# Outdoor Family Time **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 9, 2005, 12:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/outdoor-family-time/303038 "2005-05-09T12:09:55Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![swampbear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampbear/32/467_2.png) [@swampbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampbear)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2005, 5:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/outdoor-family-time/303038/21 "2005-05-09T17:00:55Z")
So, does that mean all the good lookin’ MMPers are showin up in Seattle then? 😃 What am I sayin’! All the MMPers are handsome and/or lovely. We’re the coolest and purtiest of them all! ---
**Author:** ![Tupug\_Anachi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@Tupug\_Anachi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tupug_Anachi)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2005, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/outdoor-family-time/303038/22 "2005-05-09T17:06:33Z")
> [@Rue DeDay](#): > > **Puggy** , if a mere TV show has you all a-sceered that the Yellowstone caldera is gonna blow up, don’t (DON’T) read Bill Bryson’s _A Short History of Nearly Everything_. Between volcanoes, global warming (the regular, natural kind, not the speeded-by-people up kind), asteroids and mutating germs we’re all screwed. We’re overdue for Big Things to happen. Toooooooooooo laaaaaaaate!! Already done did it. _Lurved_ that book. _Lurve_ Bill Bryson. Have you read _A Walk In The Woods_? With all this hikin’ talk, if you haven’t, you should. It’s the first one of his I read. Did I say I _lurved_ it? Right now I’m reading Edward Rutherfurd’s _The Princes of Ireland_. He’s the dude what wrote _Sarum_, _London_ and _The Forest_. Very interestin’ readin’ for those who like historical novels. And now, I think I’ve about used up my quota of _italics_. 😃 Anybody here ever had Saga cheese? It’s soft like Brie but is a blue-veined cheese what is very nummy iffen you like strong cheese. Tupug The Cheesiest ---
**Author:** ![Taters](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/taters/32/2845_2.png) [@Taters](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Taters)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2005, 5:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/outdoor-family-time/303038/23 "2005-05-09T17:09:19Z")
> [@Tupug Anachi](#): > > Toooooooooooo laaaaaaaate!! Already done did it. _Lurved_ that book. _Lurve_ Bill Bryson. Have you read _A Walk In The Woods_? With all this hikin’ talk, if you haven’t, you should. It’s the first one of his I read. Did I say I _lurved_ it? > > Right now I’m reading Edward Rutherfurd’s _The Princes of Ireland_. He’s the dude what wrote _Sarum_, _London_ and _The Forest_. Very interestin’ readin’ for those who like historical novels. And now, I think I’ve about used up my quota of _italics_. 😃 > > Anybody here ever had Saga cheese? It’s soft like Brie but is a blue-veined cheese what is very nummy iffen you like strong cheese. > > Tupug The Cheesiest I read the same books by Edward Rutherfurd. I love historical type books. I’m waiting on the second half of _The Princes of Ireland_ to come out. ---
**Author:** ![Bumbazine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bumbazine/32/362_2.png) [@Bumbazine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbazine)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2005, 6:50pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/outdoor-family-time/303038/24 "2005-05-09T18:50:35Z")
I used to go camping quite a lot, and had many adventures, which I will not inflict on you now. Like the time we went camping at the coast and it rained so hard that the air mattress we were sleeping on floated out of the tent with us still aboard. Okay, I lied. But that’s all the inflicting, I swear. So, **Taxi** , you were all ready to break up anyway, but were just waiting for me to declare my undying love, but decided not to wait anymore, and went out and found another doper? I’m crushed. Congratulations BTW. **Taters** , I only got one picture of you guys. I think it’s the one from after camping. I’m pretty sure those weren’t halloween costumes. If they were, you guys need to work on that. We’ll talk this weekend. 😉 And you thought I was handsome too? Bless you my child. I think I look like Gomez Addams in that picture. Brie is like melted cheese with mold all over it. I don’t like it. Who was it that was talking abnout _Saga_ cheese? I can’t find it now. Either in the stores or in this tread. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of that kind of cheese. Our favorite bleu chees at the moment is Belgiosio(sp?). You know what’s really good? Put a chunk of bleu cheese on a dried apricot and eat it. It’ll surprise you, although I suspect it’s one of those things like oysters, ya either love 'em or hate 'em. We loves us some cheese. It’s one thumbs up and one thumb wayy down on the oysters. **Puggy** , I say an advert for a Hallmark ornament with a Pug dog riding on something or other the other day an I thought of you. I can’t find it now though. Did you know there are a whole slew\* of websites selling Hallmark ornaments? It’s amazin’ - a _slew_ is somewhat larger than a _metric butt-load_ 'cause. let’s face it, some butts just can’t really carry all that much, although the last time I ate in a buffet resatuarant, I saw some butts that could carry 2 or 3 _slew_s. It’s time for me to go do something now. ---
**Author:** ![Bumbazine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bumbazine/32/362_2.png) [@Bumbazine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbazine)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2005, 6:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/outdoor-family-time/303038/25 "2005-05-09T18:51:38Z")
P. S. Hi **Shibb** , glad to see you’re out on bail. ---
**Author:** ![swampbear](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/swampbear/32/467_2.png) [@swampbear](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/swampbear)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2005, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/outdoor-family-time/303038/26 "2005-05-09T19:04:50Z")
> [@Bumbazine](#): > > P. S. Hi **Shibb** , glad to see you’re out on bail. He’s out on bail? Heck, I figured he was gettin’ some internet time at the county lockup. ---
**Author:** ![ems](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cdc98d/32.png) [@ems](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ems)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2005, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/outdoor-family-time/303038/27 "2005-05-09T20:15:27Z")
No camping this weekend for me - come to think of it I didn’t really do much any any real substance. Brie is icky but whatever floats your boat! I am off on an all expenses paid trip to Tulsa for the next four days with work. I get to be part of the panel of interviewers who get to inflict terror on some new recruit type people. I am also going shopping for something to wear to my friends wedding which is in about 6 weeks - I was told I had to wear something purty NO JEANS ALLOWED!! and that was how she said it with the exclamation point and everything. I think she was trying to tell me something. Then my next weekend off we are going camping. ---
**Author:** ![Tupug\_Anachi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7993a0/32.png) [@Tupug\_Anachi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tupug_Anachi)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2005, 8:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/outdoor-family-time/303038/28 "2005-05-09T20:31:34Z")
> [@Bumbazine](#): > > Who was it that was talking abnout _Saga_ cheese? I can’t find it now. Either in the stores or in this tread. I don’t think I’ve ever heard of that kind of cheese. > > **Puggy** , I say an advert for a Hallmark ornament with a Pug dog riding on something or other the other day an I thought of you. I can’t find it now though. Did you know there are a whole slew\* of websites selling Hallmark ornaments? It’s amazin’ That woulda been me talkin’ about the Saga. I haven’t seen a pug dog ornament but just about everthin’ else. For some reason, they are popular subjects for knick-knacks. 🙂 > [@ems](#): > > Then my next weekend off we are going camping. Stay out of the caldera!!! :eek: **taters** , ya mean it’s a two-parter??? Dang! Good thing I still got a few buckaroos on my Borders gift card. This has been one horrific day. The work gods have conspired to dump a load on me just cause I stayed up too late last nite. Well! That’s the last time I sacrifice a sheep to them guys! :mad: ---
**Author:** ![ems](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/e/cdc98d/32.png) [@ems](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ems)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2005, 8:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/outdoor-family-time/303038/29 "2005-05-09T20:39:26Z")
**Tupug** HA! Caldera indeed. When it happens I will be wiped out before you guys hear it no sense worrying really. However when they showed that on TV in the UK my mam called me in a panic asking how far away I was. Bless her heart. She still feels a tad uneasy but what can you do. I am thinking pur-ty clothes thoughts I may even go so far as purchasing a dress! ---
**Author:** ![Ashes\_Ashes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/db5fbb/32.png) [@Ashes\_Ashes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ashes_Ashes)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2005, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/outdoor-family-time/303038/30 "2005-05-09T21:46:43Z")
Do you ever need to remember something but you can only remember that you need to remember something, not the actual something? Welcome to my day! It wasn’t super important, but I get the feeling I will be ticked off when I remember. Eventually. Maybe. Brie is delicious on crackers with peach lambic. Like a good kid, I called my mom on sunday and she told me she sold her computer. It was like the time the microwave died and I couldn’t imagine, for the life of me, how you would heat up yer dinner veggies. Only this was write my mom to keep tabs on her, not cook vegetables. Or mom for that matter. But it’s okay because she’s getting a new computer that’s not so fancy this time. Phew. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2005, 9:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/outdoor-family-time/303038/31 "2005-05-09T21:53:04Z")
Believe it or not, I have never been camping. Really. I have mentioned that factoid to folks in the past, many of whom said “No! Really? We’ll have to take you some time!” Even my own sweet spousal unit said the same. Apparently they were all less than sincere, as I am still a camping virgin. :eek: The closest I have come is spending the night on the boat at anchor - no power besides the batteries. But it’s better than camping, because there are no bears or raccoons or snakes to worry about. On the other hand, on at least 2 occasions, we had to get up in the middle of the night and move the boat because it dragged anchor and was approaching shallows. But while we were up, we saw these really cool jellyfish that lit up. As for my weekend, after my pottery class on Sat morning (I’m getting better at throwing - there may be a FCM line of products yet!) my sweetie and I did a little shopping and ran some errands. Sunday morning, he took me to breakfast, then we went to the boat and started getting it ready for the season. Then we came home and I mucked about in the garden a little, while he mucked about with one of the heat exchangers off the engine. Then I made us a yummy dinner of steak, baked taters, and corn on the cob. He’s in Michigan right now - work-related training. So I’m home alone with the critters till Weds night. I planted my tomatoes and cucumber plants and dug up some lily of the valley for a guy at work. Tomorrow, I hope to make a rock garden on the corner of our lot and plant some flowers another coworker gave me. Slowly but surely, I’m getting the yard in order. I’m jealous of **swampy** - getting to meet all the cool kids on the left coast! Youse guys better take lots of pictures and send them to me!!! Or I’ll pout! ---
**Author:** ![MagicEyes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@MagicEyes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MagicEyes)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2005, 10:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/outdoor-family-time/303038/32 "2005-05-09T22:10:28Z")
Congrats, **taxi78cab!** It’s nice to find a man who makes you go :D. But this > [@](#): > > AND, now I won’t get down to NC to meet **MagicEyes**! makes me all ☹ But you could come to North Carolina for a vacation, anyway. It’s real nice down here! So, **ems,** you don’t like brie. That’s okay, more for the rest of us! Mmmmmm…gooey, creamy brie. That’s some good cheese! > [@swampy](#): > > All the MMPers are handsome and/or lovely. Haven’t seen me, have ya?! 😛 **Rue,** why didn’t you invite all of us over for hot dogs and smores? I like smores. I don’t have a “Backyard Fireplace,” so I can’t make my own smores. I have to eat my marshmallows raw. ☹ I’m so deprived. ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2005, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/outdoor-family-time/303038/33 "2005-05-09T22:47:18Z")
I haven’t yet read the thread in depth, but I will say that we’re camping Vunderwife style in Charleston WV. She’s sprawled out on the king sized bed, in A/C comfort, watching satellite TV. I have to go find carryout to satisfy her. Got all gradjumakated. I must really be an engineer, 'cuz I have two sheepskins that say so, and neither one are on sticks. Saw my Granny on Friday. She was still alive, but was out of it most of the time. She’d wake up for about 90 seconds at a time, and then zone out for 15-20 minutes. She did recognize and talked to me when she was awake, so that was nice. Most of the weekend was fun, but had 2 downers. Nearly got killed by a semi this afternoon in eastern Kentucky, and I found out one of the psychotic members of my model railroad club is going to sue me for sending him pornographic spam (a delusion of his). I’ll be pitting both shortly. ---
**Author:** ![MagicEyes](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@MagicEyes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MagicEyes)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2005, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/outdoor-family-time/303038/34 "2005-05-10T01:16:04Z")
> [@VunderBob](#): > > Nearly got killed by a semi this afternoon in eastern Kentucky, and I found out one of the psychotic members of my model railroad club is going to sue me for sending him pornographic spam (a delusion of his). :eek: Yikes! Glad the semi missed you. Nobody wants you to be a smooshed V-Bob. But at least we’ll get a good pit thread out of it! Sorry your grandma’s not doing so well, but it’s good you got to visit her. ---
**Author:** ![gardentraveler](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gardentraveler/32/3576_2.png) [@gardentraveler](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gardentraveler)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2005, 1:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/outdoor-family-time/303038/35 "2005-05-10T01:22:49Z")
Camping…no, thanks. I can live with **Rue** -style camping, but sleeping in a TENT? Not really necessary. Did it once, in the early '60s, for 20 minutes. OK, it was actually two nights, I think (I was in first grade or so), but still not my thing. Far-away Best Friend and her family go camping all the time, and she often says I should come along sometime, but somehow, I keep timing my visits so that they DON’T coincide with camping. Dunno how that happens. 🙂 Yay, **VunderBob** for the graduation! I know you’ve worked really hard for the degree; glad you could actually be there for the ceremony and all. Sorry again about Granny, but it’s good you got to see her. And as for the extra downers…that stinks. Weekend was plant-filled. Went to a plant farm near **Rue’s** neck of the woods (it was in Maineville) with several equally plant-minded friends. I waved all the way there and back, but don’t know if **Rue** saw me. Started to plant stuff last night, but I have a long way to go. I’ve got most of what I’ll be buying, but still have to rip out some plants that are moving and finish whacking out the blackberries and roses. Planted tomatoes and peppers tonight and cleaned out containers that still had dirt in them. (So did anyone notice that plants, planting and plant-related stuff happened during my plantiferous weekend?) And now I’m tired… Happy Monday everyone! GT ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2005, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/outdoor-family-time/303038/36 "2005-05-10T02:05:32Z")
> [@MagicEyes](#): > > :eek: Yikes! Glad the semi missed you. Nobody wants you to be a smooshed V-Bob. Smooshing would not be a good idea, because there’s so much of me and VunderWife to smoosh around… 😉 ---
**Author:** ![Hokkaido\_Brit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/d26b3c/32.png) [@Hokkaido\_Brit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hokkaido_Brit)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2005, 2:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/outdoor-family-time/303038/37 "2005-05-10T02:53:48Z")
I’m going to be brave and join the Famous Monday Morning Posters. Except it’s taken me till Tuesday Lunchtime to work up the courage. We did the outdoorsy thing this weekend. My boys have been wanting a pet for ages but we can’t have Furry Things (can I stop capitalising now?) because we are all allergic. My student has salamanders that she and her husband caught a few years ago, and this appealed to the boys, so Sunday we all went on The Grand Salamander Hunt. (apparently not.) It was wonderful, the woods were all boggy with snow melt, bits of snow were left and there were random bog flowers all over - lilies (skunk cabbage?) and bluebelly things except the leaves were all wrong, and a whole bunch of other wonderful things which were explained to me in Japanese, so I am still as ignorant as when we started out. Big Boy loved it, commented on everything, ran on ahead, sang, shouted, fell off a slippery log into a bog and came up laughing. Little Boy thought it was too far (a couple of miles in total!), too cold, too wet and the final bit that sent him over the edge was when we found the salamander spawn and tipped it from the net into our bucket. He just started crying and sobbed, “I wanted a PET, not SLIME” Then cried more because we all laughed… Poor boy. We also got a whole load of frogspawn and tadpoles but we will have to separate them soon as apparently salamander tadpoles are cannibals. Eeek! Salamander spawn looks like a big white intestine by the way. ---
**Author:** ![Lissla\_Lissar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lissla\_Lissar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissla_Lissar)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2005, 2:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/outdoor-family-time/303038/38 "2005-05-10T02:59:46Z")
Camping involves mosquitoes. I’m only down with camping if it’s in the autumn and there are no mosquitoes. Or blackflies. The MMP wasn’t started before I went to work, or I’d have posted earlier. Driving Husband is drinking a vodka and syrup drink behind me. Raspberry and blueberry syrup. We just had french toast, so he’s musing about vodka and maple syrup- the most authentically Canadian-Russian drink of all! Not with my maple syrup, you pervert. A new Young Adult sf/fantasy anthology is out in paperback- it’s called _Firebirds_, and has Garth Nix, Patricia McKillip, Diana Wynne Jones, and lots of other good writers in it. And it’s got a cool cover. Bill Bryson rocks, although he’s made me scared to visit Australia. Congrats and sympathy together, **taxi**. ---
**Author:** ![Lissla\_Lissar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/8491ac/32.png) [@Lissla\_Lissar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lissla_Lissar)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2005, 3:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/outdoor-family-time/303038/39 "2005-05-10T03:03:43Z")
Wooho! Welcome, **Hokkaido Brit**! At least two of my husbands are wildly jealous of you, because you live in Japan. Mr. Lissar and Attacks Things Randomly Husband (especially ATRH) are total Japanophiles. Both of them are, in fact, married to me, and I’m Japanese. Well, half. And only Mr. Lissar is actually married to me. Welcome, welcome! Have some… chocolate. Or Pocky. Or something. ---
**Author:** ![Hokkaido\_Brit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/d26b3c/32.png) [@Hokkaido\_Brit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hokkaido_Brit)\ **Post date:** [May 10, 2005, 5:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/outdoor-family-time/303038/40 "2005-05-10T05:04:19Z")
> [@Lissla Lissar](#): > > Wooho! Welcome, **Hokkaido Brit**! At least two of my husbands are wildly jealous of you, because you live in Japan. Mr. Lissar and Attacks Things Randomly Husband (especially ATRH) are total Japanophiles. Both of them are, in fact, married to me, and I’m Japanese. Well, half. And only Mr. Lissar is actually married to me. > > Welcome, welcome! Have some… chocolate. Or Pocky. Or something. Well, thank you for your welcome though I understand none of your relationships. Perhaps understanding comes with repeated applications of MMPs… Which half of you is Japanese? (Top half, bottom half, left half, right half?) My kids are called half here and I always want to ask which bit the person can’t see! Seriously, is your Mum or your Dad Japanese, and have you ever lived here? Pocky is yum! But my favourite chocolate which sadly was withdrawn a few months after it went on sale was “Nuts on Parade.” [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/outdoor-family-time/303038.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/outdoor-family-time/303038.md?page=3)