Yesterday was much more peaceful as several folks left in the morning. It was really quiet until late afternoon when the groups that remained got larger and louder.
I did my run and exercises, and then we read most of the day before playing a little Qwirkle. We then grilled some salmon for dinner and read some more by the campfire. Eventually, the noise got the best of us, so we retreated inside and closed everything up allowing the insulation and noise protection of our double-paned windows to block out the sounds of other groups of campers - they weren't being obnoxious, they were just too close. :)
Today, the Fourth of July, it was absolutely wonderful. Most people left before noon.
There were lots of people with the two travel trailers next to us, but the grandson, Steve, did everything he could possibly do to keep their group from being a nuisance. He made sure his group moved away from our rig as they expanded and got louder, he made sure people controlled and picked up after their dogs, he kept the kids from running through our site, and much more. As they left today, I made a point of telling him that we noticed his efforts and appreciated them greatly.
Sometimes all it takes is an effort to show some consideration for others. When people act like they are the only ones around and can do anything they want without any consideration for other campers, everything they do becomes more noticeable and more annoying. But when a clear effort is made acknowledging and respecting others, the level of tolerance just seems to naturally increase and everyone can enjoy themselves in different ways together.
Today was so quiet, especially in the afternoon. We continued our reading and I did some research on where we are going next. The ranger told me there is another free camping spot similar to this one up near the Adirondacks, so I think that is our next destination. If nothing else, we'll use it as a base to scout what else might be available up in that area.
We were invited to a cookout in Ithaca this afternoon, but we were just so comfortable and relaxed, we decided to decline. Other than Linda's brief grocery run on Friday, we haven't left our campsite the whole weekend. That's our tendency - we let all the people that are off work for the weekend have their fun and then we do our recreational activities during the week when there are fewer people and everything is a bit calmer.
We celebrated Independence Day independently without loud bangs and fireworks. Our celebration was peace, quiet, relaxation, some chops on the grill, and the sounds of the birds and breezes in the trees. We considered going up in the fire tower to watch some fireworks as we thought that might be pretty cool, but the coolness factor apparently wasn't enough to motivate us up the steps in the dark.
When we went to bed, we could hear rumbles of fireworks around the lakes which just sounded like soothing, distant thunder. And we were thankful to be in the good ol' USA. :)
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