Here a picture of the family at the camper. Shown here is my son Brad, grandson Dylan, grandma, son Brian, grandsons Trevor, Taylor, Grant and Brad’s dog Bud. Another picture is of my son Brad helping his daughter start a fire.
Campfires are a necessity for enjoyment
Wed, 02/25/2026 - 11:00pm
I now have a milestone Birthday in the books. You only turn 80 once so it is now behind me and I am looking forward to seeing what lies ahead. I am now looking forward to spring more than ever. Just the thought of open water makes me feel rejuvenated and ready for another fishing season.
When it gets to be this time of year, the dreaded cabin fever starts to set in. My only way to fend it off is to think about spring and the beginning of open water fishing. When I was young, I would always be a “hard water” type of guy, so the thought of casting a lure and hearing the “plunk” of my lure hitting the water is what keeps me somewhat sane. I find that looking forward to fishing, summer and the cabin makes my winters go bye just a little bit faster. I have always been a dreamer, which goes a long ways toward preserving my sanity.
In my younger days when the family was much younger, I looked forward to vacationing up north. We did a lot of camping in those days, and we always looked forward to that.
Camping was a lot cheaper than renting a cabin, and eating around a campfire made the experience very special. We ate breakfast in the camper and ate around the campfire at night. Roasting hotdogs on the campfire was a tradition with us. A few beans along with some potato salad was a staple when it came to camping. We would make S’mores for a sweet snack after supper. The kids really looked forward to these and the grownups kind of also liked them. They were a sweet and sticky snack, but ooh, so good. Campfires were the center for all the camping that we did. Our second oldest grandson, Taylor, always wanted to be the first one to start the fire in the morning. The boys would sit around the fire until it was time to fish, hunt or explore the woods.
Hanging out with my grandkids made me feel young again. I always enjoyed sharing what knowledge that I had about the outdoors with them.
Please take the time to remember our troops that are serving now, and those that have served before them. They are the reason that we have all of the Freedoms that we enjoy today.