Friday, September 6, 2024

Freezing At Portland Tractor Show



It was 2 weeks early.  But...necessary.

If you want your favorite spot in which to camp, you have to go at the first opportunity and claim it with stakes and ropes that have your name attached in plastic (it will rain!).

This is at the annual Tri-State Gas Engine and Antique Tractor Show in Portland, IN.

With an exhibit in the fair grounds, you can camp all week for $20 in the adjacent field.

LOL, we froze the first night. 

We were parked in line at 10 p.m. and we weren't the first!  There were probably 10 -15 other camping vehicles in line ahead of us.  But we were there to spend the night and enter the gates at 7 a.m.  
 
We froze.  Man, it had been so hot all week we never gave a thought to sleeping conditions a bit further north.

So, we froze that first night.   
Until brother came and showed us how to operate the camper heater, duh......
"Besides that," he said, "you have a thermostat somewhere."
"We do?"
"Oh.  Yah, we do.  It's on the wall next to me," Jeani agreed.
Well, for crying out loud!


That night I was in the big bed which is made by lowering the dining table and putting cushions on top.  Jeani, co-camper, was in the bottom bunk's double bed in the back. 

I froze.  I wore my coat over my clothes which were over my pajamas.  I stacked the back booth's cushions strategically around my body to confine body heat.  I even pulled the pillowcase off the pillow and wrapped it around my head.  I only had a sheet.  Still ... freezing. 

Jeani told me earlier in the evening that she brought a sleeping bag.

So, afraid I'd disturb her and afraid that it was just me that was cold, I refrained from getting up.  Besides, I didn't want to loose my body heated warmed bed.  

Never-ya-mind that I could get up to get blankets, I didn't want to wake her, I suffered until morning.  Once, I did dare. I dared to shine my cellphone light on her -- she was wrapped in black, and snoring.  Yes.  She was too snoring.  Don't believe her if she says she wasn't.  

Early a.m., sun still striving to get up,  I told her I thought she slept well in her sleeping bag,.

Surprise!  
Jeani said, "That wasn't a sleeping bag, that was ground cover."  Ut oh!


                                         This is literary license, it's called an aside:  
     There was a big mouth frog who wanted to know what other animals ate for breakfast.
     He loudly asked the giraffe, "What do you eat for breakfast?"
     "Leaves."
     Big mouth frog said that wouldn't do for him.
     Big mouth frog then asked the elephant, "What do you eat for breafast?"
     "Tree bark, and plants."
     Big mouth frog loudly said that he preferred flies.
     Then big mouth frog came upon an alligator.
     "What do you eat for breakfast?"
     Alligator replied, "Big mouth frogs."
     Big mouth frog shriveled up his lips, made a small o with a pucker, and said, "Ut oh, I haven't seen   
          any of those around lately."  And immediately hopped away.


That's how I felt when Jeani said, "... that was ground cover." 
Ut-oh, hop away, hop away!

In reality, I said, "Wished I'd have known.  I have a blanket for every bed in here, at least 4."

With exceptional speed, she REARED UP IN BED, and in a shocked voice said,

"BLANKETS!  We had blankets!???!"

Ut oh.



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