The pop-up camper

Columns

Discussion

May 16, 2009

By Craig Ziemba / guest columnist The Meridian Star Sat May 16, 2009, 10:31 PM CDT

You never knew how much trouble your parents went through to create memories until you do it yourself. Recently in a moment of guilt over too many late nights at work and the nostalgia awakened by smelling the musty inside of a rental camper, I decided to book a twenty-footer for the weekend.

I chose a camper because our last couple of tent outings triggered downpours in the midst of prolonged drought and this time decided that our sleeping bags wouldn’t swell up like six foot long sponges if it rained. The forecast was perfect and the overall pl an was simplicity itself: I’d get off work early on Friday and pick up the camper on the way home. We’d pack a few things, tow the camper to the lake half an hour away and enjoy a three day weekend in the woods with the family. What could possibly go wrong?

I’ll spare the gentle reader an account of getting off work late, a huge water moccasin, the ignominious midnight retreat from thunderstorms, ticks, chopping down a few trees after getting the camper down a road too narrow to back out of, and our Great Dane nervously fogging up the windows of the truck with dog breath. In short, it was everything you expect in a camping trip, and my son and his friend had a ball.

Midnight Sunday after we finally finished doing laundry, cleaning ice chests, and unloading the camper, my wife a nd I collapsed into bed. As I set the alarm to go off four hours later, my mind weighed the hours of work per hours of fun over the preceding weekend and I wondered what my parents were thinking.

Several times a year, Mom would load up the Caprice Classic wagon so that we could all pile in as soon as Dad got home to head for the state park. We usually arrived after dark and while Mom and Dad struggled with the tent (or pop-up later on), we kids chased fireflies and picked up kindling. That hiss of the Coleman lantern and croaking bullfrogs punctuated by the clang of tent poles was music to an eight-year-old’s ears.

Objectively, I’m not sure why we thought it was so much fun, but it was. Camping was in a league of its own. It meant skipping baths, flashlight hikes, Tang, and marshmallows. It was exciting—especially when things went wrong. One hot, summer weekend the mosquitoes were so thick we were the only ones left at the park. We zipped our sleeping bags over our heads with just a tiny air hole for our lips, and by morning our faces were so swollen we looked like we’d overdosed on collagen. My Dad, who worked around 70 hours a week certainly deserved a better night’s sleep.

Looking back, though, I guess he wasn’t doing this for himself. But my parents rarely did anything for themselves. We were their hobbies, and they poured everything they had into giving us memorable childhoods and preparing us for life ahead. Helping with homework, saving for college, traveling to away games, and especially sitting through music recitals was a sacrifice we kids took for granted.

Family camping was short-lived. Once I started junior high sports and my sisters discovered makeup and hairspray, weekends together were rare. For a brief few years, though, it was the highlight of our summer.

Before I know it, my son will ask for the keys to the truck and he won’t want to camp with his parents.  But for right now, he’d rather spend a night with us in a stinky camper than anywhere else on earth, and we’ll enjoy it while it lasts.

Craig Ziemba is a military pilot who lives in Meridian. To have him speak at your event, email craigziemba@aol.com.

Text Only

Columns

European travel tips
If there is a condom machine in the restaurant’s restroom, you have made a mistake in your choice of dining establishment.
That is one of my rules for dining in Europe. Unfortunately, if you are already in the restroom, it’s probably too late.

February 8, 2012
Military cuts and BRAC to challenge leaders
February 6, 2012
Let ms.gov know what's going on
The state's newly relaunched web portal, www.ms.gov, is a great idea. According to a news release this is the first major update for the site in more than a decade.

February 5, 2012
Today’s need — $3,893.76
Today’s need concerns eleven circumstances. The first need is a couple in their forties working all the hours they can. The husband’s paycheck has been running low because he has not been receiving the hours at work he was accustomed to. With $274.38 we can keep their utilities form being cut off.

February 4, 2012
Killer, the cat ...
February 3, 2012
Counsel fight remains a political cold war
The ongoing legislative battle over the so-called “outside counsel” or contingency fee law remains a political cold war between the state’s trial lawyers and the state’s business and medical interests – and it’s a story that has two sides.

February 1, 2012
Travel technology
After leaving the Trapani Salt Flats on the western coast of Sicily on a late November afternoon, I maneuvered our vehicle down yet another remote, unmarked dirt road and passed dozens of vacant houses. No one was on the streets. It had been 10 minutes since we had seen another car. Sunlight was at a minimum. We had been warned several times about remote areas of Sicily.

February 1, 2012
Restoration spurs renewal in East Miss.
Choctaw tribal chief Phyliss Anderson restored and reopened Phillip M’s at the Pearl River Resort last week. She also signaled her intent to renew the economic policies so successfully implemented by the restaurant’s namesake.
"Under the visionary leadership of our late Chief Phillip Martin, our tribe realized great progress and today I am proud to honor his legacy with the re-opening of Phillip M's," said Anderson, flanked by members of Martin's family.

January 30, 2012
Today’s need — $2,393.77
1 JOHN 3:17 - “If anyone has material possessions and sees his brother in need but has not pity on him, how can the love of God be in him?” Praise belongs to God as every need in 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012 has been met. Thanks to everyone who has generously given over the years to change lives physically, financially, and spiritually. Each week I stand in awe of God as I witness God’s provision in our lives.

Today’s need concerns six circumstances. The first need is a lady in her fifties just released from the hospital. Her sister she was living with died a few months ago. She is trying as hard as she can to pay the mortgage to keep her sister’s house. She has been able to maintain all her expenses so far but does not have money for her prescriptions. These prescriptions are necessary to keep her physically well. With $300.00 we can provide her much needed medications.

January 29, 2012
Gratitude
As I sit down to write this first column in a wrap-up series of the six-month, 17-country, two-continent research tour through Europe, I am struck by an overwhelming feeling of gratitude.
I am grateful to the employees and managers of our restaurants who did an excellent job keeping the wheels in motion during my absence. I am grateful to our customers who helped make 2011 a record sales year for the company. I am grateful to longtime friends, new friends, and friends we have never even met for their prayers of support and well wishes. I am also grateful to the friends we met along the way.

January 25, 2012
More Columns Headlines

Columns

Search Results

Discussion

The pop-up camper

Site Map

Contact Us