Camping Update -- From Will

We made it through the night! The tent was too hot when we started (because I set it up too early and it baked for an hour or so in the late-afternoon sun), but after waiting inside the house for a while we gave it another go around 8:30. Evan never complained about the heat, but I was happy to be able to lie still without suffering from flop sweat.

Once we settled back in, we read a book, played with the flashlight (though it was light enough to read, Evan was convinced he couldn't see without the flashlight; I kept asking him how many fingers I was holding up, and he "somehow" managed to keep getting it right), and sipped our water. As it became darker, we watched the fireflies, marveled how folks were walking down our street "in the middle of the night," and tried to identify the sounds we were hearing. I did OK with most of the sounds, but got stuck on "BINK." I suggested that it might be a cricket, but was assured that crickets went "CREEEK" not "BINK." I never heard the "BINK," other than Evan saying it about fifty times.

It was not yet fully dark when Evan realized that the stars (or maybe rocket ships) were becoming visible. In one of my favorite moments of the night, we stretched out perpendicular to our sleeping bags and looked up and out the window at the emerging stars. Evan thought that someday he would go to the stars and I told him that he would make a wonderful astronaut.

Evan kept fiddling with his flashlight, but never complained about the gathering darkness. In fact, there was never any discussion all night about giving up. As our conversation finally wound down and we said our "good nights" Evan suggested that we could hold hands. We did, and were both asleep within ten minutes. I don't think Evan woke up at all during the night, and he only rolled over a couple of times (I know this because I was awake and rolling over every half hour or so; I figure I'll be able to walk upright without pain by Saturday).

Evan was surprised that it was light when he woke up (around 7am). I congratulated him on his successful first night camping, we rolled up our sleeping bags, and made our triumphant return to the house. Ani had been wrestling with Alex since 5:30, so all things considered Evan and I made out pretty well in the tent.

We both had a really great time and I think he would gladly do it again. We'll have to keep our eyes open for a cool night (or maybe get really ambitious and head for the north Georgia mountains).