Camping with the Girls!

First, please let me apologize for not updating my blog sooner, but to be honest, I haven’t had much to write about. We have all been so busy around here cleaning up after that horrendous winter we all  lived through and now we have gone to the opposite extreme with this stretch of very hot spring weather. Anyway, enough about the weather.

This past weekend, I went camping with a couple of my friends. We went to a park in the area called Bear Creak Provincial Park. One of my friends’ husbands brought out their motor-home for Jackie and Marsha to stay in (not their real names for obvious reasons. You will realize why later in the story) and Ken brought out our trailer for me to stay in.  I could have stayed in the motor-home but we thought another lady was coming and she was supposed to stay with me but her plans changed.

We all arrived at the park at the same time on Friday and we were excited to sit, relax and have a few cocktails. It was a very warm afternoon and I wished I could have had a beer, but unfortunately, I can’t drink the stuff, so I joined the other two in a few glasses of wine.

After the men left, we visited for a few hours and then decided to bbq some burgers. I brought the buns and all the condiments. Jackie brought the burgers and Marsha made her thai salad. It was quiet the feast. We lingered over dinner and got into some heavy conversations as two of us have had some issues to deal with lately and it helps to talk it out with friends. Remember, we are still indulging in our wine. Now, things are getting a little lighter and funnier.

We cleaned up dinner and decided it would probably be a good idea to go for a walk around the park. It was full. Lots of kids playing and dogs chasing frisbees. Since there was so much snow in the mountains this past winter, the lake water is high and the beaches don’t look that nice, as a result, not many people on them.

It was approaching 10 o’clock and I thought I would treat Jackie to a liquor she loves. I wasn’t thinking, and poured too much and to my surprise, she drank it all. Next thing you know, she says, “Oh, I have to go to bed.”

Marsha and I helped her into the motor-home and helped her get ready for bed. Marsha knew Jackie had to take medications, so it was quite the ordeal getting Jackie to take them. Marsha unpacked Jackie’s bag and realized that Jackie’s pajamas were all wet, along with most of her other clothes. Apparently, the spout on Jackie’s cooler was left open and water ran all over the back of her car getting all the clothes wet.  The three of us laughed as we tried to get a pair of Marsha’s PJ’s on Jackie. You will be relieved to know that we made sure we left Jackie with all her dignity.

After we covered Jackie up on the couch, Marsha and I used every chair and table to hang Jackie’s wet clothes to dry. Before we were finished, Jackie was sound asleep.

Marsha and I sat outside under the stars and enjoyed more wine with interesting conversation around a propane fire pit. I met Marsha not long after I met Jackie; more than thirty-five years ago. Marsha and I have only visited over the years with Jackie present, as those two are best friends. However, Marsha and I got to know each other a little better that evening, as I really didn’t know her that well.

At one point, I looked at my watch and noticed that it was 1:20 am. We couldn’t believe how fast the time had gone by. I admit, that I could have sat a while longer, as I found Marsha to be quite interesting but it was time to go to bed.

As I walked over to the motor-home the next morning, I could hear laughter coming from inside. Jackie woke to discover she wasn’t wearing her own PJ’s and Marsha was explaining to her what had happened. Jackie was very confused to see all over clothes hanging all over the trailer. It was quite amusing watching her gather everything up.

We went outside to enjoy the beautiful warm spring morning. I thought Marsha was bringing us coffee, but instead, she brought us Mimosas. “Oh God, more booze,” I said.

“Sure, why not,” asked Marsha. We sat again, visiting and filled Jackie in on what she had missed.

“You two sat out here until 1am,” she asked.

“Well, actually, it was 1:20,” I laughed. 

I don’t think Jackie was too pleased as she mentioned the time we were up till several times over the next day and a half. She, like most of us ladies, does not like to miss anything.

Breakfast was heavenly! Marsha had made a new recipe for ham and swiss sliders. We had those along with a platter of various fruits. By the time we finished breakfast and cleaned up, it was almost noon. A friend of Marsha’s joined us for the afternoon and evening and a friend of mine joined us for “Happy Hour.” The five of us found lots to talk about, but of course, there always is when you have kids and now grandkids. 

The “Happy Hour!” spread of food was amazing. I made Nacho’s and there was a variety of meats including meet balls, cheeses, veggies, crackers and chips. We ate so much, we only had room for a light dinner. We put the steaks back in the freezer.

Saturday evening, was back to the three of us and this time, we had an actual fire. I always say that’s why they bring me along because they know I will get the fire started. LOL! However, Jackie is pretty good at keeping it going. Jackie spent the entire evening with us this time, but we weren’t up as late, I guess because we had all been talking all day and we covered just about every subject you could think of.

Jackie left early the next morning but of course Marsha and I had to hang out until our husbands showed up to pick up the vehicles. All in all, it was a pretty great weekend with the girls and I look forward to doing it again next year.