And so it is. . .

Aaaah, Monday, Monday, you can’t trust that day.

It’s not off to a good start. Hurricane Katrina is breathing down our necks and I seem to have lost my one and only umbrella. However, I was thrilled to see that I could still fulfill my Diet Coke addiction for only 69 cents, so I felt redeemed.

Busy week ahead, but there is a light at the end of the tunnel. Cynical and I have plans to meet family for a camping escapade. They are packing their campers and we are packing our tent. Yes, a tent. Before all of you gasp in pity for me, you need to realize one thing: the tent is my idea. It’s even technically my tent.

Oh, how I love camping. I love it from start to finish. I love building our little homestead for the weekend. I love fighting over how to properly build a fire and then purposely burning marshmallows. I love curling up to sleep and hearing the sounds of the night free of car horns, trains and church bells. I love waking up in the morning to nothing more than the dew and the smoldering fire. I love making a cup of hot tea and sitting there, no agenda ahead of us.

I love having nothing but a book and Cynical to entertain me. I love the solitude and I love the isolation.

We won’t get much of either this weekend as we will be joined by several other happy campers, but I am looking forward to it just the same. Everyone has big plans and I am game for all of them. I am anxious to really try out this camera.

It’s our own version of a mini-vacation. I know to most of you it sounds like work and it is, but it’s good work, rewarding work and it pays off in sustained sanity, lots of good stories to share and an opportunity to focus on what matters, what’s basic to your existence.

Cynical and I used to do this a lot, but I think we have let too many things get in our way. We haven’t wanted to brave the weather. We’ve been too busy or we were just too tired. For whatever reason, we never even put the tent up last year and that’s a shame. It’s a real shame that we missed out.

We plan to redeem ourselves however as I have a den full of equipment ready to go. I am ready to pack my bags, hit the road, shoot silly photos and enjoy my very own Cynical for three days.