Are you a slave to traditional conventions? Do you do things the way everybody else does them? Would you like to try something different…..just a little bit out of the ordinary?

If all of the above are true…..try having a picnic in the winter. Who made the rule that picnics must take place in the summertime? It was probably some sissy who is afraid to try something a little bit out of the ordinary.

So…..rebel. Show your independence. Start the fire….a big one. Buy some hot dogs or hamburger or chicken or steak…..or anything else you like….and get ready to enjoy one of the great adventures of your life. Well….it probably doesn’t compare to getting married, having children, graduating from college or winning Power Ball. But, it is fun.

When Fayez Alruwaili…..my friend and recurring, semi-permanent guest from Saudi Arabia….was at my house during the Thanksgiving break, we bought a new fire ring, which we placed on the covered patio. In our sense of adventure, we couldn’t wait to try it out….and see if it really worked. I mean…..what is there to work? All you have to do is put some wood in it….light it….and let is burn. Anyway, we tried it….and it worked. But….we tried it at night….in the middle of the winter.

We bundled up in our warmest clothing….coat, stocking cap, scarf, gloves…..and set about having our night time cook out. Our first endeavor was rather unimaginative. We roasted hot dogs. But, a person has to start somewhere. We also bought some potato salad, some chips….the scoop kind….and some dip. That sounds like a picnic to me.

What you eat is up to you. Almost anything you can fix in the summer can also be fixed in the winter. We chose to start “simple”. But, we eventually worked our way up to more creative menus.

We sat in front of the fire, trying to keep warm, while holding the two prong hot dog “stick”, with a hot dog on each prong, over the fire. Fayez had never roasted hot dogs before. But, he caught on quickly. I mean…..it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to roast hot dogs.

The fire was burning brightly….flames leaping into the air….as we sat warming our hands….trying to keep warm (and for the most part succeeding)….and eating our hot dogs. It was a calm night, and the lack of wind helped in keeping us warm.

I am sure that our neighbors….and also passers by…..wondered what was going on. Two crazy people sitting on the patio in front of a roaring fire. We we were probably lucky they didn’t call the fire department to come put the fire out. Or a mental institution to come and take us away.

The food tasted good, though. And, the fire was cheery as we sat, ate, talked, and listened to the sounds of the night….the coyotes howl, the neighbors’ dogs bark (mostly at us), and the rustle of the trees as they swayed in the gentle breeze.

This was only a practice run….a warm up drill…..for our trip to the Missouri and Arkansas Ozarks during the Christmas holiday. We could have stayed in a motel. That would have cost at least twice as much as staying in a campground, though. And, the experience would not have been a fraction as exciting as staying in a campground.

 As we expected, we were the only campers in both of the campgrounds where we stayed. Several people in large RV’s were already well established at the KOA campground in Springfield, MO. We assumed that there were people living in them. We never actually saw anybody….but lights were on inside the RV’s. Aside from the RV’s, we pretty much had the campground to ourselves. We didn’t have to worry about disturbing other people….and we didn’t have to worry about other people disturbing us. A brave motorcyclist pitched a tent a couple hundred feet from us. But, we never saw him again after he went into his tent.

We bought three bundles of wood at the campground store. At first we bought only two bundles….but added another bundle as an after thought. And, it is a good thing we did. By the time we went into our cabin around midnight…..we had burned all the wood.

We could have stayed in a motel…..but it would have cost more twice as much. We could have gone to a restaurant to eat…..but that would have cost more than three or four times what we paid for our delicious fire-grilled Saudi Arabian meal. In a restaurant, all you do is order your food, eat it….and there is only a limited amount of it…..pay for it, and leave. Here in our campground, we had the joy of preparing our meal. Well, Fayez prepared it….but I had the joy of watching him. And, we had the joy of watching the food cook slowly over an open campfire. And…..most of all…..we had the joy of eating the delicious, tender, tasty food when it had cooked to perfection.

And, one of the greatest joys for me was the dishes…..or NOT having to wash a bunch of dishes. What did we have to wash? Really nothing. We used large plastic forks and knives; we used double strength paper plates; we drank pop from the can; we used used the “scoop chips” for the guacamole. When we were finished eating, we stuffed all of the trash into a bag…..and the dishes were done! Now we could kick back, relax, and enjoy the camp fire….and the cold, crisp night……and secretly laugh at all those people sitting in their RV’s who had not had nearly as much fun as we experienced.

 NO…..I am pretty sure we wouldn’t choose to do this every night. But, on a calm, not-so-frigid night, it is a fun, relaxing thing to do. Something just a little out of the ordinary….something to make other people wonder what is going on…..and something that breaks up the every day routine…..and a way to do some different every once in a while.

Don’t kid yourself. You need to have a big, warm fire. You need to be dressed warmly. And, you need a fairly calm, windless night. After some experimentation, we found that it is preferable to start the fire with charcoal….especially if you are going to prepare food. The charcoal starts more quickly; it gets hotter faster….and stay hotter longer. And, when you are ready to add wood to the fire…the wood starts burning quickly with a minimum of effort.

So….you think we are crazy? That’s OK. But, you will never know until you give it a try. And…..who knows? Maybe you will find out that you are actually adventurous enough….and tough enough….to enjoy it. Like Fayez and me.