Heidi

Dissertation Year is on vacation this week/staff can't think of anything to write, so we are re-running some of your favorite DY hits of the past year.

(Summer, 2006)

You might think that when you take up with a rugged Canadian Canoe Counselor, you will be doing a lot of macho camping. And that's right! But despite my macho image, I was raised in a suburb and only camped once (in a backyard) and found the experience quite alarming and the danger level of camping generally under-rated.

Then I went on vacation to Maine (pictured) with CC. This was our first camping vacation. We camped at a Kampground of America because to CC 's disappointment, the rugged national park camp was full.

(Kampground of America (KOA) replaces all "C"s with "K"s and thus, unfailingly puts me in mind of the KKK, but I think that's accidental on their part.) They had this somewhat baffeling poster all over of "Heidi" holding an inflatable dinosaur, though there was no swimming pool to be seen. (see picture)

We arrived late the first night and set up our tent in the dark. It began to rain. In the middle of the night, the sounds of my own feet sloshing in a puddle woke me. Woah, I was like, camping emergency! And it was only the first night! Though shocked to realize that my initial inkling that camping was in fact dangerous and uncomfortable was plainly true, I knew this was my chance to show that at heart I was no suburban American, but a rugged camping woman who could sleep through anything, including a flood. I resolutely went back to sleep, bending my knees to avoid the puddle. I found that as the puddle grew, I could bend my knees more and more, till by morning I was curled into a ball, but a ball with a mainly dry torso, and a ball that was ready to spring up come morning and declare myself well rested!

The next morning, we saw that in the dark and confusion of the previous night, we'd set up our tent in a mud puddle in the parking area of our camp site (see picture). Then we realized why Heidi is holding that inflatable dinosaur. She's preparing to happily toss it to the Kampers who are sleeping in big mud puddles.