Puff the Magic Camping Trip Adventure

Yes, those were the days.

Boys were men, girls were women, geeks were nerds and puff the magic dragon was all the rage. It was a time when all us youngsters were still attempting to figure out who we were. Some still are, but I digress.

It was summer, a time for fishing, swimming, biking and even a camping trip adventure. And so the story begins with a handy checklist of required necessities for the trip.

Sleeping bag? Check.

Clothes? Check.

Hair drier? Check.

Alarm clock? Check.

Electric blanket? Check.

I was ready for camping in style, the style of a nerd that is. Whatever did happen to those elevator shoes I wonder?

Arriving at our camp I immediately set to the task of unpacking just as everyone else did. The others seemed to think this would be a great opportunity to poke fun at me for some of the things I had brought. I didn't mind, I was in a class of my own. Yeah, I sure was.

Each cabin held about 6 people. As night number one approached we all got ready for bed. I still remember all the screams of adjusting to cold coverings as I snuggled nicely under my electric blanket and drifted off to dreamland.

As the night progressed a cabin mate wakes with the thoughts of it being very foggy during this night. Attempting to drift back to sleep he suddenly becomes aware that this fog smells. Yes smelly fog, or wait, it smells like smoke. Yes. That's it, smoke. Something's burning.

He quickly scans the room hoping to discover the problem. Setting eyes upon my sleeping location he realizes that smoke is rising from my bed. He quickly wakes me and we begin our investigation.

What do you mean you don't tuck in electric blankets?

Dragging mattress outside we found the smoldering ruins of a gigantic crevice in my mattress. So much for camping in style, I mused. That was an action I would not live down for many days to come.

Today I look back at my puff the magic mattress with fond memories of humor. Then, of course, my only thought was that I couldn't even get being a nerd right. Without such funny events of past like this camping trip adventure how would I possibly appreciate who I have become today. Oh, I've still got my quirky ways, which leave others to wonder what planet I came from, but at least now I've learned how to laugh with the rest.