The Unlucky Tent

Our first Christmas as a married couple, we bought a tent. Brewster's, the local outdoors store in Napa, was going out of business so it seemed like the time to invest in a good tent. And that we did! A great little 4 person tent, not too big, not too small - a tent to last a lifetime!!! So, we've had this great tent for 8 years and this weekend was only the 2nd time we've used it.

The first time we used the tent, I went camping with Adam's mom and brothers at Tahoe. The entire drive the weather was fabulous, we got the campsite set up, the boys (who were like 6 & 8 yrs old) were excited, we were ready to camp. And then came the rain. It poured!!! We made a mad dash to the minivan, drove around and around as it continued to pour. So after several hours of constant rain and knowing that everything that wasn't in our great tent was soaked, we made the decision to pack up, (in the rain), and go home. Big fat bummer.

Between moving and having babies, we have never had the opportunity to really camp since the Tahoe Rainout of '99. But now Russell is of the age where he'd really love camping. He is so fun to do anything with, the kid loves everything! So, we make reservations for the boys only campout for this past Saturday at a local state park. We go there a lot to just use the beach; it's a popular park, with beautiful campsites on the bay. The boys pack up, get the trusty, waterproof tent ready, s'mores makings, hot dogs - they are ready for the one night trip. Check the weather - 20% chance of rain, not too bad. (You know where this going!!) They get to camp, find their perfect site, beautiful waterfront property!!! Russell has a blast playing while Adam sets up camp. Then a few drops. No big deal, right? Then the downpour!!!! So, refer to the above camping trip - drive around and around, still raining, everything is wet, except everything inside the tent!!! After seeing rivers of water race through the campgrounds and the fire pit filled with its own mini lake, the boys came home. But, since we only live about 20 min. from the park and it was pouring, they left the tent and Adam went back this morning to get it!! Another big fat bummer!!!

Next weekend the plan is to get out the tent and campout in the backyard. Well, we do need the rain....