tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post1102443569371768312..comments2024-03-28T09:50:50.042-04:00Comments on Jungle Red Writers: Mike Cooper: Camping = ReadingJungle Red Writershttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16646429819267618412noreply@blogger.comBlogger21125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-44306510883228273792013-12-13T09:25:38.412-05:002013-12-13T09:25:38.412-05:00I would definitely spend holidays in that area. Th...I would definitely spend holidays in that area. Thanks,http://last-minute.cohttp://last-minute.conoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-66461311783041248952013-06-21T15:34:23.523-04:002013-06-21T15:34:23.523-04:00I had a book with me today while I was waiting at ...I had a book with me today while I was waiting at the doctor's office.<br />The last official camping trip my husband and I took was Memorial Day weekend in about 2003 maybe when we lived in Minnesota. We went Up North, not realizing it traditionally rains that weekend. And so it did. After one night my husband wussed out and got a motel room. I've never let him forget it either! We did get to see a young moose on the road, so that was a highlight. Now we're back in Texas and it is too freakin' hot to camp in the summertime, altho we did once upon a time.Pat Dnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-7652291400891919412013-06-21T15:14:00.452-04:002013-06-21T15:14:00.452-04:00Hi Mike! (Hi, Sophie, too!) What a great post. I t...Hi Mike! (Hi, Sophie, too!) What a great post. I think we can take it for granted that all of us here either posting or reading Jungle Red read:-)<br /><br />My family were NOT campers, so that's an experience, other than a bit with Scouts and in college, that I missed out on. But my parents loved to take car trips all over the country, and of course we always had books, although much to my disappointment I got motion sick if I read in the car. (Still do...)<br /><br />Mike, I loved the comment about the hobos. One of the most memorable and poignant things I've ever seen in London was a homeless guy who camped out every night in front of Peter Jones department store in Sloane Square. (For those of you not familiar with London, this is VERY swanky real estate.) This guy would get settled with his cardboard and his sleeping bag when the shops closed, and beside him would be a huge pile of tattered paperback books. He didn't have a place to sleep, but he could still read.Debhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11519514786198185277noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-75263778698067370642013-06-21T12:25:16.700-04:002013-06-21T12:25:16.700-04:00Walt's Bike Shop! There's another memory. ...Walt's Bike Shop! There's another memory. I just looked them up and they're still around, remarkably. And Tang, gosh, haven't had THAT since I was about ten.<br /><br />The post was more provocative than I actually believe, regarding the future of reading. Most everyone I know still reads books, including novels, and our daughter and her peers (tween-going-on-teenagers) read even more than I did at their age. Still, the lure of those electronic screens is hard to ignore ...Mike Cooperhttp://www.mikecooper.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-13123165224239316612013-06-21T12:03:08.473-04:002013-06-21T12:03:08.473-04:00I don't camp any longer. But I still read--and...I don't camp any longer. But I still read--and my kids (now grown and busy as can be) still read. That makes me happy.<br /><br />I've nothing against e-readers, but they're too expensive for kids whose families are in poverty--as mine was when I was young. Books were my salvation. I hope libraries don't get rid of all their physical books so they can still be the salvation of other kids.Linda Rodriguezhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/11913741596693442469noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-29747214954473691002013-06-21T11:18:35.139-04:002013-06-21T11:18:35.139-04:00I can so relate to this post! Some of my happiest ...I can so relate to this post! Some of my happiest childhood moments were camping in the Sierras in our canvas tents and cotton sleeping bags. A big treat was getting to have Tang for our morning juice. And always books.<br /><br />We camped when our kids were young, too, in New Hampshire, and they were (and are as adults) constant readers. There is hope for the world.Edith Maxwellhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01388006370860482509noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-64484207677256362702013-06-21T10:58:40.067-04:002013-06-21T10:58:40.067-04:00I was walking to the gym and reading a book the ot...I was walking to the gym and reading a book the other day and a man on a bicycle stopped to tell me, with typical oakland enthusiasm, that he and i would keep literature going for the whole world. He insisted we were the only readers left. When I told him I write for a living he gave me a pitying look and rode away.<br /><br />You know what's funny, Mike? All those years when we were lugging our books around (remember Walt's Bike store canvas backpacks?) I felt like I was missing out on something. Some other activity that more interesting people were doing. Now I realize that I was *becoming* interesting with every word I read.<br /><br />Thanks for posting the picture from that cherished trip. The big boy took my old kindle to his park ranger job this summer...but I don't think it gets much use. All the rangers, on their days off, play games on their laptops. And my daughter spent all of last afternoon assembling a fake fast-food burger meal from a japanese kit. (???) I guess I probably would have done that too, given the choice. :)Sophie Littlefieldhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16578153078188007343noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-40214901244960124462013-06-21T10:44:49.600-04:002013-06-21T10:44:49.600-04:00"Water purifier" - that brings back some..."Water purifier" - that brings back some memories too! My first backpacking trip (age 16) we just assumed there would be water available; of course there wasn't, and arriving at the end of a hot day, bottles empty, scorching thirsty ... we then had to boil river water, and drink it hot.<br /><br />When I traveled abroad, in Asia, it was right before plastic water bottles showed up for sale everywhere, so I mostly used iodine or boiling. (Except in Tasmania, where we could drink directly from streams and lakes - I wonder if that's still true?)<br /><br />These newfangled hand-pump purifiers seem like the cat's meow, though.Mike Cooperhttp://www.mikecooper.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-72175666171186875762013-06-21T10:40:52.788-04:002013-06-21T10:40:52.788-04:00Brenda, you make it sound like heaven:)
Ro, that&...Brenda, you make it sound like heaven:)<br /><br />Ro, that's a good idea, make a plan to use it or lose it. We drove by the Grand Canyon of Pennsylvania last weekend and it looked like lovely camping territory!<br /><br />Mike, I graduated past the thermarest and insisted on bringing a double foam-rubber mattress that we dubbed "big-mat"when we went camping as adults. I think it's still up in the attic waiting...Lucy Burdette aka Roberta Isleibhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04660402177299546055noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-72967031786780610952013-06-21T10:23:12.109-04:002013-06-21T10:23:12.109-04:00There must be something in the air - hubby and I h...There must be something in the air - hubby and I had the "are we ever gonna use this stuff again" conversation yesterday. We decided that in the next 12 months we were going to try to use all of it - the tent, the screen house, the backpacks, water purifier, etc. I'll let you know how that goes!Rosemary Harrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08033747422699443024noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-59599491880549398452013-06-21T10:19:48.021-04:002013-06-21T10:19:48.021-04:00Silas - Appalachia - fracking? Can't wait for...Silas - Appalachia - fracking? Can't wait for your next book, Mike! <br /><br />We are in our 50s and have no kids but we still go camping and always bring a goodly number of books along because after a nice hike and a quick dip in the lake or ocean (depends where we've pitched our tent) there is nothing quite like settling in to a comfy camp chair with a book. A little bug dope behind the ears and a campfire that will later become a cookfire keeps the blackflies at bay, and we are two happy girls.<br /><br />One summer in my twenties I think I slept outside almost as many nights as I slept inside. It is an exquisite pleasure that I hope I never grow too old to savor.<br /><br />Our gear is mostly LL Bean, culled from the outlet. (Another advantage of living in Maine ...)Brenda Buchananhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14161539130987122737noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-40095418051200303612013-06-21T10:11:17.074-04:002013-06-21T10:11:17.074-04:00Reading and camping? Well, even if I had en e-rea...Reading and camping? Well, even if I had en e-reader, the battery wouldn't last long in the wilderness. And though I always take a book with me, usually by the time we find a campsite, make camp, make supper, eat supper and clear up, it's dark.<br /><br />But my solid book time when camping comes when my partner is at one end of the canoe fishing, and I'm at the other end, reading.Susan Dhttp://www.destevenson.orgnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-38295996075814847972013-06-21T09:41:24.187-04:002013-06-21T09:41:24.187-04:00Sandi reminds me that I always had books along on ...Sandi reminds me that I always had books along on our childhood camping trips -- I'd forgotten about that. They didn't always survive the rain and mud very well :)<br /><br />Roughing it is no longer my style, particularly. In my twenties I could sleep on concrete with a bit of cardboard or a sweater for a pad; now I use the thickest, heaviest Thermarest available and still wake up cranky!<br /><br />Hallie, thanks for asking about Silas. He's off to Pittsburgh this time, in the decaying Rust Belt and fracking fields of Appalachia. More <a href="http://www.mikecooper.com/full-ratchet-2/" rel="nofollow">here</a>.Mike Cooperhttp://www.mikecooper.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-30227171970242144662013-06-21T09:38:25.758-04:002013-06-21T09:38:25.758-04:00Gee, as far as I'm concerned, reading on an e-...Gee, as far as I'm concerned, reading on an e-reader is just as good as reading an old-fashioned book! To me, it's the content that matters, NOT the container. I've been using an e-reader for a couple of years, and at this point I can't remember which book I've read on the e-reader and which one I've read the "old-fashioned" way. (This reminds me that my Shakespeare professor told us that she couldn't remember which of Shakespeare's plays she had read and which ones she'd seen in the theater. That's happened to me, too, with Shakespeare.)<br /><br />I'm still never without a book (whether "real" or electronic) - or two or three or four - and always have something to read in waiting rooms, on trains, at home, at the beach. My dad put together a collage of family photos back in the seventies. I hated the photo of me that he picked for the display - chubby twelve year old girl having her usual Bad Hair Day. He was surprised I didn't like it and said it was his favorite picture of me as a child. I thought he liked it because our family was enjoying a day at the beach. (His only day off was Sunday and he worked long hours during the week, so family time was limited.) He and Mom are gone now, and one of my sisters has the collage hanging up in her house. I looked closely at it a couple of years ago and noticed that that chubby twelve year old with the bad hair is holding a book in her hands as she looks up at Dad.Deb Romanonoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-33660241438929182982013-06-21T09:05:27.014-04:002013-06-21T09:05:27.014-04:00Another new series to experience! Thanks for shar...Another new series to experience! Thanks for sharing, Mike.<br /><br />My idea of roughing it is a Holiday Inn with no mini-fridge. I was never a willing camper although I did spend some time in tents with Girl Scouts. My husband and I spend a year touring the country in our motorhome back in the late 90s. But that had a microwave, satellite tv, and air conditioning.<br /><br />I never go anywhere without a book. As a kid, I would read in the car but I'd get a headache. Now I have my audiobooks or iBook.Marianne in Mainenoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-91985784599477511622013-06-21T09:01:45.684-04:002013-06-21T09:01:45.684-04:00I guess my family is anachronistic. We all read. ...I guess my family is anachronistic. We all read. My husband is more of a periodical reader, but my sons and I definitely love books. And we still camp. In tents. Without spending an arm and a leg. <br /><br />Thinking about that particular quirk of ours has brightened my morning. Thank you, Mike!Susanhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/08292993485984273172noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-46032548673135733732013-06-21T08:46:23.075-04:002013-06-21T08:46:23.075-04:00I was just in my garage yesterday noticing all the...I was just in my garage yesterday noticing all the camping gear that will never again be used... not if I can help it! Leaky tents. That's what I remember. And it ALWAYS rained. And we were too cheap to spring for a motel. <br /><br />Yes, I agree, the upside was no cell phones (remember waiting for the phone booth and saving up quarters to pay?) and real books. <br /><br />Congratulations on the new book, Mike! How about a teensy clue as to where you're taking Silas Cade this time?Hallie Ephronhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04759439029582054503noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-12835776964378669452013-06-21T08:45:40.532-04:002013-06-21T08:45:40.532-04:00That's quite a vision Sandi!
We spent vacatio...That's quite a vision Sandi!<br /><br />We spent vacations crossing the country with a pop-up trailer, 4 kids, and a dog--and always books!<br /><br />I love the campsite with the view of Boston, Mike!Lucy Burdette aka Roberta Isleibhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04660402177299546055noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-43163980727166053152013-06-21T07:55:08.196-04:002013-06-21T07:55:08.196-04:00I love my books, but I'm a dedicated e-reader ...I love my books, but I'm a dedicated e-reader now. It never leaves my side, and I always have a new book at my fingertips. <br /><br />We went camping every weekend throughout the summer until I was about 13. We had butterfly chairs (metal folding frame with a heavy canvas cover that hooked over the corners) that I spent hours in with my books. I was a skinny little kid, and liked to read in them upside down, with my head on the lower edge of the frame and my feet dangling over the back.Sandihttp://piecemealquilts.com/noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-42536423321977908962013-06-21T06:53:50.250-04:002013-06-21T06:53:50.250-04:00We takes books with us everywhere. Why read the o...We takes books with us everywhere. Why read the old magazines in the MD's office when you have a book! A book is still the cheapest travel I know. DeeGramnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1001156153899984046.post-79731005503947548732013-06-21T06:18:16.770-04:002013-06-21T06:18:16.770-04:00I’m guessing that those playground “comments” aren...I’m guessing that those playground “comments” aren’t necessarily asking for recommendations on the newest book releases, which actually saddens me a great deal . . . and cheers to your children taking books with them instead of phones! Every child that reads and loves books is a promise that their generation will not forget about the importance of reading a book. It’s impossible to imagine not having something to read . . . let’s hope there’s always a place for a book, no matter what the form . . . .Joan Emersonnoreply@blogger.com