit over it nicely so now I had my own camping cot. There were plenty of old blankets that would be clothes pinned to the clothes line to make a tent like structure over the camping cot. Mom even clothes pinned the sides so I would have an enclosed "tent". I had a large flashlight so I could see while I read my book. After a hot-dog cook out over the gas stove in the kitchen I was set for my first night of sleeping out under the stars. I was so excited and will never forget the night I slept in a clothes line tent on an old yard lounger reading my book by flashlight. I only got to sleep one night out under the stars; but I was satisfied.

Many years later Mom told me that she kept getting up almost every hour to check on me. She had left the back door unlocked so if I wanted to come inside I could. I never came in the house the whole time.

Photo credit: Webmaster graphic packages.

I am a Rocket Mom, a Giant Squid 100, SquidAngel of Lensographies and SquidAngel of Home and Garden Furniture. If you have any questions please use the contact button up above and ask your questions. See you around the community.

Cooking On Open Fire ♧ Inside My First Tent ♧ Great Camp "Stove ♧ Hairspray and Bugs ♧ Your Opinion Counts ♧ Summer Camping ♧ How To Camp in Backyard Video ♧ Short Camping Quiz ♧ Ammoinia and Wild Animals ♧ Your Score ♧ Out Under The Stars ♧ Camping Became Popular ♧ Do You Squidoo? ♧ Follow Me On Twitter ♧ Re-Tweet ♧ Contact Me ♧ Your Voice Counts ♧ Grand-daddy Camping Quiz ♧ What People Are Saying About Camping ♧ About Towanda ♧ My Other "About Me" Lenses