working out for Disney

[HouCuseChickie]

Over here, there's a whole panel of judges who will review evidence, just to make sure it's done correctly. And anyone who has committed a crime because of mental disorders or whatever will be sent to an intensive therapy program before there's even a chance of them being released. There have been a few problems in the last few years in which inmates in the mental facility have either escaped or attacked other inmates or personell. There was one guy who escaped and promptly murdered a college student he saw in a cafe. He followed her home. So they have been under scrutiny because they are supposed to be highly guarded, but somehow this guy escaped. And in another facility, an inmate was able to get hold of a knife and attacked someone. But even after someone serves their prison sentence, they would have to go to a mental facility for a number of years to get treatment before being released.

And do you remember the guy from some Scandinavian country....maybe Norway? who went to some youth camp and opened fire and killed a bunch of teenagers a few years back? There was some controversy over that in the US because apparently in that country, they don't have prisons as we know them. They are like spas or something, because they believe people only commit crimes because they are desperate for help and need a time out from life. They don't see jail time as a punishment really....it's a chance for rehabilitation. So while you ARE locked up, it's not a bad place to be. They have TVs, and nice rooms and everything. The goal is that the offender can change their life and become productive in society again, rather than have everything stripped from them and have to live in terrible conditions. It's really interesting.

I do recall the youth camp tragedy and all of the scrutiny their country's system faced after it occurred. I really don't have the answer as I feel crime is much higher in the US. I'm not sure if our issues are system created, culture created, both or something else. While not a violent crime, the news had a local story last night about a guy who was arrested for burglary and theft involving metals (i.e. dismantling a/c units for the copper). He was arrested for a similar situation just a few weeks ago and has been convicted 18 times so far on similar charges. While not a violent crime, he's another example of our broken system. Unfortunately, we've seen a number of stories like this with violent criminals too. I don't have the answers and don't think any system is perfect, but obviously there is lots of room for improvement.

 

[Sans Souci]

Good morning.

I did a full body circuit training workout. It was good. There was a lot of variety in it. There were some burpee jump tucks thrown in, but nothing too excessive.

So, I sat through the zoom jury orientation. It was an amateur affair. The sound was cutting out and in and they showed this video that did the same, but the picture was doing the same and the sound track was totally off. I asked 3 times for them to fix, because I got maybe a third of what they were saying, but they ignored me. So, after 5, I checked to see if I was needed, and of course, I was. So, I spent $30 getting to the courthouse, which was chaotic. There was a line to get into the courthouse and when the elevator got to my floor, I couldn't get out because of the crowd. A woman yelled at me for trying to cut in front of her, but there was no where else to go. Finally, someone came out and said they messed up that they called called everybody instead of a grouping of us. They called out a range of numbers and mine was in that range. They had us line up, took our juror numbers, and dismissed us. Then, I spent another $30 getting back home. My husband wants me to get that reimbursed, but I don't think they will. They are going to tell me I could have taken the bus. Actually, I can't. Because the bus stop nearest me only goes into Camden every 4 hours and I would either be very early or very late. I am not waiting 2 hours outside in the dark in Camden before they let you in. I am not reporting anymore. I can't afford to spend $60 a day. I could do it for 2, maybe 3 days. But beyond that, I can't. They burned through their first day today. I am going to die on this hill.

In happier news, Callie is using the shelter my son bought her. We had been putting out cardboard boxes with padding on the bottom and increasing the size. Yesterday, my son put the shelter where the cardboard boxes had been. I put some plain, poached chicken at the entrance and then a load of it in the back. She went in, but she never came out. She would peek her head out now and again. This is bigger, she can stand up in it and turn around, but it's still snugly. It also has two entrances, so if some other animal gets nosy and sticks its snout in where it doesn't belong, she can leave immediately. She goes in there at dinner time to nap before her late night prowling begins. I am just relieved and happy she has a place to go when she's cold.

 

[Sans Souci]

I do recall the youth camp tragedy and all of the scrutiny their country's system faced after it occurred. I really don't have the answer as I feel crime is much higher in the US. I'm not sure if our issues are system created, culture created, both or something else. While not a violent crime, the news had a local story last night about a guy who was arrested for burglary and theft involving metals (i.e. dismantling a/c units for the copper). He was arrested for a similar situation just a few weeks ago and has been convicted 18 times so far on similar charges. While not a violent crime, he's another example of our broken system. Unfortunately, we've seen a number of stories like this with violent criminals too. I don't have the answers and don't think any system is perfect, but obviously there is lots of room for improvement.

My concern with criminal trials going forward is that everything here is becoming hyper-partisan. I am wondering if we will see more deadlocked/hung juries in the future.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Is the Christmas Campout thing a school thing or is it a community thing? Hopefully as the OGs are unable to attend, you can keep that tradition going. That sounds like a unique outing and I certainly had nothing like that where I grew up and neither did my son. I love campfires when it's frosty outside.

Actually, it's a family and family friend sort of thing. I couldn't recall if I've ever shared about it on here. It all started in 1976 when 7 or 8 tightly knit coworkers decided to do a Christmas get-together campout. The boss of this group had quite a few acres of undeveloped forested land in a rural unincorporated area northwest of the city. "The Place," as they call it, is kind of hidden which I think makes this more magical. You have to leave the main roads, drive through wide open private cattle pastures and through a series of ranches and ranch gates to arrive at the final ranch gate leading into this densely forested plot of land. Over the years, they've made some changes...like a small shed/shack with a full bathroom, a small power station, several picnic tables, and a stocked bass pond. Still, everyone that's in this circle knows that unless something crazy happens, you show up to The Place the first weekend in December for the annual Christmas Get-Together. A rough idea of the activities...

Friday Night- Chit chat, guitar playing and drinks around the fire after you set up your camp
Saturday- Gather wood for the big fire, playing horseshoes, string cranberry and popcorn garland, stuff the pinata, play a game of touch football, dinner around the fire, s'mores time, sing-a-long, skits, drinks and chit chat/guitar around the fire
Sunday- The kids' surprise, the final singing of We Wish You a Merry Christmas, Farewells

While 7-8 families might not seem like much, as with any family, it's often changing/growing, and friends of those in the group are also invited as well. Not everyone can come every year, so you never know quite how many will be out there, but we've had a few Saturday nights with nearly 80 people around the campfire. While my MIL is who ties us to this group, all of these people are like family. They all have kids close to our age range, which have been like first cousins to my husband over the years. When all of us got married or had kids, everyone was invited to weddings and baby showers. And sadly, when any one of the group passes, we all try to be there as well. When we got married, we had one family that had two weddings in the same night, but went an hour out of their way to get to ours for a while. It's not all perfect. My husband's step siblings have been trouble makers over the years and it's preferred when they don't attend. The owner also has some close family that has chosen to stay away because of extreme religious and political beliefs that put them at odds with the "all kind people are welcome" mindset. There are also some people who may make an appearance, but are done with camping and you just never know what's up with them.

While we don't like it freezing (and we've had a few where it's dropped into the 20s at night), we do like a colder campout. It's just a miserable buggy mess when it's warm. At least I've gotten my Eagle Scout hubby to bend over the years and buy into the concept of comfortable camping. I wouldn't call it glamping, but it was a huge victory when I got him to agree to air mattresses. Over the years, we've gotten bigger tents, a stove, a camp kitchen, etc.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

My concern with criminal trials going forward is that everything here is becoming hyper-partisan. I am wondering if we will see more deadlocked/hung juries in the future.

Unfortunately, I think there's a lot of validity in this concern. In my most recent experience, it was hard to tell who was just trying to get out of jury duty and who really believed the things they were saying. I couldn't imagine being on a jury with some of these people.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Good morning. Yesterday turned out to be a bust. I had a meeting run long (again) and couldn't walk during my lunch hour. I thought I might work out after K's NHS ceremony, but I found out towards the end of my work day that K needed a bunch of things for different school holiday stuff. So, I had to run out and get fruit and crackers for two different school parties. Then it was shuttling her back to the school for NHS induction. When that ended, we had to get toys for her adopt an angel gift for one of her clubs. After that, it was off to Dollar Tree for some white elephant gifts for another club. It was nearly 8pm by the time we got home and nearly 9pm when I was finished with dinner. I seriously thought she needed all of this next week and she refused to give me dates because she apparently doesn't count finals next week as actual school days. So, maybe running around like a crazy person counts for fitness??? I'm hoping to make it to the gym today, but I fear I may be forgetting some other kid-based obligations. I know I have a secret Santa gift to buy and have to do something about choir concert tickets and a French club field trip to see A Christmas Carol, but those shouldn't cut into possible gym time and don't need to happen today.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

Good morning.

I did a full body circuit training workout. It was good. There was a lot of variety in it. There were some burpee jump tucks thrown in, but nothing too excessive.

So, I sat through the zoom jury orientation. It was an amateur affair. The sound was cutting out and in and they showed this video that did the same, but the picture was doing the same and the sound track was totally off. I asked 3 times for them to fix, because I got maybe a third of what they were saying, but they ignored me. So, after 5, I checked to see if I was needed, and of course, I was. So, I spent $30 getting to the courthouse, which was chaotic. There was a line to get into the courthouse and when the elevator got to my floor, I couldn't get out because of the crowd. A woman yelled at me for trying to cut in front of her, but there was no where else to go. Finally, someone came out and said they messed up that they called called everybody instead of a grouping of us. They called out a range of numbers and mine was in that range. They had us line up, took our juror numbers, and dismissed us. Then, I spent another $30 getting back home. My husband wants me to get that reimbursed, but I don't think they will. They are going to tell me I could have taken the bus. Actually, I can't. Because the bus stop nearest me only goes into Camden every 4 hours and I would either be very early or very late. I am not waiting 2 hours outside in the dark in Camden before they let you in. I am not reporting anymore. I can't afford to spend $60 a day. I could do it for 2, maybe 3 days. But beyond that, I can't. They burned through their first day today. I am going to die on this hill.

In happier news, Callie is using the shelter my son bought her. We had been putting out cardboard boxes with padding on the bottom and increasing the size. Yesterday, my son put the shelter where the cardboard boxes had been. I put some plain, poached chicken at the entrance and then a load of it in the back. She went in, but she never came out. She would peek her head out now and again. This is bigger, she can stand up in it and turn around, but it's still snugly. It also has two entrances, so if some other animal gets nosy and sticks its snout in where it doesn't belong, she can leave immediately. She goes in there at dinner time to nap before her late night prowling begins. I am just relieved and happy she has a place to go when she's cold.

I cannot blame you for not wanting to wait any length of time in Camden. I'm sorry, but this whole system sounds like a horribly mismanaged disaster. I don't blame you for being done with this. They want jurors yet they have 0 respect for the people they're calling.

I'm glad Callie is using the shelter and has a safe place from the cold.

 

[Songbird76]

Happy birthday to A! He's still young, so I get why you'd want to prioritize his birthday. My birthday is Monday. That's really nice of E to decorate and put up the tree for her grandparents. I'm not going out for my birthday this year either. The covid rates are creeping up and it's not worth the risk to me. I told my husband that I didn't want to go out anymore. We're going to AZ next month and there is a steakhouse at the resort we're booked into. He booked an outdoor table there, instead. I am fine with that.

We haven't really been hearing anything about Covid over here now. A's school regularly keeps a class home because there's a shortage of teachers. Today, they are joining two classes together because of staff shortage. A was home all last week because he had covid-like symptoms, but tested negative. He went back to school Monday, and Tuesday morning he got a message from his friend that he tested positive, so A had been exposed. A's still negative as of this morning. But, if my friend in Ireland is correct and half the covid strains now don't show up on tests, he might still have it. Who knows? Both kids are back to school though. A is still coughing quite a bit, but he was already coughing a week and a half ago....I've been coughing for nearly 2 months after my bout with it.

A steakhouse sounds great! We're going to a steakhouse tonight now that the kids are feeling better. We always let them choose a restaurant for their birthdays and A chose this one, but we couldn't go on his birthday because they were both sick. Now that they are both better and back to school, we're going tonight. It shouldn't be too busy on a Wednesday night. Weekends are way busier. There was a restaurant where my husband and I went on a date night, but we had to go on a Monday night because there was such a huge long waiting list for weekends. You had to reserve a table months in advance for a weekend, but for the Monday night, you could get right in. So we should be ok going out tonight.

 

[Songbird76]

I do recall the youth camp tragedy and all of the scrutiny their country's system faced after it occurred. I really don't have the answer as I feel crime is much higher in the US. I'm not sure if our issues are system created, culture created, both or something else. While not a violent crime, the news had a local story last night about a guy who was arrested for burglary and theft involving metals (i.e. dismantling a/c units for the copper). He was arrested for a similar situation just a few weeks ago and has been convicted 18 times so far on similar charges. While not a violent crime, he's another example of our broken system. Unfortunately, we've seen a number of stories like this with violent criminals too. I don't have the answers and don't think any system is perfect, but obviously there is lots of room for improvement.

What does one do with the copper?? That's such a niche crime...I've never heard of such a thing! I mean, gold or silver, sure, but copper? That's fascinating.

No, I don't have all the answers either, and there is no perfect system, obviously. It's just sad. I get really upset about injustices...it makes me so angry, especially when things are purposely withheld from a trial that could have exonerated someone. And I know there is a law that the prosecution MUST turn over any exculpatory evidence it has to the defense, otherwise it's a Brady violation. But it seems to happen a lot, and if you don't KNOW they are witholding evidence, there's not much you can do about it. And that's what just boils my blood. A prosecutor has evidence that someone is innocent, and rather than be honest, they throw an innocent person under the bus so their own prosecution statistics look better. That innocent person has so much more to lose.

 

[Songbird76]

Good morning.

I did a full body circuit training workout. It was good. There was a lot of variety in it. There were some burpee jump tucks thrown in, but nothing too excessive.

So, I sat through the zoom jury orientation. It was an amateur affair. The sound was cutting out and in and they showed this video that did the same, but the picture was doing the same and the sound track was totally off. I asked 3 times for them to fix, because I got maybe a third of what they were saying, but they ignored me. So, after 5, I checked to see if I was needed, and of course, I was. So, I spent $30 getting to the courthouse, which was chaotic. There was a line to get into the courthouse and when the elevator got to my floor, I couldn't get out because of the crowd. A woman yelled at me for trying to cut in front of her, but there was no where else to go. Finally, someone came out and said they messed up that they called called everybody instead of a grouping of us. They called out a range of numbers and mine was in that range. They had us line up, took our juror numbers, and dismissed us. Then, I spent another $30 getting back home. My husband wants me to get that reimbursed, but I don't think they will. They are going to tell me I could have taken the bus. Actually, I can't. Because the bus stop nearest me only goes into Camden every 4 hours and I would either be very early or very late. I am not waiting 2 hours outside in the dark in Camden before they let you in. I am not reporting anymore. I can't afford to spend $60 a day. I could do it for 2, maybe 3 days. But beyond that, I can't. They burned through their first day today. I am going to die on this hill.

In happier news, Callie is using the shelter my son bought her. We had been putting out cardboard boxes with padding on the bottom and increasing the size. Yesterday, my son put the shelter where the cardboard boxes had been. I put some plain, poached chicken at the entrance and then a load of it in the back. She went in, but she never came out. She would peek her head out now and again. This is bigger, she can stand up in it and turn around, but it's still snugly. It also has two entrances, so if some other animal gets nosy and sticks its snout in where it doesn't belong, she can leave immediately. She goes in there at dinner time to nap before her late night prowling begins. I am just relieved and happy she has a place to go when she's cold.

Wow, that jury thing sounds extremely unorganized! What happens if you don't report? I thought there was a law that it couldn't create a financial hardship to do jury duty! $60 a day doesn't sound affordable, and there are lots of people who don't live near any bus transportation. When I lived in Wyoming, there was no such thing as public transportation. Everyone has their own cars and drives themselves, but if you lose your license, or you are disabled and CAN'T drive, you have to rely on other people because there's no bus or train system. I don't even think we had a taxi company where I went to college. We certainly didn't in my home town.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

What does one do with the copper?? That's such a niche crime...I've never heard of such a thing! I mean, gold or silver, sure, but copper? That's fascinating.

No, I don't have all the answers either, and there is no perfect system, obviously. It's just sad. I get really upset about injustices...it makes me so angry, especially when things are purposely withheld from a trial that could have exonerated someone. And I know there is a law that the prosecution MUST turn over any exculpatory evidence it has to the defense, otherwise it's a Brady violation. But it seems to happen a lot, and if you don't KNOW they are witholding evidence, there's not much you can do about it. And that's what just boils my blood. A prosecutor has evidence that someone is innocent, and rather than be honest, they throw an innocent person under the bus so their own prosecution statistics look better. That innocent person has so much more to lose.

It started becoming a huge problem in the US a little over 10 years ago. Copper prices are quite high, so thieves can bring whatever they're able to steal into recyclers and get a nice payout. The price has come down a bit, so copper thefts have been declining. Still, they are looking at about $3.79/lb for whatever copper they can bring in for payment. Construction sites, especially new neighborhoods with brand new heating and a/c units, have been huge targets for these thieves. Copper theft has taken backseat in the news lately due to the massive rise in catalytic converter thefts (for the platinum), but it's still the focus of some criminals.

Most of the cases we see with innocent people being wrongfully convicted seem to be overturned due to modern advances with DNA evidence. I do recall that some of this case I watched this last spring had secondary charges applied to the defendant. So, it's possible the portions being withheld from the jury pertained to some of that. Still, I've heard that Brady violations are pretty common across the country and quite difficult to enforce.

 

[Sans Souci]

Actually, it's a family and family friend sort of thing. I couldn't recall if I've ever shared about it on here. It all started in 1976 when 7 or 8 tightly knit coworkers decided to do a Christmas get-together campout. The boss of this group had quite a few acres of undeveloped forested land in a rural unincorporated area northwest of the city. "The Place," as they call it, is kind of hidden which I think makes this more magical. You have to leave the main roads, drive through wide open private cattle pastures and through a series of ranches and ranch gates to arrive at the final ranch gate leading into this densely forested plot of land. Over the years, they've made some changes...like a small shed/shack with a full bathroom, a small power station, several picnic tables, and a stocked bass pond. Still, everyone that's in this circle knows that unless something crazy happens, you show up to The Place the first weekend in December for the annual Christmas Get-Together. A rough idea of the activities...

Friday Night- Chit chat, guitar playing and drinks around the fire after you set up your camp
Saturday- Gather wood for the big fire, playing horseshoes, string cranberry and popcorn garland, stuff the pinata, play a game of touch football, dinner around the fire, s'mores time, sing-a-long, skits, drinks and chit chat/guitar around the fire
Sunday- The kids' surprise, the final singing of We Wish You a Merry Christmas, Farewells

While 7-8 families might not seem like much, as with any family, it's often changing/growing, and friends of those in the group are also invited as well. Not everyone can come every year, so you never know quite how many will be out there, but we've had a few Saturday nights with nearly 80 people around the campfire. While my MIL is who ties us to this group, all of these people are like family. They all have kids close to our age range, which have been like first cousins to my husband over the years. When all of us got married or had kids, everyone was invited to weddings and baby showers. And sadly, when any one of the group passes, we all try to be there as well. When we got married, we had one family that had two weddings in the same night, but went an hour out of their way to get to ours for a while. It's not all perfect. My husband's step siblings have been trouble makers over the years and it's preferred when they don't attend. The owner also has some close family that has chosen to stay away because of extreme religious and political beliefs that put them at odds with the "all kind people are welcome" mindset. There are also some people who may make an appearance, but are done with camping and you just never know what's up with them.

While we don't like it freezing (and we've had a few where it's dropped into the 20s at night), we do like a colder campout. It's just a miserable buggy mess when it's warm. At least I've gotten my Eagle Scout hubby to bend over the years and buy into the concept of comfortable camping. I wouldn't call it glamping, but it was a huge victory when I got him to agree to air mattresses. Over the years, we've gotten bigger tents, a stove, a camp kitchen, etc.

That's a really nice little tradition. And the man who owns that land is really generous to share it with all of you and improve it over the years for everyone.

Speaking of camping, I started getting these camping videos recommended on YouTube. There's like this genre of videos of young Korean women solo camping in the middle of nowhere. They have some massive tents, then they cook dinner in the tent. One of them was deep frying shrimp toast. That seems like a fire hazard. They also make cocktails for themselves. I am not sure I could do any drinking if I was solo camping, I'd want to keep my wits about me. They also set up the tent like it's a little apartment. I find them relaxing to watch.

 

[Sans Souci]

We haven't really been hearing anything about Covid over here now. A's school regularly keeps a class home because there's a shortage of teachers. Today, they are joining two classes together because of staff shortage. A was home all last week because he had covid-like symptoms, but tested negative. He went back to school Monday, and Tuesday morning he got a message from his friend that he tested positive, so A had been exposed. A's still negative as of this morning. But, if my friend in Ireland is correct and half the covid strains now don't show up on tests, he might still have it. Who knows? Both kids are back to school though. A is still coughing quite a bit, but he was already coughing a week and a half ago....I've been coughing for nearly 2 months after my bout with it.

A steakhouse sounds great! We're going to a steakhouse tonight now that the kids are feeling better. We always let them choose a restaurant for their birthdays and A chose this one, but we couldn't go on his birthday because they were both sick. Now that they are both better and back to school, we're going tonight. It shouldn't be too busy on a Wednesday night. Weekends are way busier. There was a restaurant where my husband and I went on a date night, but we had to go on a Monday night because there was such a huge long waiting list for weekends. You had to reserve a table months in advance for a weekend, but for the Monday night, you could get right in. So we should be ok going out tonight.

The regular junk is circulating, too, so maybe it's that. When we went to visit my gram, my unvaccinated son kept taking his mask off everywhere. He took it off at the airport, on the plane, on the very crowded bus to pick up the rental car. I had to keep telling him to put it back on. I was full prepared for him to get it, but he never did, or at least he never had symptoms. It's a weird virus.

I hope you guys enjoyed your steakhouse dinner! My husband told since it Monday we'd be going, it might not be crowded. I don't know...Manhattan...the run up to Christmas. I am not going to chance it. I'll probably get Thai carry outs, instead,.

 

[Sans Souci]

Wow, that jury thing sounds extremely unorganized! What happens if you don't report? I thought there was a law that it couldn't create a financial hardship to do jury duty! $60 a day doesn't sound affordable, and there are lots of people who don't live near any bus transportation. When I lived in Wyoming, there was no such thing as public transportation. Everyone has their own cars and drives themselves, but if you lose your license, or you are disabled and CAN'T drive, you have to rely on other people because there's no bus or train system. I don't even think we had a taxi company where I went to college. We certainly didn't in my home town.

You get fined $500 and you still have to serve, ergo, I went this AM. I really would have pushed harder this time about the transportation issue. I learned my lesson from the last time.

 

[Sans Souci]

Hello-

I did a kettlebell workout this AM. I got up extra early to workout because I had to be in Camden at 8:15 for jury duty. My husband got back from Jersey City last night, so he drove me this AM. I was in the first group impaneled when I got there and I was one of the last people called. There were 50 of us. OMG, it was a 3 month murder trial. This wasn't like a shooting, the prosecutor was with the Special Victims Unit, which tells me this was an intimate, brutal murder. They did tell us how the victim was murdered in general terms, which was awful. There is going to be 113 witnesses called. This trial ends in March. MARCH.

When we got the courtroom, half of the jury had been selected yesterday. But then they had to select the other 6 plus 4 alternates. Luckily, I am going on vacation during this trial. I was slightly worried he was going to ask me to cancel. But it's paid for and I was ready to show him the email invoice. The judge was the same one as the last time I served and he made a guy on the jury reschedule a job interview, so he could serve.

But they never even got to me for the voir dire because I was the penultimate person called to go. One of the attorneys wanted someone removed from the jury and there was like 7 of us left at this point. The person who took that juror's place seemed like he really wanted to be on the jury. There were just 2 of us who weren't called at the end. We were done at 4:15 and I don't have to worry about jury duty for three years.

Even if it wasn't such a long trial, I am glad I didn't have to sit this one. Many of the witnesses to be called were forensic experts and I'd probably have to see photos of the victim and descriptions of how the victim was murdered.

 

[Sans Souci]

Good Morning.

Checking in with an upper body workout. I don't know what's going on, but weights I usually used to do bicep curls felt way too heavy for me. It was weird. I had to go down in weight and I still struggled. My arms were shaking when I was doing my stretches afterward. I am going to keep an eye on that.

Other than that, it's a quiet day for me.

Have a good day.

 

[HouCuseChickie]

That's a really nice little tradition. And the man who owns that land is really generous to share it with all of you and improve it over the years for everyone.

Speaking of camping, I started getting these camping videos recommended on YouTube. There's like this genre of videos of young Korean women solo camping in the middle of nowhere. They have some massive tents, then they cook dinner in the tent. One of them was deep frying shrimp toast. That seems like a fire hazard. They also make cocktails for themselves. I am not sure I could do any drinking if I was solo camping, I'd want to keep my wits about me. They also set up the tent like it's a little apartment. I find them relaxing to watch.

They are a wonderful and generous family. I think he does it because he genuinely enjoys the land and the people with whom he gets to share it.

I wonder if their set ups are anything like ours. While I would never have an open flame inside my tent and always leave our camp kitchen setup outside, I could see having a crock pot in there if you have access to a power source. Our tent and campsite game has drastically improved over the years. Our current tent is an 8-man 2-bedroom quick tent (earlier version of the one below). The two bedrooms are big enough to each hold big plush air mattresses like the one pictured below, but if it were just me... one would be a bedroom and one would be a living room area. The ceiling is just a hair over 6', so you can also walk normally throughout the tent. With the mattresses there's still room left over in each bedroom to set luggage up like a makeshift hotel room while still having space to walk around a bit. The camp kitchen always stays outside because of fire fears. Our propane lantern and stove go on the kitchen just like the picture, but our kitchen is an earlier version and also has a wash basin and paper towel holder. We do have these nice battery operated LED lanterns like the last pic that help give us lots of light in the tent at night. I would agree with limiting alcohol if you're a solo camper. Most people are worried about wildlife (which is a legitimate concern), but there are no locked doors and solid walls to keep a person with bad intentions out as well. I refuse to camp in bear country, but there are coyotes, deer, racoon, etc. where we camp. Usually there's enough human activity through the night to keep them out of camp, but it's not uncommon to hear coyotes howling.

 

[Songbird76]

The regular junk is circulating, too, so maybe it's that. When we went to visit my gram, my unvaccinated son kept taking his mask off everywhere. He took it off at the airport, on the plane, on the very crowded bus to pick up the rental car. I had to keep telling him to put it back on. I was full prepared for him to get it, but he never did, or at least he never had symptoms. It's a weird virus.

I hope you guys enjoyed your steakhouse dinner! My husband told since it Monday we'd be going, it might not be crowded. I don't know...Manhattan...the run up to Christmas. I am not going to chance it. I'll probably get Thai carry outs, instead,.

Our steak dinner was great. We really enjoy that place. They kind of bill themselves as being an American style steakhouse. It's one of the few places where you can get corn in the cob, and they also have baked potatoes. Neither are really "things" here. So it's nice to be able to get those somewhere. They also have creme Brule on the dessert menu, which I love. E always gets the "all American", which is basically a piece of apple pie crushed up in a Mason jar with cinnamon ice ream and whipped cream. It's her absolute favorite. They also have cheesecake and brownies, but they aren't as good as what I can make at home.,so we never order them, but those are typical American things you don't usually find here. But it was good to have a good meal that I didn't have to cook.

 

[Sans Souci]

They are a wonderful and generous family. I think he does it because he genuinely enjoys the land and the people with whom he gets to share it.

I wonder if their set ups are anything like ours. While I would never have an open flame inside my tent and always leave our camp kitchen setup outside, I could see having a crock pot in there if you have access to a power source. Our tent and campsite game has drastically improved over the years. Our current tent is an 8-man 2-bedroom quick tent (earlier version of the one below). The two bedrooms are big enough to each hold big plush air mattresses like the one pictured below, but if it were just me... one would be a bedroom and one would be a living room area. The ceiling is just a hair over 6', so you can also walk normally throughout the tent. With the mattresses there's still room left over in each bedroom to set luggage up like a makeshift hotel room while still having space to walk around a bit. The camp kitchen always stays outside because of fire fears. Our propane lantern and stove go on the kitchen just like the picture, but our kitchen is an earlier version and also has a wash basin and paper towel holder. We do have these nice battery operated LED lanterns like the last pic that help give us lots of light in the tent at night. I would agree with limiting alcohol if you're a solo camper. Most people are worried about wildlife (which is a legitimate concern), but there are no locked doors and solid walls to keep a person with bad intentions out as well. I refuse to camp in bear country, but there are coyotes, deer, racoon, etc. where we camp. Usually there's enough human activity through the night to keep them out of camp, but it's not uncommon to hear coyotes howling.

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Honestly, I am more fearful of fellow humans than animals. You could always bring along bear spray if you're camping. I watch a few of these camping channels and one woman has a wood burning oven that she wrapped some sort of heat proof material around the flue and had it poke out the zipper then she put some sort of silicone covering on the zipper to prevent it from melting. It just seems like so much work. My SIL and my BIL bought this old kicked out VW Westfalia camper van and totally refurbished it. It was really cute when they completed it. You could extend a tent from the side door opening of the van. She likes to go to a lot of multi-day music festivals, so she used it for that. I would be open to camping like that. lol

I am so clueless about camping, so I wouldn't even begin to know what you need v what's nice to have. How often do you go camping?

 

[Sans Souci]

Our steak dinner was great. We really enjoy that place. They kind of bill themselves as being an American style steakhouse. It's one of the few places where you can get corn in the cob, and they also have baked potatoes. Neither are really "things" here. So it's nice to be able to get those somewhere. They also have creme Brule on the dessert menu, which I love. E always gets the "all American", which is basically a piece of apple pie crushed up in a Mason jar with cinnamon ice ream and whipped cream. It's her absolute favorite. They also have cheesecake and brownies, but they aren't as good as what I can make at home.,so we never order them, but those are typical American things you don't usually find here. But it was good to have a good meal that I didn't have to cook.

Happy belated birthday!

I hear you about not having to cook a meal. It's just my son and me here, but he claims he's cooking dinner tonight. He is making that Tik Tok Baked Feta Pasta, so there is no chopping involved. I think the most "laborious" thing he has to do is cooking the pasta.

I love Creme Brûlée, too, but that dessert your daughter likes to get sounds amazing. I love cinnamon ice cream and it sounds great mixed with some crumbled apple pie.