Requiem For A Tire

Lovely tire on the trailer,
On a whim becomes impaler.
One minute round and full of life,
A moment later causing strife.
In a single pop and many shakes,
The road now littered with rubber snakes.
Had we not left early, I would be cussin',
In hundred degree heat, with lugs I'm fussin'.
Oh look, a truck. Come to my aid?
Trouble is he, I am afraid.
An hour late for Jake to camp,
Just once on time? My foot I'll stamp.
And when you blew, I'm outta luck,
Some say you're nice....I say you suck!



Well there you go, my attempt to show that I am a Renaissance man. I mean poetry? Is there any medium I won't attempt? I will now answer that question through the artistry of interpretive dance. (anyone ever seen the dancing hippos in tutus on Disney's Fantasia?...just sayin') I guess I am a Renaissance man of sorts...just not a RenaiSsance FaiRe man. Don't get me wrong, I love going to the FaiRe, once a year, not in costume, to observe. I do not have a desire to spend much of my money on elaborate costumes and much of my time learning how to speak in OldE EnGlish...forsooth. (That's probably an OldE AlbaNian term but that is the word I imagine when I think of the FaiRe) I have been going for years and years though. I even helped Rosie make posies into garlands when I was a WeE LaD (cloSer?...maybe in Ireland) in San Francisco.

As they say on Monty Python...and now for something completely different. I don't know how I got onto that topic but let me try to get this train back on the track.

I considered changing the name of the blog to "What I did over the summer vacation" for the time being, except for two things...It's awfully cliche, even for a teacher, and I have zero idea how to do it. I am certain it can be done. A friend of mine, who has started writing her own, has changed the name of hers so I know it can be done. I have no desire to compete electronic ability wise...Uncle! already. (Kim, if we were still teenagers this last paragraph could have been boiled down to "Sup Kim! Woot Woot!"

As they say on Bullwinkle, now here's something you'll really like. (Focus Jeff...focus)

So Jake has taken off into the wild wild world of summer camp and we have taken off into the less than wild world of "camping" near him. Camping for us has now become pulling a 30 foot trailer to a site and then, after getting up after a good night's sleep on the queen sized mattress, plugging in the coffee maker. Sylvia doesn't like microwaved coffee, but we could! When the kids get up they might want to watch a little Disney Channel on the flat screen TV (maybe they'll be replaying Fantasia) before we use the stove to cook breakfast. If that makes it too hot we can always turn on the air conditioning to cool off. Roughing it does not enter the equation. Not to mention the fact that I am adding a blog post on my laptop as I lay on the couch. This camper has more than our house!

So while Jake is off sleeping in a giant tepee, learning how to tend to horses, and making sure to make noise to scoot away any animals that may be near the tent when he walks to the restroom in the middle of the night, we are going to be wondering if we should toast our croissants a bit longer. Pardon Me, do you have any Grey Poupon? (anyone who has ever changed a newborn knows that a dark yellowish runny food with the word poop in it's name was perhaps not the best idea)

Back to Jake. We all traveled up to Yreka in the truck yesterday to drop Jake and his friend off at a Christian camp where the kids learn to take care of horses. They are assigned a horse on day one and then it is theirs for the week. Just Jake and his friend are going to this camp this year. Kristiana and her friend are staying with us for the week. The girls went to Mt. Hermon Christian camp for the last two weeks together to learn how to serve by taking care of children. They are awesome. But it seems they have learned a secret code. They have been known to burst into song together, about going bananas, in a grocery store, with Sylvia and I trying to hide. Kristiana, who did horse camp last year, visited her horse, Spirit, before we were about to leave the camp. She is hoping the new person will brush him out and detangle his tail. Shocking!

Like I was saying, we traveled up yesterday and we left early because last year we were late. The kids missed orientation and we needed to fit them into the routine already in progress. (No problem for them...they could have fun at an insurance seminar) We had the system beat this year. We borrowed my dad's truck and left two hours earlier than last year. By the way, regarding the truck...this is purely for my dad who reads this blog..."The Whiiiiite truck is Youuuurrrrrssssss....The Reeeeeeddddddd truck is ouuuuuurrrrrrsssssss....Youuuuuu are getting sleeeeeeeepy....and when someone says avocado you are going to flap your arms like a bird." Not sure hypnosis works in blog format but I gave it a shot.

The red Duramax diesel truck has more power. We left early. What could possibly go wrong? As you have already read in my feeble attempt at poetry, blowout! I have now contributed to the bits of black rubber debris littering our nations highways. It's a little upsetting too since it was a nearly new tire. So for those of you who don't know me/us, let me explain a little. We take off in the summer in our camper and come back in time to teach. We have been across our glorious country numerous times. We have visited 27 states, three great lakes, and one foreign country. Never had a problem. We try to be a little early on a six hour drive and we just can't seem to make it happen.

Jake and friend (not sure if his parents want me to put his name in print...but let me just say that if there were ever a flood we would ask him to make a boat...wink wink) are at camp and Kristiana and her friend (her Biblical related name story is a teensy bit more obscure...but if anyone is looking for Elkanah's wife, look no further) are here with us. Yes, for those of you keeping score, we now have two teenage girls in our vicinity. I'll pause for you to say a bit of prayer for us. I think I'll pause just a bit longer, if you don't mind. From my working at the high school I know that teenage girls can cycle through 4 or 5 of the seven dwarfs on any given day. I just hope our girls don't invite over any new dwarfs. (when Kristiana reads this, I am gonna pay...grumpy?...that's one)

So, if we continue to have internet service where we travel next, I will try to update our adventures and let you know if anything interesting happens. And Dad....AVOCADO!