A Whole Lotta Camping for This City Girl

Dating a Nature Boy has its perks.

We definitely fuel each others sense of adventure.  While I like being in nature, especially the ocean, there's still the bit of uncertainty about being in the middle of the woods.

My family is not a camping family.  Whenever we went to other places, we would always stay at a hotel.  Perhaps it was coming from a different culture where having a bed was more of a luxury.  My mom would even question why I would want to sleep over a friend's house.  "You have your own bed already. Why would you want to sleep in a different bed?" she would question.  It was a similar line of questioning when it came to camping - "You have your own bed already.  Why would you want to sleep outside?"

When they finally allowed me to go on a camping trip with a mentoring program in middle school, I realized I was definitely afraid of the unknowns in the dark of nature.  I felt safer when we were carrying large, bright flashlights.  I had to walk in the middle of the group - because if something or someone attacked from the front we would be able to see it and run away, and if something or someone attacked from the back then people in the group might not realize it right away.  Being in the middle was the safer option for me.

With the Annual All Night Costume Dance Party in Vermont, I've been more comfortable with camping, mainly because it's not at all far from the rest of civilization.  Though I had invited Nature Boy last year, I didn't really pursue it because at the time we were both dating other people.  But this year he received the official invitation - Facebook invite and all.

campfire cuddling

This year, the theme of the All Night Costume Dance Party was the Apocalypse/End of the World.  I decided to go for a silly costume, as though I was ready for the impending flood.  Nature Boy went as, well, a Nature Boy, complete with fur loincloth.

ready for the end of the world

He grew up with a camping family.  They would often go on trips that involved setting up tents and pop-ups and things like that.  So, I made sure to rely on him for his tent construction skills as well as making sure we had the right kind of gear.  But his experience also made him aware enough to invest in better camping gear - like an inflatable mattress and a larger tent.

another dresser on fire...
destructive beauty

Dating a Nature Boy also means possibly going on more than one camping trip.

His brother and brother's friends were going on their annual camping trip together and invited us.  This time, we were in Saco, Maine at a KOA site.  Nature Boy and I couldn't figure out what KOA actually stood for, so we made up things like "Karaoke Outlawed Area" and "Kangaroos of America."  But apparently, it's as simple as "Kampgrounds of America."

These campgrounds are pretty awesome, actually.  I had never been in such a luxe campground, with all the amenities like clean showers and toilets.  It was also nice to have access to a power source so that we could have lights, fancy meals, and charging stations for our phones.  But it was also nice to get back to basics around the campfire.

embers

We were there for Labor Day weekend, so 3 nights of camping.  Three whole nights of camping.  At this point, 2 was my max.  But, in such a cushy situation at the KOA, it wasn't to difficult to feel comfortable.  We had a tent that was large enough for us both to stand in and fit a queen-size inflatable mattress, and it even felt like we had a little entryway area.  I basically had nothing but mosquitoes to complain about.

So, for a City Girl like me, nature is much more manageable with a Nature Boy around.

Hedonism Lite

As part of the summer rituals, my friends and I travel up to the woods of Vermont to participate in the weekend of the All Night Costume Dance Party at Quarry Hill.  Though it is usually on the first weekend of August, this year it was in the last weekend of July.

What is the All Night Costume Dance Party, you ask?  Well, it started in 1984 as a birthday celebration for one of my good friends, when she was asked what she wanted to do for her birthday.  She answered that she liked dancing, staying up all night, and costumes.  Thus the All Night Costume Dance Party was born.  Through the 27 years, it's grown into a reunion for the multitude of people who've lived there at some point, including international guests and children who grew up there.  But at its core, it's a celebration of life.

female Oscar

What happens at the All Night Costume Dance Party, you ask?  Well, it's pretty self-explanatory, don't you think?  Every year, there's a theme.  This year, the theme was "Hollywood."  Though I initially thought of dressing as a homeless person, I decided to go for an Oscar award instead.  Now, on the day of the party, there is also somewhat of a variety show/talent show.  Different people sing, dance, and do other random interesting and entertaining acts.  Then at 10pm, the party begins.  Hopefully, you've got your nap on at some point that afternoon or evening, because the night can get difficult if you're not well rested.  So, if you manage to dance the night away (while intermittently visiting the bonfire) and you see the sky starting to lighten, it's time to head to my friend's house where 1 batter of vegan and 1 batter of regular blueberry pancakes are awaiting the frying pan.  The blueberries are from a farm right next door, and the batter is a secret recipe from my friend's step-father.  After you've feasted on the delicious pancakes, it's time to crash out in your tent until the heat of the morning sun wakes you up.

It's an amazing weekend.  One that's worth sharing with people who you know enjoy a good time with a bit of adventure. 

Though our group wasn't as big or as small as it's been in the past couple of years, there were 3 newbies to the converts.  One of the newbies spoke a bit about how she was exploring the idea of pleasure, and we decided to continuously remind her about finding her pleasure and exhibiting a bit of hedonism.

dancing and costuming

Of all the times and places, this weekend in Vermont was definitely a place to explore ones hedonistic side.

In the grand scheme of camping, this is really camping lite.  There's still some access to bathrooms and running water, and usually access to a shower.  Though the shower was out of commission this year, we still got a chance to clean up a bit at the nearby creek.

We even got to cook and share a delicious pasta dinner together with several other campers.

veggie pasta action

But there are still mosquitoes.  And once again, I managed to get bitten several times in the course of 3 days.  Bug spray was my friend, and I even invested in a clip on bug repellant.

This year, time seemed to fly by.  It didn't seem like there was too much activity, and yet we managed to dance the night away without realizing how fast time was flying.  Before we knew it, it was time for pancakes.

Though it was pouring rain the night we drove up, the rest of the weekend was absolutely wonderful.

Then it was time to rejoin civilization.  But, as it turned out, the hedonism wasn't quite over.

Early on the 2nd, another friend who was unable to join us in Vermont decided we needed to continue our friend's birthday celebration by doing a bit of skinny dipping at one of the local beaches.

As the evening neared, I became uncertain about whether I would join.  I attended a Hawaiian slack key guitar performance that was so beautiful and relaxing that I was literally falling asleep in the restaurant.  It had been a long day already, and I was exhausted. 

But at the last minute, it turned out that I didn't actually have a choice about whether I would be attending or not.  My friend and I were to pick up another friend and meet the other 3 at Revere Beach.

I was so glad I didn't lame out.  I would have been devastated if I didn't make it to the beach that night!

At first we were nervous.  Was it illegal for us to be on the beach after sunset?  It was definitely illegal for us to get into the water completely naked.  Was it going to be freezing since it had rained earlier that day?

But then we decided, to hell with it.  How often do we get to do this?  We had decided to just go in topless at the chance that the cops did show up; it would also make for a quick get-away.  After we set up our blanket near the water, we checked the temperature.  It was surprisingly not as bad as it could have been, and that just made us more determined to go for it.

At the stroke of midnight, the 6 of us went running into the Atlantic Ocean, alive and free.  It felt so good, we did it twice!  I don't believe anyone went in completely, but we definitely got ourselves good and wet.

free women

It was amazing.  Absolutely amazing.  What a wonderful way to spend a 40th birthday.

After dining on some delicious banana bread and reflecting on our spontaneous adventure, we were all ready to head to dreamland.  I truly feel blessed to know that I have these type of women in my life.  I can only hope that my 30th and my 40th birthdays are spent with such powerful and inspiring people.

Star Gazing

The first two weeks of August have been all about the stars.

On the weekend of August 6th and 7th, I joined my friends to go on a yearly trip to Vermont endearingly called the "All Night Costume Dance Party."  The event started as a birthday celebration, and has turned into a yearly reunion and summer celebration.

The area where the party happens is called Quarry Hill, right by Rochester, Vermont.  There's no phone reception, and thus no internet on my phone.  It's the one time I really get to go camping.

Now, let me be honest here.  I'm a city girl through and through, and I don't pretend to be anything else.  This one weekend of camping is mainly about having an awesome time out in nature with awesome people.

And while the all-night dancing and blueberry pancakes in the morning is pretty awesome, there's just something about being around a bonfire under a sky full of stars.

Quarry Hill bonfire.

I wish I had a camera that could take a picture of those stars.  Being a city girl, I am used to the city glare being part of the night sky, though I am often to see a couple of stars here and there.  In Los Angeles, I can often spot the constellation of Orion. 

But being in Vermont, the stars and the moon are the main source of light.  I couldn't even begin to name any stars.  It's so beautiful.

To add to the beauty, the Perseid Meteor Showers have been crossing the sky.  To celebrate the boyfriend and two other guy friends' birthdays, we decided to head out to Boston's South Shore area to do some meteor watching.

The Perseid Meteor Showers is a yearly phenomenon that happens around late July to mid August.  In the past, I don't know if we had ever been able to see them, so it was great to make a plan to watch them this year.

Whoever decided on those constellations were tripping out, man...

We ended up finding our way to World's End in Hingham (pronounced "Hing-am," for you non Massachusetts folks), though we were mainly looking for a dark enough area to enjoy the stars.  It was amazingly appropriate to end up there.

World's End

So, the 7 of us set up our picnic blankets and sleeping beds and got settled in for another all-night event.  We snacked on some delicious goodies, and laughed about really random things.  We would  point and "oooh" and "aaah" at all the meteors we would spot.  It was amazing to see so many shooting stars, some back to back from each other.

I honestly don't know if there could have been a better way for the first two weekends of August, considering that this is the last full month of summer.  I feel blessed to have been able to spend so much time in nature with great friends.

Let's hope that the next couple of weekends are just as awesome, even if I don't get to spend more time under the stars.