This spring has provided a lot of truly beautiful and some really severe weather. Our campout weekend was the GOOD stuff! My idea of Heaven on Earth. A small band of faithful members left our departure point, after Bobby had to get a new tire for his tandem trailer. He had loaded it with what seemed like TONS of scrap lumber for our big bonfire that night. We stopped at our favorite Kroger for supplies and met up with the bunch from Little Rock, then picked up some more along the route. NOW, we were a courageous caravan... well maybe not courageous. I love watching those long lines of VWs. It makes one proud. So, after adding in those that met us at Mac’s we ended up with a nice turnout.

There was plenty of room for everybody to spread out with a good campsite in large meadow. I was on the last phase of tent pitching when I discovered I was missing a small bag... with my tent poles in it! After a solitary trip back to Memphis and a couple of hours, I was good to go.

Like so many of us, I really needed a little bit of relaxation. So we pitched horseshoes, told lies and tall tales, checked out Mac’s impressive VWs and breathed in some clean country air. Heh! I said "air!" ha!

Mac’s Jack Russell terrier, basset hound, bloodhound had some company with LaRue’s poodles and Tim’s bulldog, Martin. I am not sure if they entertained us or if we entertained them more.

We still had our traditional evening bonfire to look forward to. It was, at the very least, large. One of the CAVF folks donated a junk magnesium case from a bug, for added entertainment. Wow! What a blinding flame! And speaking of light, the stars were never brighter. I was amazed at how bright the International Space Station was as it streaked across the northern sky, faster than a 2110 cc bug with dual 48s.

Even though we had a fine steak & potato supper, we were ready for a late night snack to enjoy around the fire. So... several of us gave into the urge for a weenie roast. Mark supplied the franks and even whittled us up some sticks. Yum is the word! Thanks Mark.

I "flamed out" about the same time as the fire. That’s when I experienced some "nippy" temperatures in my tent. Of course, the Basset Hound tried to coax me into let her sleep in my tent. It was not THAT cold. Okay, I confess. I wore my hooded sweatshirt to bed with the hood up and the strings drawn. Ahhhh. I later found out that she and the Jack Russell invaded one of the CAVF tents and managed to stay. Funny.

Next morning we rekindled the fire enough to warm our bones before we cooked up a hardy breakfast. Thank goodness for CAVF’s hot coffee. Another good time.