For over 50 years, my family has gone camping in Northern California
for two weeks every summer. The vacations began when my mother was 5 and she went camping with her mother, father, and two brothers.
Since then, the number of campers has grown. Every year, we have come together: family and also friends who have become like family. Some years, we have
definitely passed the 100 camper mark. Yup, this trip
has turned into a multi-generational hootenany and we wouldn't miss it for the world.
Did
I mention where we camp? Well, it's this tiny little lake, a real
gem. You probably haven't heard of it. Butt Lake? Not Butte.
Not Buck. BUTT. It was named after a lovely man with the distinctive
name of Horace Butt. For years, I tried to avoid saying the name. I
think I even wrote a 3rd
grade paper entitled: “Butterfly Lake.” But, now the gig is up and I kind of even love the name. Eventually, you've just got to be proud of your Butt.
So, straight from the Butt, here are some tips useful tips for camping.
THE RULES OF CAMPING
“Rule Number One: Don't shoot
me.”
It sounds simple. It is simple. Don't shoot me. These are the
words that my father says to anyone who goes target shooting with
him, but I think it's just a good rule of thumb. Don't shoot me.
Embrace the beauty of nature. See
the colors. Smell the smells. Hear the hears. Feel the feels.
Rainbow connection it up.
Turn off your goshdarn phone, you
moose head! Here is your chance to get away from it all, so don't
botch your getaway. Turn off your phone; get rid of your computer;
pretend “texting” is just an old fashioned term for leaving
notes in peoples lunch boxes.
These young teens (Chelsea and Lo) were initially bored...
But this boredom soon led to the invention of a new brand of literate fly swatter.
Stock up on the necessities
(donuts, marshmallows, trashy magazines).
At the lake, we like the
simple things, but we also like to experiment. The day we discovered
the nutella-graham cracker correlation...it was a good day. This
year, we instituted “Butt Shake Hour.” Essentially this is what
you do: get a cup, get a scoop of ice cream, get some milk, mix,
enjoy. We just get crazy. Crazy, I tell you! Here are some of our
favorite food combos:
From Top Right Clockwise: Swedish Pancakes, Assorted Cakes, Taco Salad, Selection of Entenmann's Donuts
Get your game on. This year we played a lot of Monopoly (I was winning right up
to the end...blast you States Avenue)
Matt (left) is losing, while I am winning!
The Venuti Family also introduced us to the wonders of “Paper Telephone.” Here are the rules of Paper Telephone
(aka pictionary without the social anxiety). If you don't like reading rules, just jump down to the drawings of marshmallows.
a. Hand every player a stack of papers
(index size) equivalent in number to how many people are playing.
For example, if you have 8 people playing, each player should have 8
pieces of paper.
b. Number your papers 1-8
c. Put your cards in orders. Start
with number 1 on top and have number 8 on the bottom.
d. On card 1, each person should write
a term (catchphrase, image, song title, movie title, quotation,
truism etc.). This is in writing. We are not drawing...yet.
e. Each person then passes their pile
of papers (with #1 on top) to the person to their right or left.
f. The person to the right or left
(you pick) will take that term and draw their own unique artistic
representation of it.
g. Here is the important step so
listen up: Take card #1 and place it at the bottom of the pile. Card
#2 (aka the picture) should be on top. This pile is then passed to
the next person. They will look at the picture only and write down their
title/term for what they are seeing.
h. The game goes on. Switching between
drawing and interpretation.
i. At the end, when the piles have
navigated the circle, you will all share the journey that your
original term took. Believe me there will be some doozies.
Marshmallow reunion forever!
Yes, the Dragonfly is carrying a shank made from a toothbrush in a prison cell.
3 blind mice become 3 cool cats do a well choreographed dance routine
Locate your floatation device. Every year, we float down the Feather River. I tell you, there is
nothing like taking a group of plastic dragons and inner tubes down
a river. But, you've got to be safe. Seriously. You need a
lifejacket and proper shoes. Then pretend you're Meryl Streep and
you're in the The River Wild. We've all got to get our kicks somehow and being Meryl Streep is a great technique for this.
Ian and his dragon prepare to take the river
What's around the river bend?
Soak
in local culture. Butt Lake is located about a half hour away from
the town of Chester. Someday I shall name my son or daughter Chester
and he or she will be President or a really good speller or maybe
even both. I really like Chester. It's a small town with a big heart
and did I mention that there is a lot of great food?
Check
out this old fashioned soda fountain at Lassen Gift Co. They make the best milk shakes in the world.
Knotbumpers
is the place to go for sandwiches and lumberjacks.
Who
could not love the Burger Depot? Their burgers and their signs are poetry.
8. Get
crafty. This was the year of the friendship bracelet and the
tattooed table cloth. To make your own tattooed table cloth all you
need is a sharpie, a vinyl cloth, and a sardonic wit.
S'more - 1 = S'less
9.
Plan group activities. Most years, we end up caravaning to Susanville
(about an hour away). We eat Jack N' the Box and go to the movies. We
tend to see the least “serious” film option possible. In fact, we
now call any
blow-em-up-best-friend-is-a-monkey-inappropriate-comedy-complete-with-model-chipmunks-directed-by-M.-Night-Shayamalan-esque
film a “Susanville” Movie, even when we don't see it in
Susanville.
Max wants you to go to Jack N' the Box
The cutest couple ever: Matt and Claire. Claire wrote the best post about Butt Lake on her blog. Check it out!
"Yes, sir, Captain America!"
My cousin Callen
Aaron has his game face on!
10.
Spend time together. It sounds hokey, but I feel really blessed to
have this tribe of miscreants that I consider to be family. The fact that we get
to spend two weeks out of every year together is just the icing on
the cake. I realize now that some of the best moments of my life have been spent around
campfires with these yokels. A lot of good has come from the Butt. So, I guess the lesson of this post is to
grab some friends, buy some junk food, and set out for the great
outdoors.
Lovely ladies Lynn and Mom hanging out in Humbug Valley
My awesome cousins Lo, Stephen, and Brian with the wonderful
Grandpa Warren!
James and Callen looking chic in the back of that pick-up
Goodbye, Butt Lake. Until next year!
