The Golden Time

The best thing about having an old, slow computer?  The treasure trove of photos saved over the years!

These gems are from a long ago camping trip with my Boy.

We were at Willingdon Beach (best camp site anywhere!) and we’d scored a coveted spot on the beach.  (This was shortly before I learned cougars are strong swimmers and have been seen paddling in the ocean next to our flimsy tent.)

N, who lived just up the hill, stopped by to help us light a fire.

That evening my Boy read, and N and I huddled near the spitting fire talking about nothing and everything.

Soon after N went home, the rains started.

It rained so hard, a kind fellow camper covered our cheap Walmart tent with a tarp.

Instead of lazing around on the beach reading, my Boy and I watched a movie (inside a nice dry theatre) and went swimming (pool water is warmer than rain!)

We ended up leaving a day early due to inclement weather.  Once home, I had to spread the camping gear in the backyard to dry so it wouldn’t go mouldy when I put it away.

If you’d asked me how the trip went, I would’ve told you it was a disaster.  I would’ve complained about everything from damp sleeping bags to frizzy hair and a shivering Chihuahua.

Now, eight years later, those memories of a visit with my late friend N and a holiday with my adolescent Boy, who was still willing to camp with his mom are golden.

What do you do when it seems like all your good times are in the past?