Wednesday, June 29, 2016

Not a campfire kind of guy

The other evening was like many others I've experienced in the past. It was early evening, with about four hours of daylight left, and other campers had started campfires. They wouldn't be cooking on them. It wasn't anywhere near cold. It seemed like they built fires because that's what one is supposed to do when camping. By the time it was dark and a little chilly, they were out of wood.

The only time in my van dwelling life I've built fires was to burn some trash.

I've been known to hang around other people's campfires for social reasons, and that's probably one of the big reasons for campfires. But for me it's a battle between fellowship and smoke.

Smoke.

My mother taught at a private school. There was a fire in her building, and although it didn't reach her classroom, the smoke and firefighters' water did. She took me with her to survey the damage and see what teaching materials she could salvage. The odor was imprinted on my memory. I think it was part of a don't-play-with-fire lesson she wanted to teach me.

So, besides being acrid, choking and clinging, smoke conjures bad memories. And if I'm not going to cook and it isn't cold, then fires are wasteful. If I show up at your campfire to socialize, don't expect me to stay long, no matter how good of a time we're having. Or how many marshmallows need toasting.

16 comments:

  1. Definitely agree with you on the wasteful aspect of campfires unless really needed. My concern is always with the alarming number of numbnuts who don't know how to properly put a fire out or are too busy guzzling whatever to care.

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    1. A campground host (after trying to sell me firewood), told me the Forest Service shut down the nearby dispersed camping areas because of numbnuts building huge bonfires among the trees. So thanks, people, for the loss of some free camping areas.

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    2. I totally agree with you, smoke bothers my eyes & my lungs, besides there is always the potential of fire propagation, shit happens & I don't enjoy that !!

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    3. Love the irony!

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    4. What irony ? I believe you misinterpreted the whole thing!

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    5. The irony is the camp host trying to sell me firewood while telling me there was a problem with people making big campfires.

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    6. OHHHHHHHH, I thought the irony U mentioned was related to M Y posting !! guess I was the one that ' misinterpreted the whole thing ' LOL.

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  2. I don't like smoke blowing on me but it does keep away the mosquitoes. Apparently they don't like smoke blowing on them either.

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  3. kenny the caveman say: umm fire good....

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  4. I am so glad somebody else is anti-campfire, for all the same reasons that I am. I have citronella candles and incense that do a pretty good job keeping the mosquitos away but I would rather socialize in the day light without bugs. Combustion alters our atmosphere. I have quit calling it global warming or climate change and just refer to it now as air pollution. And lung pollution. These are different times. There are a lot more of us.

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  5. I agree with the smoke being irritating. The smell from a distance is nice. I do enjoy the social aspect though and so will tolerate a fire for a good many hours. Grilling however, i do often and only over charcoal. I'm afraid that if charcoal were outlawed for grilling, i might never do it again.

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  6. One of my pet peeves is a neighbors fire that prohibit my being able to keep my window and top vents open. It gets stuffy and I don't have air-conditioning.

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  7. Well I guess none of you will be camping with me..I enjoy a campfire...I always make sure it's dead-dead out like Smokey says!!..Not like many of the dopes who leave them going..One time my wife and I went around after everyone had left and put out 7 or more fires..Some of the idiots just threw all their remaining wood on the fire and left..IDIOTS!!..
    When it's raining?..Nope..
    Fires have started blazing up here in Wa. Ore. and Montana.
    Already!

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  8. Al,

    Missing your pearls of wisdom and wit ... :(

    Maple Valley gal

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  9. Dang, I thought I was the only one who didn't really like campfires. People start them up all the time for no good reason. http://www.vanholio.com/2016/06/yeah-ill-piss-on-your-damned-bonfire.html

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