Camp Moochers by Cecilia Gill

Welcome to "Backwater Backwash", a random and incomprehensible collection of thoughts, observances and experiences in no particular order, so that it makes absolutely no sense at all.

Ah, to go to the Great Outdoors! To get away from people who are always trying to take advantage of you, scam you, mooch from you, con you, and otherwise take whatever they can get from you, only to fall into the hands... er.... paws or hooves of other types of creatures who are looking to take advantage of you, scam you, mooch from you, con you and otherwise take whatever they can get from you. The only real difference between the human kind and the animal kind is the fact that one is after money, and the other is after food.

Most of us have had occasion to have our well stocked ice chests opened, even the newer kind with the latching catch, quickly and easily opened, rummaged through and all the best stuff ripped off by nature’s little masked bandits, the raccoons. Most of us know how to take measures to prevent that from happening.

Some people even have tales to tell about bears coming into their camps and raiding any and all food and wreaking other havoc. One lady told me a tale about a piece of pizza in the tent and a skunk who found his way in to get it. I have heard stories about gators near lakeside campsites that actually came up on the shore, waiting on the edge of the campsite for food to be tossed to them. I've seen ducks, seagulls, and any number of other feathered moochers come asking for hand outs. I had a pair of persistent geese who must have thought I was going to feed them follow me around for hours one day, both on and off the water! I had a squirrel con me out of my last chocolate chip cookie once! Stupid squirrel...

At Enchanted Rock State Park one night, I was sitting enjoying the campfire while everyone else was in the tent asleep. I heard an odd noise behind me, and thinking it was just Joe getting something to eat or drink, turned to say something to him. It wasn't Joe. There, unlatching the latch on my ice chest with his lower lip and nosing open the lid with his nose was the most beautiful 12 point buck I ever saw in my life! He actually ate a few things before I could shake the awe of this magnificent beast only a few feet from me. I finally snapped to the fact that he was eating all of our food and yelled, "Hey! Git! Hyaahh!" He just looked at me, and turned to walk very slowly away, head held high, nose in the air, tail down, as if to say, "How very rude! I was finished, anyway," with no fear at all.

It seems that no matter what you do, no matter where you are, something, somewhere, will try its best to take advantage of you. Even out in the Great Outdoors!

SYOTR!
Cecilia Gill