Shoshone Base Camp: Greg's Viewpoint

 

I was a little nervous when Farrah decided to stay home from Shoshone, because, as she said, it would be her first time home alone. But she handled it like a trooper, though several moms at the camp let me know just how much they missed her.

 

"Summer Camp" is not really my thing, especially now I'm practically married to my laptop, but Farrah and I both wanted Kylen to experience Shoshone again, especially in the company of some of his close friends. He was essentially on his own, but always in the presence of responsible adults. While I "tagged along" on several of Kylen's activities (mainly to get the pictures that I know Farrah would have wanted), helped out with some of the activities (zip line, gaga ball, and slip'n'slide), and spend time chatting with some of the other moms and dads, my favorite time was sitting in our room or in the car, working on my laptop. Sad, isn't it? But actually, like Farrah, it was the first time in a long time that I didn't have anywhere to be or anything else to do. I got some serious work done on one of my numerous software projects and even started a blog post!

 

There was no cellular signal for miles, so it was a little rough not being able to check my e-mail or follow the fight against ISIS. But the camp staff were kind enough to let me use their land line to check in with Farrah, who always sounded in good spirits, despite her spooky surroundings. ;)



 



This is Kylen on the Giant Swing. The contraption resembled a giant slingshot (Angry Birds, anyone?). It consisted of a long, steel cable, whose ends are attached to two tall trees. The rider is harnessed to the bottom of the loop, between the two trees. A rope running through a pulley on a third tree, is used to pull him up, sort of like a parent would do for a toddler, on a playground swing set. I took this picture with the camera (accidentally) in landscape mode. Tracking Kylen as I pressed the button resulted in the blurry background, which makes for a nice effect.

Farrah's always taking up-close shots of weird stuff. As we were walking past some horse stalls, I noticed these trail mile markers just laying there. I thought, "Where else am I going to see so many mile markers, all in the same place?"

This here's Al, and in case ye cain't tell, he's unarmed. I'd leave my arms at home too, if I were told to hang out by a shed full of flammable materials! You may groan now.

Ah, the zip line! It's a staple of summer camps everywhere, and I still remember my first and only truly terrifying experience on one, when I was back in high school. Kylen, though, perhaps emboldened by his friends, bravely climbed up a tree to the 50-foot-high perch and zipped down, with nary a fuss. I was recruited to help get the kids off the line, after their ride.

"Daisy, daisy, give me your answer do...." I had a lot of down time, as I was waiting for the next vict... err... rider to come down the zip line, so I thought I would try my hand at taking some close-ups of the daisies growing all around me. This is totally something Farrah would have done, though with far better results. My problem, other than knowing very little about photography, is that I don't take nearly as many shots as she does.