97.

I went camping with Elbert, Kevin, and Lawrence a few weeks ago. It was by a lake, that turned out to have shrank a lot because of the drought. We saw stranded boats and floating piers that were just lying on dry dirt. Sad. And scary. There’s nothing that says rain has to come back.

I was freezing at night in my tent so slept in the car the second night. Still froze. Nature is so inhospitable! Maybe sharing tents for body heat is the way to go.

We got a lot of food and having a fire to play and cook and see with was a highlight. I can sit next to one for hours I think. Kevin got these logs made of compacted cardboard that Elbert discovered would burn a lot hotter and brighter when you whack it around with a stick to open up that burnable surface area.

The portobello mushrooms Lawrence grilled were the best things I ate during the trip. Maybe tied with the bacon. Or tomatoes. Things taste amazing cooked over a fire.

The silence just hit me when I got to the campsite that first night and turned off the engine. It was like my ears perked up and drank in the night air; it was such a relief from the incessant city background noise. I heard owls.