There have been many camping traditions established by our family over the years – but most recently, on Father’s Day, we spent time together at the Pinery Provincial Park in Ontario, Canada. While the standing joke has always been – “there’s no “k” (Kay) in camping” – the truth is, I have accompanied my family on many camping adventures over the years and I think it is fair to say that I’ve been a pretty good sport about it.
Admittedly, while not my personal favourite, camping is a wholesome family activity like no other, and the truth is, I know how much my husband and two daughters have come to enjoy and look forward to it. So much so, that this year, my husband “announced” that he will be at the Pinery every Father’s Day from now on, and that if anyone wants to spend time with him on that day, they can find him there. But no pressure!
So, in the spirit of Father’s Day and family harmony, I did join my husband and two daughters for a weekend of camping. In fact, here’s a little tour of our campsite.
But on this camping trip, I decided to conduct a little experiment – I interviewed the members of my family to gain a better appreciation for what it is that draws them to this outdoor activity. And here is what they had to say.
What is it about camping that you find so enjoyable – what do you love about it?
Bruce: Well, camping at The Pinery is something I’ve done in every phase of my life – as a child, as a teenager, with university friends, with you when we were newly married (and even when you were pregnant with Breanna!), then with our own family, and with other friends and their families.
I’ve just always enjoyed being outdoors – in nature, in the fresh air, enjoying the simple things. Once we had kids, I wanted to expose them to this experience too – to pay it forward, so to speak. Living in Oakville, so close to Toronto, there were always so many other things to get caught up in and be distracted by.
It’s wholesome fun and not very expensive – a good balance against some of the other more “commercial” things we did as a family. There is also more freedom here, especially for the kids. We established some basic boundaries within which they could wander around and play, and generally, there was a lot less structure around the day. They could stay up a little later, have snacks around the campfire at night, and sleep in a tent.
Kay: But for you personally, does it bring you a sense of calm? Once you’ve set up the campsite, are you able to say to yourself, “I’m here, I’m relaxed, I’ve got my hammock, and the next few days are going to be tranquil”.
Bruce: Yes, it’s definitely a relaxing change of pace for me personally, but I also enjoy the time with the family. But it’s not like I want to move here permanently!
Kay: Well, that is reassuring! (Laughter) I guess if I had to choose a favorite part, it’s that when you are here, you really feel like you’re somewhere else. Sure, you may have access to your phone, but otherwise you are disconnected from the regular hustle and bustle of daily routines. And no technology! It allows you to exhale and (temporarily) remove yourself from the stressors of everyday life. It enables you to regain some personal balance – and that’s always a good thing.
Breanna: It’s like being in a completely different environment. But I feel like being in nature does that to you – it’s very grounding, and to your point, Dad, it’s good to be able to share quality time together. As an added bonus, you also get more exercise simply by having to walk to the washroom!
Bruce, can you tell us a bit about your camping experiences when you were growing up?
Bruce: I have a few different stories that I remember as a kid. I remember sitting around the campfire with my brother and sister and some of their friends from the park. One evening, this raccoon approached me.
Holly: So, the raccoon was your friend? (Laughter)
Bruce: Yeah, I guess so! He would sit on your lap or shoulder, and once he even tried to eat the tobacco from the cigarette of one of my sister’s friends. He was a very tame and sociable raccoon – I’ve never met another one like him!
Another memory that I have is when my father used to cook roasts underground. He would take a roast, season it, and wrap it in wet newspaper. He would dig a hole, throw in some rocks and tinder to start a fire, wait until it burned down to smoldering embers, place the wrapped roast inside the hole, and bury it. Many hours later, he would dig up the roast and we would all enjoy a delicious smoked roast for dinner!
Here are a couple of funny camping stories. When I was still pretty young and we went camping during the summer (sometimes it was just the three kids and Mom), we used to have the equivalent of today’s “swear jar”. I didn’t really swear that much (back then) but my brother and sister were older so swear words did occasionally slip out. If someone swore, my Mom would make them fetch two pails of water immediately, day or night, whether we needed them or not. One time, for reasons that now escape me (did I mention that sometimes it was just the three kids and Mom?), my Mom actually swore herself. And then she had to go get the two pails of water, as we giggled with delight!
As time went on, over the years, my brother and sister (who were quite a bit older than me) got to know a lot of people at the Pinery – lifeguards, park rangers, etc. One night, when my sister was a teenager, we were all sitting around the campfire when the Ontario Provincial Police pulled up to our site with my sister in the backseat of the squad car. They approached my mother, who had a “What have you done now!” look on her face. They proceeded to tell her that, unfortunately, they were going to have to bring Betty to the station to charge her. Eventually, everyone burst out laughing – mostly at my mother’s face – because it was a total prank! Mom also found it funny…it just took her a little longer to appreciate the humour in it.
Breanna and Holly, do you have any favourite camping memories – things you’ve really enjoyed over the years?
Breanna: Yeah, definitely. Thinking back to the days when we were younger, I remember a program called Junior Friends of the Pinery. They gave you a series of tasks that would enable you to earn a badge. Each summer, we would earn a different badge and advance to a higher level within the program. It was fun and it kept us busy. It also taught us about responsibilities in a provincial park.
Also, about 14 years ago, I remember we had this tree on the campsite that was split. To us, it looked like a stage and we would put on these shows – singing, dancing, or whatever. I fondly remember that. As a kid, the campground was such a blank canvas – you could just let your imagination run wild.
It was also fun to share this kind of experience with school friends like the Bardwell’s, the Lobo’s, and the Perica’s, and family friends like the Scheufler’s, during different phases of growing up.
And then there were the Parent Family traditions like going into Grand Bend, going to the beach, having campfires, and making special snacks like Pudgie Pies. As you know, I am a creature of habit and tradition, so I always liked knowing what to expect!
Kay: What is a Pudgie Pie?
Bruce: Well, to make a Pudgie Pie, you butter two slices of bread, you place them butter-side down in a long-handled cast iron “sandwich maker”, you put your choice of filling on top of one of the slices of bread – ham and cheese, pizza toppings, pb&j, really anything you like – you close and latch the tool, and then place it into the hot coals of the campfire. After about 1-2 minutes, you flip it over and cook it for another 1-2 minutes. After that, you take it out of the fire (carefully), open the latch, and flip it out onto a plate. Once it’s cooled a bit – voila! You’ve got yourself a delicious Pudgie Pie!
Breanna: But Dad, the “classic” Pudgie Pie is made with cherry pie filling, right? Like a cherry turnover.
Bruce: Yes, you’re right. That’s how we typically make them. And we only make Pudgie Pies when we go camping, so I guess you could say they are a true camping tradition!
Kay: Okay, Holly, what about you? What are some of your favourite things?
Holly: Breanna already mentioned a lot of them. But maybe one additional thing is that, when I was little, I used to love to fetch the water for the campsite and do the dishes after meals. However, I should emphasize the words “used to”. It’s not my favourite camping responsibility anymore!
Bruce: One fond memory I have of the kids is the time Holly and I went on our first Kangaroo ride (a bicycle built for two). Holly was very excited about the Kangaroo because it meant she would be able to ride a bike too, alongside her older sister Breanna who had her own bicycle. We embarked on a somewhat longer ride through the park, and Holly was totally psyched about it…in the beginning. About halfway through the ride, though, I felt that the bike was getting harder and harder to pedal, almost as if we were on an incline. I really began to sweat! When I looked around to see what was happening, Holly had decided to put her feet up (literally!) and let me do the pedaling from that point forward. She figured “this is too much work, I’ll just let Dad take it from here”. That’s a somewhat consistent personality trait, Holly! (Laughter)
Are there any not-so-favourite memories – things that weren’t so enjoyable?
Breanna: I feel like I’ve heard about things that went wrong – like that bad storm on the trip with the Bardwell’s – but honestly, I think because we were so young, we weren’t really conscious or aware of everything you guys were doing to keep things afloat (pardon the pun).
Bruce: Oh yeah, I’ve never experienced rain like that – it was torrential for three solid days. That can make camping with young kids pretty tough!
Kay: While there were public bathrooms and showers at the campsite, the showering process was a little challenging, especially when you both were younger. I had to put Holly in a stroller while I helped Breanna shower. Then, Breanna sat in the stroller or on the bench, while I showered Holly. Then of course, I had to shower myself without you both trying to escape. That was tricky!
Also, I did not enjoy having to get up to pee in the middle of the night when sleeping in a tent. Having to unzip and carefully crawl out, being on the lookout and listening for nighttime creatures. Navigating to a nearby tree, armed only with a flashlight and small handful of toilet paper – all while trying not to pee on myself! (By the way, boys, you have it so easy!)
Breanna: The car battery dying a couple years ago wasn’t great either. Yeah, that was inconvenient – thankfully, we were able to use our cellphones to contact CAA!
Bruce: There was also the time that I set up everything on the wrong campsite, only to have to take it down and do it over again on the correct campsite. That was a pain!
Kay: Holly, is there anything you can think of that wasn’t particularly enjoyable?
Holly: Nope – I only have positive memories! In fact, I wish we could have gone camping more often.
Kay: Well, that by itself, is a gift to your Dad on Father’s Day – hearing you say that, I mean.
So, what are some of the funniest things that happened at The Pinery?
Bruce: Here’s one. When Holly was about 6 or 7, I told her that she could sit up front with me because we were just going somewhere close by, like getting firewood or going to the camp store. That was a real treat, because typically at that age, kids are stuck in the backseat of the car in a booster seat. While she had an initial look of disbelief, I reassured her, “No, it’s ok Holly, you can come sit up front with me”. She grinned with a twinkle in her eye and said, “Daddy, why are you being so nice to me?” I honestly wasn’t sure what she meant by that – and to be honest, it still haunts me a little to this day. Did she mean, “Wow, this is so fun and exciting, Daddy, and something I don’t normally get to do – thank you!” Or, did she mean, “Um…most of the time you are so strict and mean, Daddy – why are you being so nice to me now?
Kay: Always the analytic, Bruce! I would like to believe that it was really more about her being so little, and that at home, we would never have allowed her to sit in the front seat, much less help you steer the car! I guess that’s the beauty of a more relaxed environment, and maybe a more relaxed Dad.
Kay: I can remember another funny incident – how you broke two camp chairs in the same night, literally busting through the seats. This was during a group camping trip with friends before we had any kids.
Bruce: Yes, I do remember everyone getting a lot of comical mileage from that – and let’s be clear, I was 50 pounds lighter back then!
Kay: I guess the universe was trying to tell you something…lay off the hotdogs!
Holly: Actually, I think the universe was trying to tell you – get ready, the bottom is going to fall out, because you’re about to have two kids! (Laughter)
Kay: Well, yes, the bottom did in fact “fall out”, and our lives were forever changed when you two arrived. But I think I can confidently speak for Dad when I say that we wouldn’t have wanted it any other way!
One last question for you, Bruce – why did you want to establish a new camping tradition on Father’s Day?
Bruce: Well, as I’ve mentioned, I’ve enjoyed camping throughout various phases of my life, and now we are entering a new chapter with adult children (and maybe someday grandchildren). They’re busy working, they have their own lives, they have significant others, and it’s just more challenging for us to find time together. So I figured, regardless of what else is going on in their lives, it’s a pretty safe bet that they will keep Father’s Day open – it just seemed like a logical time to establish a new tradition! Now, I respect that their significant others also have fathers, so I am officially inviting them as well to join us at The Pinery! (Laughter)
While it wasn’t always first on my list of favourite family activities, after going through this myriad of camping stories, I admittedly do have alot of fond memories. And as far as there being no “k” in camping, the fact is, I was there every step of the way, rain or shine, through all of life’s colourful phases – I mean, who do you think was taking all those pictures?
Credits:
Video and images – Kay Parent
sincerelykayparent
Sincerely Kay Parent 
Wonderful blog! I learned so much about your camping adventures.
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