A Warm Stove And A Rainy Day

One of those days,

with some nice rain and a good wind to go along with it.

And you just think: we're so comfortable inside, warm and dry.

And so I took my tarp, my stove, some wood (I always keep a nice stash of dry wood ready, just in case I feel like heading out), and my handmade walking sticks (I prefer wood for walking sticks, personally)... packed everything... By that point, the dogs were already excited. They knew something was about to happen.

And out we went. Camping with dogs doesn't always require a grand expedition. Sometimes, a rainy afternoon is all you need.

First for a walk, because... hey, why not? We're going out to get wet; might as well get a little wet. Late summer, the rain is still warm. Nothing like that late-October rain that snaps you right out of it the moment it drips down your neck.

Heck, at one point, the sun even pierced through the clouds for a while. Just enough to bring back some much-needed solar power.

A bit of sunshine, let's full the batteries with much needed solar power.

But then it started raining again, much harder this time. So we had to head back and find a spot to set up some kind of temporary shelter.

I hadn't brought any food, but at least we had the stove and some wood. Hopefully still dry.

And so I quickly set up a simple lean-to, took out the stove, and started working on a fire.

A simple leant-to shelter with a tarp and two walking sticks. Nothing crazy.

The dogs were curious, as always, about where all this would lead.

Unfortunately, not to a meal this time, my boys.

Thachi would come to check on me, then go back to play with Afex for a little while. Then Prince would come to check on me, then Thachi would come back to make sure no food had appeared.

Prince and Thachi wondering if there will be food also...

Meanwhile, all I wanted was a good fire! At this point, a much-needed one.

Thachi and Prince playing together while me and Afex relax under the tarp.

Taking a moment like this is everything. A simple moment with my dogs, out in the elements... and all of us keeping the fire of life alive for each other.

Yes, it's raining, but we got this. Let us set up a simple shelter. Let us gather close to each other and enjoy the time we have.

Afex never misses the chance to grab some love.

Being wet wasn't the fun part. Managing to take pictures and film some moments to turn them into a watchable video wasn't particularly fun either.

Some things are just not fun in the moment... if you expect something from that moment.

Dogs are here to remind you: be here. Be, now.

And this is why they're so precious.

I love you so much, my crazy boys.

Watch the Adventure.