Last night I got my first taste of tropical camping. It wasn't much, not much more than sleeping out in the back yard. We spent the day with the canoe. She's really shaping up. We hope to get her in the water very soon. The guys are talking about getting the local dancers to help us with a launching ceremony. Manny is looking for a piece of pumice to make a cnaoe totem to keep the crew safe while at sea.

So, at about 6:00 we started the BBQ and ate and drank and talked into the evening. The wives went home at about 10:00, the hammocks were strung and we were preparing for bed when Bruce showed up at midnight. He settled on a chair, broke out the tequila, and they stayed up till 4:00 AM talking and drinking. It was one of those special moments between friends. I could tell from my hammock where I lay slipping in and out of sleep.

I had a rope hammock that I'd bought earlier that day. My weight is just over its design limit but it was comfortable. I set it up with a tarp overhead for rain protection. I had a sleeping bag but I didn't need it in the warm evening. There were no mosquitoes. Let me repeat that. There were no mosquitoes! Just let that sink in. This place gets no snow and "There were no mosquitoes". I like it here.

I slept quite peacefully and didn't even notice the little rain shower Gordon reported next morning. I woke after dawn and wandered off in search of a place to empty my bladder. The park restrooms were locked and there were too many joggers and walkers to think of kicking a bush. I finally found a secluded spot and headed back to camp. On the way I met Wakana out on the same errand. We jumped in my truck and headed out for bathroom, coffee and breakfast. When we got back we brought tea for the other survivors but they were too tired to drag themselves out of their hammocks. Eventually they rose like the living dead and stared balefully at the tea while they struggled to remember what they were supposed to do with it.

About noon I headed home to get some housework done. I started with a shower. Then I realized how comfortable the bed looked. Two hours later I awoke from my nap and lay there listening to the Prairie Home Companion.