Our son-in-law Terry took his son Liam (our grandson) camping one night earlier this week. My wife Pat and I are pretty sure they had a great time from the early reports we’ve gotten and some of the photos we’ve seen.
We know Liam was really looking forward to it, as was Terry.
We had talked to our daughter and Liam on the phone Saturday afternoon and Liam was already wound up and telling us about it.
Our daughter opted to just let this be a dad and son deal and we think she was looking forward to a little time by herself to relax and get a couple of things done.
Pat and I were talking over the weekend how wonderful we think it is that Terry wants to do that kind of thing with Liam and Meghan. Meghan told us she’s wanting it to be a little warmer she thinks.
We think this overnight camping trip with his dad will be something that Liam will always remembers as he goes through life.
I was telling Pat the other night that even as old as I am, I still remember sitting in a duck blind with my dad when I was about 4-5 years old. I didn’t exactly know what we were doing, other then we were hunting ducks, whatever that meant.
At the age of four, I was picking up the doves my dad shot at my cousin’s place out near Calumet.
That was a little more fun, the weather was much warmer, rather than sitting in a duck blind shivering.
But even though it was cold, I was along side my dad and that seemed to be most important.
It left that memory in my mind and I remember it today just as though I did that first time.
Eventually as I grew old enough of course dad taught me how to shoot so I knew why I was shivering in that duck blind. And I was along side him shooting doves, rather than just picking them up and later hunting quail and pheasants with him as well.
It all started though with that first time and that’s why I think it’s so neat to see Terry taking Liam and teaching him about the outdoors, like camping and what other activities they, along with our daughter, can all do together.
When Liam spends some time with Pat and me, he and I often gopher hunt together.
Of course he’s too young to shoot, but he’s all about picking them up and putting them in a sack so we can dispose of them. It’s those little things like that and others and going camping overnight with his dad that will be indelible in his mind forever I really believe.
Pat and I will be waiting for him to tell us all about this short camping trip he and his dad took together overnight.