December Holiday Party

Pool Session Report

October Meeting Minutes
by Robert Langley

Trip Reports

Morgan's Birthday
by Cecilia Gill

Pecos River - a Brief
by Donna Grimes

Canoe Kind of Guy

Camping Neighbors……

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.

Campsite neighbors. No matter what you do, no where you go, there they are. There just isn't anyplace that you can go that you won't end up with someone else camping near you... unless you are out in the middle of nowhere, but even then...

When Joe and I were dating, we went to a little known beach in the off season to camp. We had the whole beach to ourselves. It was lovely as we stood there looking out at the surf and deciding if we should put the tent up yet. It was then that a truck showed up with the Beverly Hill Billies and a Cocker Spaniel and parked right next to us. Miles and miles of empty beach on either side, and they park right next to us. We decided to leave, and their dog jumped in the car with us, as if to say, "Please, take me with you! Don't leave me here with them!" Poor dog...

Recently, a group of us went camping at Huntsville State Park. We had shelter sites. Friday, we got some new neighbors, possibly relatives of the people from the beach years ago, who brought a leaf blower yeah you read right, a LEAF BLOWER, to a STATE PARK. In case you aren't sure you just read what you think you read, I said, they brought a LEAF BLOWER to a STATE PARK.

Well, the neighbors brought something else that was interesting. They had a boy of about 10 years old whom they let loose with a b.b. gun yeah you read right, a B.B. GUN, in the hands of a TEN YEAR OLD BOY, in a STATE PARK. In case you aren't sure you just read what you think you read, I said, they gave a B.B. GUN to a TEN YEAR OLD BOY in a STATE PARK.

They also appreciate Country Western music. I'm sure you can figure out how I know that. The loud radio wasn't quite so uncommon, but annoying, none the less.

My hope on Sunday morning, since we were staying until Monday, was that they would pack up and leave and we would have peace at last Sunday night. No such luck. They were staying........until the faint sprinkling started.

Here they are, with a SCREENED SHELTER to duck into if they don't trust their tents to keep the rain off of them, and they are scrambling around all panicked to pack up and leave before they get all wet, presumably because they will all melt if moistened, I guess. Lonnie, Morgan and I just cuddled up and went to sleep with the drizzle on the tent. It was especially pleasant because the leaf blowin', b.b. gun totin', stereo blastin' family next to us left, and all was quiet..........and once they were gone, it stopped raining!

Perhaps they were annoying Mother Nature as well?

SYOTR!
Cecilia