Day One:
I had 1.5 days left of my Use it or Lose it vacation and the year is running out quickly. A rare fall cool front passed through San Antonio and being outside would finally be nice so I took Friday off, loaded up the RV and headed for nearby Medina Lake. I rolled in around 11:00 am and found a nice quiet spot right up near the water. Funny how a Motorhome changes from being a large mechanism to a home as soon as you get it to your destination. Hard to describe. After setting up and plugging in, I spent my first day reading in my hammock. I’m reading a new book called, “The Magicians” It’s kind of Harry Potter-esque but with adult situations. So far it is an enjoyable read. It’s hard to find a good book these days.
The sky was clear blue but the cold front made the breeze cold. Not cold enough to wear long pants but cold enough to make me keep moving around the dappled shade so I could feel the warm sunbeam through the trees. Exactly opposite of what we do here during the summer where shade is your friend.
I decided to ride my bike around the campground to look at the other RVs. I saw quite a few dispersed among the trees but few people. Just the way I like it. After three miles of riding I arrived back at camp where I waded in the warm water for a bit. It’s kind of weird to feel the water being warm when the breeze is cool and dry. I could have gone swimming but the muddy and rocky lake bed made my feet hurt just thinking about it. A little too cool anyway. I brought my little swimsuit but didn’t really plan to use it except maybe in the hot tub.
A guy pulled up in a car to a spot across the street from me and set up a tent. He then got in the car and disappeared for a few hours. He came back and unloaded some clothes and drove off again. People are weird.
I read for a few more hours until it was around 5:00. It had been so quiet except for a few birds singing and ducks chasing each other in the water. The occasional boat buzzed by and some boys down at the dock were swimming. I was really enjoying the peace. Silence is hard to come by. Unfortunately it was short lived. As I started to prepare my Boca Burger dinner, traffic started to pick up. The weekend masses were arriving apparently leaving town right after their kids got home from school. Rattling diesel trucks slowly crawled by filled with Mexican families looking for somewhere to make a lot of noise.
A family decided that they liked the place thee spots down and poured out to set up a tent. They tied their yap-dog to the picnic table where he proceeded to bark like a mouse for the next 30 minutes until somebody finally paid attention to him. Five children milled about making all sorts of racket while they unpacked the truck. I’m doing my best to let life be and not get upset about the actions of crazy people but these are trying times.
I finished my dinner and watched the news on the TV, surprised to see that I got very good reception out here. After that I went out to my hammock to read and watch the sunset. I was pleasantly surprised to see the family decide that they didn’t like that spot and packed up. They noisily loaded up the truck then rattled off down the road. Peace once again swept in from the lake. See. If you use the force, you can influence the weak-minded.
I read as the sun dipped behind the hills on the other side of the lake and the warmth evaporated into the darkening sky. A black SUV blaring country music pulled into a spot across from me and vomited a family of screaming kids. The country music did not stop and the kids ran around like noisy ants while their parents set up the tent. Oy Vey. Serenity now. I’m here to relax. I’m going to let stupidity be stupidity.
In the spot down from me previously vacated I watched jeep pulling a small trailer. I recognized them as noobs right away as they pulled in forward and tried to stretch their water and electric cable across to the other side. They eventually wizened up and spent the next 30 minutes maneuvering their brand new trailer into the spot backwards so everything lines up. I’m not supposed to judge others. Remember.
Tomorrow, being Saturday, is sure to be a madhouse. I’m going to make it my duty to take it as it comes and not lose my chill. Bring it on humans.
As it quickly got dark, I decided against a campfire and went in and watched a movie. Independence Day Resurgence. It was OK. After that I was sleepy so I took a nice hot shower and went to bed. Try that in a tent. Goodnight Siri.
Day 2:
It was a cold night at the lake. Siri said it was 46 when I woke up at 9:00. I was glad I brought an electric heater with me. The RV has a central heating system that works but why use it if a little space heater will do the trick. I opened the blinds to see another blue sky with sun streaming through the trees. Not having to do anything, I spent the morning laying on the couch under my blanket watching reruns of Deep Space Nine that I torrented a while back.
After a bit of breakfast I went back out to my hammock to read some more. There were now two abandoned tents across the street. The guy had come back overnight but left shortly after I woke up. Country Music People were gone. YAY! I don’t know where they would go but I’m not complaining.
The campgrounds were serene again. A man fished at the water’s edge and caught a fish. Impressive. Boats buzzed by. A woodpecker intently tapped at a tiny branch up in the tree. Small pieces of wood fell down over the picnic table. I enjoyed the cool breeze and sun until it was time for some lunch. I made my mom’s famous Creamed Tuna on Toast.
It was getting warm so I put on my shorts and walked along the waterline to a small floating dock. I promptly took off my shoes and sat on the edge of the dock dangling my feet in the still-warm water. As I sat there I watched a family put their boat into the water then stream away to who knows where for a day of fun with each other. I dried my feet and walked back to the RV. On the way I saw three kids swimming in the water still wearing shirts. It’s really a shame that everyone doesn’t swim naked these days. What is this world coming to?
It was a great time to go for a bike ride so I made my rounds again. There were significantly more RVs in the various slots. Most looking abandoned and very few with people sitting outside enjoying the weather. I waved at them and they waved back. It was about two miles of riding before I got back to my RV. The breeze is now coming from the south and it is feeling much warmer. I put on my little blue bathing suit and went back out to the hammock wearing almost nothing for a little more reading.
A squirrel carefully came up to me. I looked at him without moving. He looked at me then crawled right under my hammock. I wished he would jump up and lay on my stomach while I petted him but obviously that would not happen. He skittered away eventually.
In the distance, a girl sat alone in the sun on the dock I was just recently at. I imagined myself walking over there and meeting her. Then her husband would come over and punch me in the face knocking me into the water. You know that would happen.
I read some more. Having been mostly in the shade all day I decided I could go get some sun. I walked down to the water’s edge past a group of ducks sitting under a nearby small tree. They honked at me. They look like ducks but sound like geese. Weird. I meandered up and down the waterfront in my area looking for rocks to skip. There were a lot of rocks but not many good enough for skipping. I guess they’ve all been skipped already.
The sun felt really nice on my bare back as I looked around for rocks and waded in the water. I often hope that as I am out there, someone will notice me. Hey, Check out that slender, smooth skinned, tanned guy in the little bathing suit. He’s so hot! I’m going to go over there right now and give him a blow job… Never seems to happen. The invisibility curse placed on me when I turned 16 by the old lady in the mansion down the street when I went into her yard for my frisbee makes that impossible. I live with it but sometimes it can be really difficult.
It was almost 5:00 and I was getting a bit hungry so I poured some old match-light charcoal into my portable grill and doused it in lighter fluid. Match light charcoal is great when it is young but after a year it dries out and won’t light on its own. I lit it up and let it coalify while I prepared my Sweet Potato and Jalapeno Ranch Style beans. Tonight I’m grilling a nice T-Bone steak. I’m supposed to be vegetarian for health reasons but my last cholesterol test was below the scale so I think it’s OK to have the occasional steak on special occasions. A relaxing weekend away from the world is a very special occasion.
After lunch. More reading. I really lucked out. Weird Guy and Country Music People never returned to their tents. How weird is that. I think my anti-noise spell messed up their GPS so they couldn’t find their way back. I really enjoyed my Saturday. The only annoying noise was some people with jet-skis being dicks. As the sun sank below the hills again, I went inside and watched a movie I had recorded during my free HBO weekend, “The 33”. The story of the 33 Chilean miners trapped in a collapse.
When the movie was over, it was still early. I started to watch “Speed Racer” but after 30 minutes decided it was far too dumb. I turned off the TV and stepped outside. The air was chilly but not as cold as yesterday. The humidity was starting to return. The sky was still pretty clear so I grabbed my blanket and went back to my hammock to ponder the sky. The wind was calm but a slight cool breeze wafted against my face bringing with it the sweet smell of campfires. One of my favorite smells. The crickets chirped and in the distance…the unmistakable and predictable bass line of Mexican music. I looked up at all the stars that cannot be seen in the city. I could make out the faint cloud of the Milky Way stretching across the sky. Looking at the stars and thinking about the vast distances between them always makes one realize just how stupid are the things we think are important. I considered sleeping there under the stars tonight since my blanket was keeping me perfectly warm. Unfortunately the curvature of the hammock was not good for long term use. I waited until I saw a meteor slash across the sky just as a thin whiff of clouds began to devour the stars. That’s all folks.
I headed back inside ready for bed. Goodnight stars. Good night Siri.
Day 3:
I woke up around 8:30. Weird guy had come back during the night. His back seat is full of cloths and cardboard boxes. Looks like his wife kicked him our or something. Country Music People are still gone. They left their tent and a small fridge plugged into the power outlet by the road. Weird. But I don’t judge people anymore.
I watched another episode of Deep Space Nine and had some cereal for breakfast then cleaned up the stuff laying around the RV a bit in preparation for leaving a little later. I went outside to appreciate the lake a little more before it was time to go. I sat in the hammock reading a bit and watched the neighbors pack their stuff for the trip back to Mundania. It’s too bad that my time-stopping spell still doesn’t work. Not sure what the deal is.
At 9:40 on the dot, a cool breeze picked up and I suffered it out for a while. The clouds had not broken yet and it was cold enough to start making my fingers feel numb. Most of the neighboring RVs had packed and left so I figured I would do so as well. I still have laundry and stuff to do at home before the weekly drudge kicks in on Monday. I travel light so it didn’t take me very long to get the ship ready to roll. I packed my chair, hammock and stowed my bike. I lowered the antenna and raised the landing gear then warmed up the engine. After emptying my liquid load at the dump station I headed out down the two lane highway eventually passing the ever-expanding boundary line between Awesomeness and the Land of Infinite Houses and Traffic Lights.
I just finished watching “It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown.” It is now officially the Holiday Season otherwise known as Christmas.
It’s the age-old lesson I keep forgetting so easily. Even when I was far younger, I learned that thinking is bad. Human nature seems to get in the way though.
Aw Man!
Dear God.
Buying Time 