Looking back at May 2014!

MONTH IN REVIEWOne dentist appointment/ cleaning and x-raysCancelled Massage Envy subscription One weekend camping (a.k.a. glamping) trip with teenagersWelcomed hubby back from 5 night business trip to the East CoastOne three day trip to Los AngelesAttended daughters graduationHosted 3 luncheons for her and friends in Los Angeles at (BJ’s, Islands, and Benihana’s)Solicited two estimates from contractors on side fence repairSolicited estimate and measurement on front door replacementStill waiting for estimate on plumbing, pedestal sink replacementCleared clutter from computer cabinetCleared clutter from front coat closetSold three items on eBaySent teenage son off to three day trip to Disneyland with high school bandRemoved hair extensionsAttended burrito night party at brothers house during Memorial Day weekendSlow cooked ribs on Memorial Day for familyOne pedicure/ two manicuresKept up with busy work schedule responsibilities by working harderConsidering volunteer work for Habitat for Humanity or office workWhew!
Wish List for JunePicnic with Outdoor AfrosPicnic with Local One UnionPurchase foldable wagon to carry stuffDinner with Co-worker at Z Café in downtown OaklandList My Scene Barbie lot on eBay for saleList 3 packaged Barbie on eBay for saleList big bratz dolls on eBay for saleList fur coat for saleRe-join Outdoor Afros and get on email list.Register for tickets to Sunday in the Redwoods concert tickets for this fall
Camping with the Northern California Outdoor Afros




The first weekend of the month I packed the back of Darryl’s Suburban up with my camping stuff and joined the Outdoor Afros on their first beginners camping trip at Lake Chabot campground. I convinced the teenagers to come with me but not the husband as he’d just returned from a five day business trip to the East Coast. My daughter only made it the first night as the toilets were”pit toilets” and very gross. Nevertheless, I had packed way too much stuff but it was my first attempt at “glamping” and I wanted to be comfortable. Basically, I had an entire cot bed with a beautiful set of bed sheets and nice comforter. I was very comfortable and warm.
I’m not sure what the rest of the stuff I had in the back of the car was, oh yeah my son brought his entire bedding as well as his electric  bass guitar and a bunch of other stuff. There was a small group of campers but there were two other teen age boys who my son was able to bond with. The girls “hated “ the trip although they did decide to go on a hike and bonded in their hatred for the occasion. As I mentioned the group was called Outdoor Afros and they are a group started in Oakland which now has chapters all across the United States. It was the first beginner camping trip held for the Northern California chapter. I brought all my stuff which was a good thing because no one else brought plates (notice my large assortment of colored dishes, flatware, and stemware) , dishwashing supplies or stuff to make hot water for tea or hot cocoa in the morning so I ended up just leaving it out on the table for everyone to use. We had a "cook" who prepared all the meals.

 Thank God I remembered the Girl Scout trick of hanging a bar of soap on the water faucet to use to wash hands. I noticed the cook using the soap several times. Food was provided on Saturday and Sunday morning. Below is a picture of a few of us having breakfast. 
Meals consisted of pancakes, eggs, turkey bacon and orange juice for breakfast, homemade chicken soup for lunch and some chili for dinner. The first night we brought our own dinner. I brought hotdogs buns and condiments as well as subway sandwiches.  We also were instructed to bring our own snacks so I had some wine in small bottles which I didn’t drink, stuff for so’mores, popcorn, bags of chips and watermelon and fruit.

I found a string of solar powered lights at Big Lots and hung them on the outside of my tent.  Late in the evening when it got dark enough they illuminated. My friend lent me a camp table and I set it outside my tent with a flameless battery operated candle. 
I hung a plastic chandelier in my tent.  The group was nice enough. There were four of us who weren't official Outdoor Afro leaders. One lady was a single mom with her son. The other was a single lady about 39 or 40. One was a aged single school teacher and me with my two teenagers. All of the ladies were impressed to see my efforts at "glamping" Glamour camping and told me that I taught them somethings. The woman who was one of the "leaders" tent blew away because she hadn't staked it down. There were three men "leaders" and they brought all the food and had some extra tents. They help us gals put the tents up. One of the male leaders brought his family which included a teen aged son who goes to a local high school and plays football so my son was extra happy to find a like-minded pal. The girls were all like-minded that they "hated" the trip and would rather be elsewhere. I think the pit toilet had something to do with it. Although there was a flush toilet a short walk away and a shower / bathroom within driving distance. On Saturday Morning after breakfast the men got in the car and drove down to the lake where some professional fisherman gave fishing lessons. The women could have gone too but it seemed like a male  trip. The younger boy that came with his mom knew how to fish but my son and the other high school students were learning. Later on Saturday afternoon, there was a long group hike and Darryl conveniently drove up to meet us. My daughter quickly packed her stuff and threw it in the car with the intent she was not spending another night outside in a tent. When everyone returned from the hike, I cut the watermelon and served it for a post hike snack. I also had some carrots and another woman brought out a big bag of popcorn to share. Saturday night we had a special guest Mikeeda Turell , former black panther and Oakland native come to impart wisdom in the African American tradition through story telling. It was fun. Her message was "deep". I'm still processing it. anyway...The teenagers stayed up late talking around the campfire roasting marshmallows. I forgot about the jiffy pop popcorn I had in the trunk of my car but the kids seem to have a good enough time.









Prior to the trip I’d purchased another tent at Walmart. It was supposed to be a four person tent but it was just the right size for John to set up his cot and bring all his stuff inside. 
At first he grumbled about having to use that tent but it was the perfect bachelor tent. Darrylann and I spent the first night in our family tent before she decided to go home with her dad. I look forward to planning another camping trip with my family or with Outdoor Afros.
My daughters college graduation!Rebecca graduated from California State University at Northridge ( a section of the city of Los Angeles) on Monday, May 20, 2014. 
I couldn't help but shed a tear.