Growing up in Ontario, May 24 long weekend was a huge deal and when I first moved here it didn’t seem to be quite the cause for celebration.
However, what I didn’t realize is that people just do things a little differently out west. There may not be huge firework displays and crazy parties like the big cities back east and to be honest, thank gosh! Yet, what seems to be the big thing to do is go camping. This to me is a much better way to spend a weekend with friends and family and this year I got to experience that first hand. It was so much fun to hang out with a group of families that had kids all close in age. It was a great time for the children and a great time for the adults who got to enjoy a relaxing environment where they didn’t have to worry about their children 24/7 as you would have to in a big city.
The kids played and played, fished, went for boat rides, ate hotdogs and assorted other treats and were completely tuckered by the end of the day.
It is also a great experience for the children to go camping. While some have the luxury of trailers and campers, being in a tent isn’t so bad either.
Mind you, I will be looking to invest in a warmer and dryer environment for the boys and I next time I think. While I don’t mind tenting, even in the rain, there is something kind of nice about sleeping off the ground. Or maybe that is my age talking as it seems to me there were years that I loved my tent, sleeping bag and thermarest.
Another thing I really do enjoy is cooking over an open fire. Hotdogs, steaks and hamburgers just taste better on an open flame and cooking a big breakfast was a blast that made everything taste that much better. There’s something special about spending time in the great outdoors even in the rain and I think it is a great experience for the children too. Then there is sitting around a warm fire, listening to beautiful songs and a guitar being played by an inspiring and talented woman that adds something everyone can enjoy. Now, we might all come home with colds but in the end, it was time well spent on many levels and we all look forward to the next big outdoor adventure and of course, the great northern traditions of the May long weekend next year.
Shannon Hurst writes the weekly My Town column.