Making Camping A Sweet Experience

My family went camping for our summer vacation.  We took the usual items: pillows, clothing, towels, sleeping bags, tent and cooking gear.  This year we decided to make camping a bit more comfortable.

In order to camp in comfort we added a few more items to our list.  The first was a screened tent to enclose our picnic table (provided by the campgrounds).  That made our eating experience much nicer without the buzzing of bugs.  The second was the essentials of camping: bug spray, sunscreen and first aid kit.  I cut my finger twice, my husband cut his hand and my grandson scraped his foot.  The bugs still bit since we did not realize they were fleas and not mosquitoes. 

We had electricity at our site so the air mattress was wonderful; next time I’d add a mattress pad.  The other thing we used electricity for was a fan.  It was hot and humid so the fan made all the difference between miserable at night and comfortable.  We slept in the screened tent one night due to the heat.

 Color campfire crystals make the campfire more exciting.  The sparkles that change color once sprinkled on the fire is a like a box of crayon fairies dancing in the fire.  To enjoy your fire, folding canvas chairs with arms that each have a cup holder make the experience more enjoyable.  With each cup holder on the armrests you can have your drink and telephone safely stored. 

After enjoying the campfire a walk to the showers to remove the campfire smell before bed is very satisfying.  Just as in college, flip flops and a shower container makes the task much easier.  The container, mine was a small bucket, held a flashlight, toothpaste, toothbrush, towel, night clothes and tea tree shampoo body wash combination (another defense against bugs). 

It seemed we were either always eating or thinking about eating.  We took two coolers if they had with wheels  that would have been even better.  One cooler was for cold food and one for dry food.  We needed the cooler for dry goods to keep the mice away.  Who knew we would have a family of mice (maybe a colony) joining us on our camping trip?

I included a small rug for our tent this year.  Placed outside our door, we were able to take our shoes (slip-ons or velcro shoes) off before going into the tent keeping the inside of the tent much cleaner.  I am a firm believer in velcro or slip-on shoes for camping.  If you have to go in and out of the tent you are not likely to remove your shoes every time if you have to untie and tie your shoes. 

Lastly is a camera.  If your phone has a good camera then you are set.  A camera captures the fun experiences like the bedtime stories with your grandson and even the not so fun experiences like picking up duct tape not realizing you captured a mouse in the duct tape.  You’ll have that one photgraph that reminds you of the glow of the campfire which immediately brings you back to enjoying everyone’s company wishing you were back at the campground.   

 If you have special equipment that you take camping to make camp life easier please let us know.  We are always interested in comfort. 

Driver Safety Discounts - Not Just for Teenagers

This past weekend I spent my Saturday and Sunday taking a mature driving course.  The mature word was disheartening.  While I am mature and responsible, I do not like the connation that accompanies the word mature.  Truthfully the word means old.  I realize being 55 years and beyond is old but that does not mean that is how I think of myself.

The course is even listed on the PDA, PA Department of Aging!  When you arrive on the page the “hook” is an auto discount for older adults.  The first site listed to contact is AARP.  Of course, AAA is also listed and then Area Agency on Aging.  It is all downhill from there.

The course itself was a great reminder of driving techniques which become second nature or automatic, new signage and new technology for cars along with advanced ommunications.  The course reviews new recommendations such as the proper way to hold a steering wheel is not the positions of 10 and 2 but 8 and 4.  Why the change? Air bags damaging hands and arms when they are deployed.  When I started driving, airbags were not standard equipment.  Next year ESC, Electronic Stability Control, will be standard equipment which will help stabilize a car going around a curve.

Much of the discussion centered on the aging driver.  The ways humans age was shocking to me and even more so that I was considered in that group!  After age 55 many cannot raise their arms perpendicular to the floor, many cannot turn their necks to see the blind spots on their cars and the list continued.  I felt really bad about myself after reading that section!

On Sunday, I went for a ten mile run, did some gardening, laundry and cooking, I settled on my porch to finish the course and take the test.  I also had to regroup and think this aging implication through.  While I may be in the group whose my eyes need more time to adjust to light changes like riding along a tree lined street as the sunlight flickers in and out, I can still raise my arms, turn my head and walk (run) at a fast pace.  It seems maintaining the appropriate speed along the roadway is a difficult task as one ages. 

While the course made me feel sad as to what can happen as I age, it did provide me with a heads up kind of approach.  So I need to be on the lookout for changes in my vision and seek medical advice, look for new safety technology when purchasing a car like blind spot warnings or install extra mirrors, keep abreast of new laws about cell phones such as when they are legal to use and when they are not and to keep updated with new laws or signs. 

One cannot take a course on driving without a section on driving under the influence, .08 BAC, blood alcohol content.  Men metabolize alcohol faster than women.  For the average weight of a female, more than 1.5 drinks in an hour would qualify for an arrest of DUI.  For men, it would take 2.5 drinks in an hour.  One should wait an hour after finishing a drink before driving, as long as one is not going over the drink per weight limit and what constitutes a “drink”.  Of course, do not drink and take medications statement is standard.  Courses did not stress the penalties of DUI when I took my driver's test in 1975 however studying with my daughters I learned the penalties.  Even the term DUI was changed from DWI, driving while intoxicated, to DUI to encompass drugs. 

As you can see taking a course is always helpful.  I learned information about myself, my car, technology, laws, and driving in general.  The course is repeated in 3 years.  To entice people to take the course you earn a driver safety discount on your automobile insurance.  My discount is $113.00 a year.  I spent 8 hours taking the course and $16.00 for the course for a discount of $113.00 each year for the next three years.  That return on my dollar and the education is priceless.