This camping trip had been planned since winter. The details never got finalized until I set up my tent in the first weekend of June.  Bill; a longtime friend made plans to travel to Vermont from his home in Truckee, California. I hadn't seen the ole boy in over 10 years. We agreed to make plans to catch up and camp with one another. Unfortunatley he had to cancel at the last minute because of an illness in the family. This left me free to camp wherever I wanted. I already had the dates marked off as vacation days at work. There was no way I was cashing them in just to go back to work!  Ann felt like I needed this weekend alone with our new pup and bowed out from going.  Since we are on a mission to check off every State Park with a stay, Lake Shaftbury seemed to be viable option, when Bill was a part of the plan. Remote camping in the Green Mountain National Forest is also very appealing as well . After some reconnaissance missions and a bunch of research, nothing...

For me and my generation, it was the toys on the glossy pages in the back. I couldnt wait for it to arrive and circle my Christmas desires for ole Santa to see My mom's generation couldn't wait for it to arrive because it meant replenishing the outhouse for free. It was a sad day when they got to the glossy pages in the back. The not so smooth pages worked better and the glossy pages smeared. Mom is 90 now and her exemplary values and work ethic seem to be smeared from the pages of the past I'll never measure up to Granny's grit and determination, but I have learned a lot from her hardships of the Great Depression and that the glossy pages don't mean  $h!+