Rain and flying recycling bins

The dam must have overflowed somewhere because it is hard to believe that clouds hold that much water. It was relentless and while there is no comparison to a true monsoon, tropical storm or hurricane, it really was something to be out in a little tent under a tree getting pummelled with wind and rain; oh, and the interjection of ear-pounding thunder with the camera-flash like lightning preceeding it.

So, you really do get what ou pay for sometimes and that applies to our camping gear. A while back when we agreed to join Famine's family camping, we had to buy new gear because as a single entity, DW and I possessed none (having no need for it in an apartment and being couch potatoes). Admittedly, we went for price not brand name and ended up in a Zellers where we bought a Cherokee brand tent that can sleep six in a pinch and has a removeable dividing wall inside; two entrances, six windows and a rain fly complete the package. All in all it is a sturdy, roomy tent for DW, our inflatable queen mattress and our stuff.

The problem lies in the actial construction of the tent. Not being camp-savy when we bought it, we did not notice that the wall and the floor joined at a stitched seam at the base of the wall. Why does that matter you ask? Well, in the dry it poses no issue at all. When it rains, however, the water rolls down the walls, hits the seams and starts to bead on the inside of the tent. Enough rain, enough beading, and you have a LOT of water inside. We encountered this both of Friday and Saturday night, but the latter was the worse because of the torrential downpour. In the morning, we found our bed ringed with a wet floor, and because we were on a slope, it all drained down to where our stuff lay.

Every back got soaked including my laptop bag where the computer magazines, and my three work notepads with all my important notes were not soaked halfway up each. Oh yeah, the laptop was sitting in it too and feeling damp. Now I was frightened that it has sustained water damage and was toast. I sat it on its side, opened and off (NEVER turn on electronic equipment not meant to be run wet) and let it sit so that any residual moisture either drained or evaporated away. The books, the clothes, the mattress, the everything, we laid out in the sun on the grass or on the folding chairs we commandeered from our friends. Our attention then turned to drying out the tent and evacuating it of the various creatures that decided it was a nice place to hang out too. The catepillars (they are EVERYWHERE) we don't mind so much. The long-legged, creepy looking spiders, the annoying shag flies, the mosquitoes and these really strange looking flying bugs had to go outside or to their maker; their choice.

Since I am on-call, I also had to do some work so I checked the laptop, which was fine, and popped into TR to play some tunes and doe some work. Naturally, in all the times I have played music in the truck, this would be the one time I would drain the battery and require our friend's generator (the one recharging rhe laptop and APC and Blackberries, and lantern) to boost the battery so I could start the truck. We did this and given ennough time, after dinner, DW and I headed to the shower stalls for a much needed shower. The stalls have automatic sensors so that water is not wasted but they don't work real well so one has to stick one's ass out to ensure that the water is on. What happens when you need to wash the part? Use your imagination.

Dinner was amazing last night as DW and I bought a couple of steaks at Dominion as our camping treat. We are talking tender, juicy, THICK steaks. Mmmmmm, oh yeah, good. Add a couple of corn and it was more than filling. When we had gotten back from showering, the ganag had already worked the fire up and we joined the gang. We did not sta up as long this time though because some folks that joined us yesterday had to leave in the morning for the guy to go to work. One guy who was camping here with his family had to leave to go back to Dorval (in Quebec, about 2hrs away) to go to work for 3AM. BT's husband and MTL's middle child along with her friend headed out around 6:15AM to go tubing.

How do I know when they left you ask? That would be because for the third straight morning I was woken by the sounds of my phone ringing for a roblem ticket to be taken care of. For the third straight morning, I was up two or three times during the night as part of the process to ensure I did not miss anything. It's the part of my job that bites a little but what can one do; it is what they pay me for. Besides, it meant that I was up early enough to catch the groundhogs in the area creeping about people's campsites and scurrying away like the little coward bitches that they are at the slightest sound or movement (though I managed to get within 20 feet of one, he is lucky I am not a hunter). I also got some pictures as the flying recycling bins (AKA seagulls) rummaged through each and every firepit looking for more crap to digest and then relese in a torrent of shit on unsuspecting people below. They really should have a price on their head.

So, I am off now. We have to get breakfast together, break camp, load TR and head off to Amherst Island to visit with our friends there for a little bit. Maybe, just maybe I will actually make that damn ferry on time for a change. Nahhhhhhh. Then it is back to T.O. where we can shower in an abundance of hot water, grease up our skin in anti-itching cream and settle down for a night of insect-less, TV viewing.

Yeah, I know. I miss camping already. :)

Ciao.