It was around 3pm when the pugs finally calmed down and Justin was able to start cooking lunch. I was feeling a lot better about camping by this point. I think it may have had to do with the beer, music and snacks.
By this point, we were in a little bay all alone, just the two of us and 3 barking pugs. We put the pugs in the tent trailer, set them up on the beds so they can watch us, and went down to the lake. We were able to swim alone for a couple of hours. It was very peaceful and relaxing. THIS is what camping is all about. I get it now. After our swim and a bit more relaxing, Justin started getting the fire ready and the BBQ started. I nearly had my mind made up about camping, I loved it.
Then this happened....
Before we went in the lake, I had put sunscreen on but did not realize that it was expired. 2 years ago it still wouldn't have been safe for use. So I had basically put almost nothing on my pale, white skin. For 2 hours in the sun. Awesome. After 35 years, you'd think I would be keenly aware of making sure that I was slathered in working sunscreen. You'd think that, wouldn't you?
After our fun times in the lake, I started to not feel so good. I think the sunburn started to make me feel a little queasy. Queasy enough that I wanted to go lay down. After a few minutes my tummy started to talk to me, telling me that I am going to need to find a toilet. I gritted my teeth and told my stomach that there was no way in hell I am going to use the pump toilet that Justin brought. I reminded my stomach that we had made a deal to hold it until the next day when we got back home. Apparently, my stomach did not sign that agreement so all bets were off at that point. Mental note: get all agreements with body parts in writing, signed by a public notary with a binding contract to submit to arbitration should either one of us not keep our part of the bargain.
You guys, I had no choice but to use the pump toilet that Justin brought. I had to use it in the tent trailer...next to our beds and in the kitchen. Though, the alternative would have been much worse, I guess. I know I'm sounding like a whiny baby and there are so many other people who do this on a daily basis or just plain go to the bathroom in a hole in the ground. I get it. But let me refer you the section of yesterday's post where I say that I prefer my comfort zone. Bottom line (no pun intended) I had to go to the bathroom in the toilet. #2. Ugh!!! It was not as bad as I thought, but then again at the end of the trip, I was not the one who had to empty out the tank.
Once I started feeling a bit better, the pugs and I relaxed a little in the tent trailer. I had all three pugs on my bed. Then I think one of the pugs thought they were the in that nursery rhyme, 10 in a Bed, because before I knew it, there was one two on my bed. PugZilla fell out of the tent trailer. He came back around to the front door of the tent trailer singing:
"There were ten in a bed and the little one said
"Roll over, roll over"
So they all rolled over and one fell out ."
I think Olive was jealous that PugZilla was the one to sing the song because not more than 10 minutes later on the opposite bed, she fell out. She knocked over the beer that I had and spilled it all over herself. She smelled like a booze-hound the rest of the camping trip. Both pugs are fine but I think that solidified their thinking that camping was not meant for them. If they could talk, they would tell Justin and I to, "Go have a good weekend by yourselves...really, we are ok at home alone. No, we won't throw big parties with our friends. We will even do the dishes for you if you don't take us with you."
As the evening wore on we sat by the fire. I thought for a fleeting moment to bring a sweatshirt but decided that it was way to warm out. You'd think that after 35 years of living on the earth, I would grab that damned sweatshirt in certain anticipation of being cold. I certainly needed one by this point. But I shivered through while roasting marshmallows, which was awesome. I didn't think that such small sugary puffs of deliciousness could change my mind about camping, but really, it totally did.
The lake paired with the beer, snacks, relaxing, marshmallows and Justin will get me to camp again. I have 4 more times to see if I like it. Right now, I'm split right down the middle and unsure if all of the preparation is worth it or not.
