Crisp

Coming up on 2024, Jake will turn seven and I am one year away from 60! I ask Jake “how many kids get to sleep in a tent every night?”

Just me dad!

It is perfect when upon becoming a father at the advanced age of 52 your life focus changes from all about yourself to 100% on your son.

This December 27th morning is crisp and cold giving me the perfect excuse to lie in bed and reflect on how blessed I am.

Crisp outside – warm in the tent!

Gotta love that RDS insulated tent

Goals or resolutions?

More time hiking and vacations with Jake! Time to simplify!

Hoss

School Skip Day…

There is always tomorrow for school…

I love NTVS ( https://www.thentvs.com/shop ) Original Kicks – beaded moccasins T-shirt. My personal fav Fry Bread and Spam by Dr. Sioux!

So, it was time to head upriver…up Oak Creek. Jake likes to call it an adventure.

Rock head
Jake is 100 yards ahead!
Rollin on a log
Gnarled log Jake loved
Where in the world is Jake
So blessed

Tomorrow is the last day of school this year. Christmas Party and presents.

Cold RDS Tent stays snug and dry!

Just stopped raining! 62° outside… And this tent is epic. We have been camping this tent for almost a month and Jake still every night is so thankful. It’s been 21° in the morning and a nice 64° in the tent with a little electric heater.

Old Marmot and Campmor down sleeping bags. Keep us perfectly warm. The Jackery has been working flawlessly for one solid month running off solar.

Jake likes sneaking in the back way
Roll up the window, and the rubber piece goes into the grommet to hold the window

The utilization of zippers is perfect – zippered windows, zipper doors, a zip in floor with a rubberized bottom. This whole tent is just very well thought out.

It did drop to 56 in the tent when it was 27 outside!
Security cam!

Early Christmas

Lazy Sunday, wake up in the late morning to hear Jake “Dad, I woke up before you”.

Fat trike for a fat man!

I tool around on a golf cart all day at camp growing larger each day. Had to break the chain and see if I could exercise! Yes, chasing Jake on adventures is great but…

This rocks

We went on a short dam building adventure today! Jake gets frustrated because I took pictures of his dam.

Rock stacks

Jake does love to climb up the backside to out tent!

Quick

Well, I will leave you all with the last vestiges of fall fruit.

Pears

Hope is not a course of action

There is no possible victory in defense!

Mike Glover – Prepared

Happy

Nice balmy 50 degree evening,

Stacks of reading materials

Tomorrow is adventure day according to Jake! This week was an adventure/ both of us sick and competing to see who blew chunks more! I won 14 to 9. Worked everyday through it and up all night 3 nights – taking care of Jake!

Every night we end our prayers with “Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy, Lord have mercy” especially on us tonight! Amen. As we drift off to sleep listening to Ancient Faith Radio blessed to know our Lord through the Russian Orthodox Church.

Camp Life!

People, eclectic people! From crystal crunchers to granola munchers, we are blessed to meet wonderful souls here at camp.

Last night Jake was remembering all the campers that had touched his young life in his prayers.

Turtle Man – blessed our lives twice bringing his tortoise (Tortoise Man doesn’t sound cool) and dog. His love was epic and his gift for gardening legend.

Melissa taught Jake how to juice. It was so funny because the first year Melissa was here – she only went to Whole Foods to get her oranges. When she came back this last year, Jake said “dad we have to go get oranges,” so of course I went to Safeway to buy a bundle, and he insisted on going to Whole Foods and getting non-GMO Oranges. The things I learn from my six year old!

Story time around the campfire

I am blessed to have wealth of stories to entertain my campers and have been known to be loquacious. Well, until Jake says come on dad !

The best nights are when my friends come and jam! This takes me back to my childhood – nothing better!

Two best friends

Meatball

This awesome Aussie Meatball!

A year ago in April. I asked Jake if he wanted a motorcycle or a puppy for his birthday on the 16th! I guess it is obvious what he chose!!

Meatball is the Camp dog. Meatball herds Javelina away from the trash, cans and across Camp. He was featured on a TikTok video herding, but I don’t have TikTok.

So, one of my good friends put together this great video of her dog and Meatball.

Oh, how did meatball get his name? The first night Meatball was home, I made meatballs from scratch, sat down with a big plate and who jumped into my lap and onto the plate – meatballs all over!

Besties
Camp dog
Jake’s best friend
Loving life
Bliss

Moved – living Authentically

Thanks Shanti!

This has been one of those tough decision weeks interspersed with great friends. Ya know how Facebook suggests friends? Most are fake profiles of people leading lives of quiet desperation playing for attention. Then I see this perfect picture, and I take a chance and friend request. Hoping the painter is authentic. Thanks Shanti! This picture personifies my life in so many ways. RV life…blessed with Jake adventures – the love for a child revitalizes life.

Jake is a tough Native American

Always exploring

Always telling me take this picture –

Seeing the art

Framing my life –

Blessed

A new friend exclaimed “you live your life authentic”! I really appreciate the insight that simple phrase has given me.

My life always returns to American Literature class and Emerson. (Thank you Mr. Cline)

No matter what your work, let it be your own. No matter what your occupation, let what you are doing be organic. Let it be in your bones. In this way, you will open the door by which the affluence of heaven and earth shall stream into you.

Start to finish

Okay pictures paint 1000 words:

Blessed
Well packaged
Probably 70lbs

I’m 58 years old and carried it from the truck to the porch boxed – easy peasy….

Great straps
Obey this
Even patch fabric!

Yes, ya have to zip the floor in which took a few minutes but the zippers are high quality and overlap! Idiot proof! Even with my 65 IQ!

Easy
Well packed!

I will start covering the small, thoughtful details that take this tent from a good tent to a great tent! And again I am in no way compensated by RDS. This is 100% my thoughts!

Rapid Deployment Shelter

What is it about little boys and tents?

Jake loves sleeping outside! Maybe, some of it comes from Jake’s Native American heritage since he is half Crow from the Crow Reservation in Montana. While we have a teepee here on property – it is more for ceremonial use. Jake seems to love the energy of our tent set 60’ above Oak Creek on a deck. He swims all summer and swings on the rope swing out over the creek. We put out fish traps and catch trout, turtles and catfish – paradise.

So our RDS tent is definitely a great way to keep Jake immersed in nature.

Let me give you a quick tour of the tent –

Jake’s new tent

12’ wide and 7’ tall provides lots of space to read, study, and wrestle! Jake is studying about Rock Art Symbols every night along with dad.

Vintage Marmot down bag
Singing a rainbow