4. Campfires

A campfire is a feast for the senses. Watch the flames dance in bright shades of orange. Listen to the wood crackle as it is consumed. Feel the dry warmth radiate from the coals. Fill your nose with the pungent aroma of charred wood. You can even taste a campfire in the unmistakable smokiness of a marshmallow cooked over an open flame!

I like camping, and the campfire is by far the best part. But I grew up in a family of pyros with a mom who despises camping. So it didn't take long before we chose to bypass the camping part altogether and just burn things in our backyard. My dad was pretty creative with his fuel sources. Typically it was wood directly from trees, but there was a palate of old bowling pins one time that I feel is worth mentioning.

Evenings spent around our non-camping campfires are some of my best memories. Not that anything particularly momentous happened around the campfire, but there was something almost magic about being our under the stars enjoying the feast for the senses in the company of my family. We would stay up late and just talk about whatever: current events, past shenanigans, or future dreams. Friends and neighbors often stopped by making the campfire the number one social hot spot (heh, pun absolutely intended) on East Ogden Circle! I learned a lot around the campfire, not the least of which was how to build one properly.

A fireplace just isn't the same for me. I like that a campfire demands your undivided attention on a dark night. I also like how a campfire is the focal point of the gathering, and that people sit around it on all sides. For some reason I think that leads to more thought provoking conversation. Even though my parents have traded in the traditional campfire for a wood burning stove by the back porch, it still captures the essence of a campfire for me.

We are going camping for the first time as a family over Memorial Day weekend. I hope that we can start making the same campfire memories for my son that I had growing up. Or maybe he'll just grow up to be a pyro. Whatev. :-)