Campfire Park Delivers
Campfire Park Newsletter, June 2021

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Howdy Folks,

And welcome to the campfire.

Our goals?

  1. Create quality campfire talks (Firelight Radio YouTube Channel)
  2. Post them to Campfire Park’s website (https://savvyoutsider.com)
  3. Home deliver them to your email inbox (Subscribe now)

Campfire Tip 1: Using The Log Pile

The Log Pile is our archive of long-form campfire talks. Well, actually, there not very long. Maybe a half hour or so (it varies). And they aren’t just one continuous talk. Rather, they are short videos separated by what we call “campfire breaks.” Basically they are a play list of 4-9 shorter videos hosted on our Firelight Radio YouTube Channel.

Check out the Log Pile here.

Campfre Tip 2: Using the Kindling Box

The Log Pile is our archive of short-form campfire talks. Basically, these are 3-7 minute quick-hits. Just short videos with a fun or enlightening campfire message for you to consider and share with a friend.

Check out the Kindling Box here.

Campfire Tip 3: Campfire Park Delivers!

More than just a website, Campfire Park brings the campfire to you. And specifically, straight to your email inbox. All you have to do is subscribe to our newsletter. You’ll get an email chock full of campfire talks and tips a few times per month.

Subcribe to our mailing list here.

Final Tip: Join the campfire!

Here at Campfire Park, the campfire is always crackling and visitors are always welcome. In fact, we have a campfire talk just about to start. So don’t delay, and join us around the right. We think you’ll like what we’re all about.

Click here to join the campfire.

Hope to see you there!

P.S. Please share with a friend!

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I don’t know much, but I’m inclined to spill whatever I do out at the campfire

— Old Miner

“Campfire Break” Factor
The breaks that tie the campfire together

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Woven through all our campfire talks …

Are a series of “campfire breaks.”

Campfire breaks explained

What exactly is a campfire break? Think of them as commercials, although not for any economic gain. The idea is this: Instead of serving you up one long talk (that might cause some of you to fall asleep), we’ve broken our campfire talks into little bite-size chunks. That gives you the discretion to listen to the whole thing, or pick and choice the parts you want.

And for us, it allows a modular approach. We can mix and max short videos to get the large and small messages across. Even more than that, we think the combination of long-form talk and with quick-hit breaks helps adds a dynamic element to our campfire events.

Try not to overthink a song. Go with what pops in your head, run with it, and don’t stop until you cross the finish line.

— Bobby Angel

Accidental Trilogy???

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The origin of this book is as improbable as it is absurd.

In December 2014 Rudi was trying to get back in the groove of civilian life after returning from a nine month tour overseas in Kuwait while Bob was on the mend from a procedure to get his heart to beat right.

But for one night everything was right, perfect in fact. Big Cypress National Preserve was celebrating its fortieth birthday at the Collier County Museum. As the festivities wound down, Bob found himself entering the ember glow and crackle of the campfire to take a brief respite when a lumbering Rudi stepped forth from the shadows.

“Can you help a fellow American down on his luck?” Rudi asked with a slightly brooding look on his face. The flicker, aroma and sound of the campfire also made him simultaneously relax as he approached.

South Florida’s winter tourist season was just about to begin. Three weeks and it would be in full swing. The kickoff for Rudi was January 9th. That’s when he was scheduled to give an evening talk around a campfire at a remote campground ― halfway the distance between Miami and Naples ― in the epicenter of the swamp preserve.

“I love the idea behind the campfire program,” Rudi lamented as he settled in around the orb of light and reached for a slider sandwich that Bob offered from his paper plate. “The problem is, nowadays, the actual campfire … munch munch … is almost an afterthought. It’s the giant outdoor screen that gets all the audience’s attention. I just sit in back … munch munch … and let the Power Point do all the work … munch munch.”

“A POWER POINT at a campfire? Apocryphal!” Bob stammered in disbelief. He flicked a pebble toward the pulsing embers. “—That doesn’t seem right.”

Rudi conceded as much as he gestured toward the campfire with a second slider sandwich he’d grabbed from the plate.

“The campfire should be ‘center stage.’ It’s how Yellowstone … munch munch … the entire National Park system … and human civilization for that matter … got its start.”

Rudi looked at the lone remaining slider. “—Are you gonna eat that?” he asked looking up.

“No, take it. It’s all yours.”

“Thanks man,” Rudi said in a brightening tone. “These sandwiches … munch munch … are really delicious. What are they?’’

“Pulled pork.”

“Oh yeah … munch munch … so, like I was sayin’ about the campfire …”

. . .

Fast forward a week later to the edge of town where Bob greeted Rudi with a proposition he couldn’t turn down. “What do you say you forget about the Power Point?” Bob suggested. “We’ll partner up to do a campfire talk ‘on the campfire,’ just you, me … and my guitar.”

“So … are you going to send me an email?”

“NO! I’m not gonna send any EMAIL … for crying out loud!” Bob gasped. “― A presentation like this, you gotta work on in-person. It’s a theatrical production.”

“You mean like Vaudeville?”

“NO! Not Vaudeville. I’m talking Off-Broadway. You gotta carefully choreograph everything in real space. It’s more than just a script.”

Rudi nodded his head as the concept slowly soaked in. A moment or two later he broke out of his reverie with an affirmative yes.

In fact, he called it a “capital idea.”

Read more

It’s a new dawn with Candidate Burt Silver, but only because he stayed up all night to see it

— Burt Silver

Art of Slowing Down
And why the Tortoise always wins

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What’s the right speed …

When you’re driving through nature?

Getting there fast is overrated

Answer: Somewhere between the velocity of the Tortoise and the Hare. And if we’ve learned anything from that fable: Going slower actually gets you there first. (Just ask the poor hare – he’s never won once! Once of these days the Hare is going to wisen up and challenge the Tortoise to a sprint.)

Reminder: Wherever you drive, forget to to keep a vigilant eye out for both, especially in roads that traverse conservation lands. Rabbits and turtles call those places home, and both too frequently are common roadkill.

Other advantages of going slow?

  • It increases your time to think and decompress.
  • More quality radio and audio book listening time.
  • You lead by example by showing other people how to drive.
  • Driving the speed limit is safer.
  • You probably save on gas.

P.S. And if run across any litter, pick it up. It does a place well to see it litter free.

Remember the Rule of the Ninja: Never fear, never doubt, and never over think.

— Ranger Rudi

Rereadable
Rediscover Your Bookshelf

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My name is Mr. Bookshelf. And I know what you’re thinking: “Oh, just another bookshelf that collects dust.” Actually, not at all. I’m actually quite evolved. In fact, I’ve learned to speak!

A talking bookshelf!? Well yes, what was I supposed to do? Ever since the invention of the smartphone, people have been ignoring me. So much so that I accumulated a thick layer of dust. That’s when I took matters into my own hands and learned to speak. I had to! Really it was the only way to distract you all from your phones. Why spend time with your bookshelf? Think of me as the “daytime equivalent” of a campfire. It’s where you go to reconnect with what’s important in your life. Most of all your Rereadables – i.e. those book you go back to time and time again.

So welcome and pull up a seat: We have a lot of rereading to do!

The campfire is always crackling and visitors are always welcome at Campfire Park

— Cowboy at the Campfire

Penmanshape
Time for a Handwriting Workout!

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Time for a handwriting workout with Cap’n Killivine. Why? Because in the age of smart phones we’ve all but forgotten the fine art of penning handwritten letters. Do you remember the last time you received a non-bill or non-junk spam in the mail. That’s right, I’m talking about a real bonafide letter from a friend. More than likely its been a long time. And mostly because you’ve spent the past decade texting and emailing each other back and forth. But was there ever a better exercise than handwriting a letter to a friend, by for the writer and the person waiting on the receiving end. That’s where Penmanshape comes into play. A letter can be as rejuvenating as it can be salve for what ails you in life. Granted, a letter will not move mountains, but it can help steer someone, both the writer and the receiver, to a more human level. There’s just something about holding a handwritten letter in your hand. You’ll read over it twice or three times. It’s a gift whenever you get it every time.

Well howdy folks, and I’m completely freaked out. And you know why. The fringe middle. The silent majority. Why are they so quiet?

— Buck Buckner

Campfire talk attendees
Journey to Campfire Talk

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Campfire talks aren’t solo missions. You need attendees. And usually to get to a campfire talk it’s a bit of journey. Sometimes that may involve a leisurely drive in a car. Other times it might involve a strenuous hike. And other times it might involve wading through a creek. What we know for sure is that the campfire is the destination point that they all seek, so that around the crackling flame they can get down to discussing and listening to what is truly important in life. Or maybe it’s just about roasting some marshmallows and making some s’mores. If campfire talks are anything, they are a break from the day in and the day out and the tedium of quotidian life.

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