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I suppose I should be writing about today's East Coast Earthquake, but since apparently I'm the only person from Boston to North Carolina who didn't feel it, I'll carry on with my original topic :-).
Follow me below the dingledoodlesquiggliedividerthingie fold...
Casa Brillig went camping last weekend, with two other families - a grand total of 7 kids and 5 adults (one was home with a herniated disc and a bottle of good painkiller). We got three adjoining sites and designated one - ours - as Base Camp.
Arrival is always fun, bare earth, trees, and the great "where to site the tents" dilemma:
We decided on here for the tent Mr. Brillig and I shared with K2 and the dog. K1 & friend's tent was just out of field to the left:
We singlehandedly kept it from raining (it was thundering and the forecast was for showers Right Now) by spending 45 minutes stringing a tarp over the tent...
Base camp, with our tent in the corner of the photo. The other campsites were in front of and behind ours, as the picture's oriented:
To me, camping is all about the communal hanging out, from cooking meals to sitting around the fire to washing dishes at the sink next to the showers (Best. Campground. Perk. EVER.) Sure, it takes hours to make dinner because you've got to get the fire going, cook enough food for 12 people all at once, and then you've gotta spend an hour washing dishes and putting food away so that the raccoons don't get it. But it's worth it to make a good dinner that everyone enjoys:
The 7 kids ranged from 6 to 13 - yes, Casa Brillig brackets the ages. Two girls, five boys, all of whom love their Wii's, DSLites', iPods and computers. As part of the Camping Experience, we decreed that no electronics would accompany the kids. There was grumbling, but honestly, within a few minutes (coinciding with Unpacking The Bicycles) everyone was fine. They biked round and round the campground, swam in the pond, found "secret trails" to the bathrooms and other places, and somehow managed to avoid the poison ivy.
Saturday afternoon, the kids discovered the bucket of sidewalk chalk I'd packed, and then it happened... one kid drew a flower, another joined in, and before long everyone was adding to the Garden. K1 and her friend spent hours on it. I've seen murals in museums that weren't as detailed, well laid out and drawn, or beautiful:
THIS is why I like camping... there is absolutely no way these kids would have spent this much time creating such a masterpiece if the intertubes had been available. It was still there when we left Sunday morning; I hope the next campers appreciated its beauty as they settled in for a few days outside under the pine trees and stars.
Do you camp? Does the very idea make you reach for your sleeping back and plastic plate, or run to book a room at the Hilton? Do tell!
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Brillig's ObDisclaimer: The decision to publish each nomination lies with the evening's Diarist. My evenings at the helm, I try reeeeallllyy hard to publish everything without regard to content. I really do, even when I disagree personally with any given nomination. "TopCommentness" lies in the eyes of the nominator and of you, the reader - I leave the decision to you. I do not publish self-nominations (ie your own comments) and if I ruled the world, we'd all build community, supporting and uplifting instead of tearing our fellow Kossacks down.
From blue aardvark:
La Feminista, in her own diary, snarks upon the religious right with a brilliant (but disturbing) image.
From Puddytat:
In Laura Clawson's Earthquake hits east coast, ROGNM started it here and then everyone piled on to the hilarity. Enjoy.
From highacidity:
Nominating this helpful budget cutting suggestion by semiot, from Joan McCarter's diary Remember when Eric Cantor wanted to cut disaster funding?.
From Dragon5616:
Best photoshop ever today by navajo in JanF's J Town: Got Diary?
Trix cracked me up with a "third way" in kos' "Diaries" or "stories"? front page post.
Also from Kos' diary, doc2 starts a classic thread.
From sberel:
In slinkerwink's diary criticizing the Administration's regulatory reform , zonk reminds us that many regulations are good for big business and bad for small business.
In today's Black Kos, blueness, riffing off of TomP, has some good advice and unspeakable starts off a fascinating discussion on racism in the Arab world.
From ScottyUrb:
shurley's snark piece, Breaking News: GOP candidates for President unanimously say they do not believe in earthquakes, inspired quite a few good ones - particularly from GDbot, Clem Yeobright, jimcbq, pben (two of them), and squidflakes!
From Yours Truly, brillig:
I admit it. Sharoney first wrote this on Facebook, and I begged her to comment in a diary so I could share it in TC tonite. She graciously obliged.
Ellid diaries (yes, I'm a diarist and not a story-ist) that author Jane Yolen has fallen afoul of the Tea Party. Celtic Merlin starts a wonderful thread that quickly involved pooties.
Top Mojo for August 22, excluding first comments/tip jars, courtesy of mik:
1) The GOP's Reply to Muammar Gaddafi by JekyllnHyde — 206
2) The whole "advantage of your dark skin" thing by Little — 170
3) Perry can see Mexico from his house by aaraujo — 133
4) Great diary. by Philoguy — 116
5) Politics is the art of the possible. by Lightbulb — 95
6) spreadsheeting this info, by theChild — 93
7) There are NO US troops to pull out by aaraujo — 93
8) BEAUTIFUL by aaraujo — 93
9) Can you say... by daddybunny — 93
10) Looks Like They are Bowing to Mecca by dfe — 88
11) Nice diary, especially 'kick the kiddies table' by divineorder — 87
12) An excellent point by Vatexia — 86
13) At least she didn't say by blue aardvark — 78
14) Maybe there should be a "Rest of the Story" team by Keith930 — 77
15) conclusion: look what he can accomplish.... by G2geek — 75
16) The DLC are just 1990s Republicans by TomP — 75
17) Post says liberals are the donors, but this by divineorder — 75
18) Usually when people are waving the American by yg17 — 73
19) The religious right used to sit at the kiddy by importer — 73
20) it would be interesting to see an analysis.... by G2geek — 73
21) If you want a cynical view consistent with by blue aardvark — 72
22) Well, thanks for this. Now that I know that I'm by praenomen — 72
23) Rick Warren's Church doesn't pay taxes by Karl Rover — 71
24) Dignity. by Lightbulb — 70
25) Much good may this do them. by khereva — 69
26) oh hush! by flor de jasmim — 68
27) Was he Really a Republican? I've got to wonder, as by pengiep — 67
28) No, it's 1-900-BULL-SHIT by yg17 — 66
29) funny ... by CorinaR — 65
30) note to all commenters by Dante Atkins — 64