Campfire Park

Welcome to Campfire Park where the campfire’s always cracking and visitors are always welcome.

Mailbag: Campfire Breaks
Cowboy answers fan mail

by

It’s a well known cliché …

That you shouldn’t reinvent the wheel.

Cowboy answers fan mail

But why not? What if a square wheel is better? In this modern day world that everything is turned on its head, there’s really no telling. Same goes with the campfire. Lots of people are going around and saying, “hey, the campfire is fine.” But if that’s the case, why are so many of our “in person” campfire talks not drawing big crowds, or really any people at all? Hint: It has nothing to do with the quality of our talks (in our opinion). That’s where Campfire Park’s very own Cowboy at the Campfire steps in to answer Suzy from Toledo’s letter about that the campfire reboot at Campfire Park is all about. Think “square wheel” only better.

Share article with friends

PinLinkedIn

Factoid: A new analysis of burned antelope bones from caves in Swartkrans, South Africa, confirms that Australopithecus robustus and/or Homo erectus built campfires roughly 1.6 million years ago.

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

— Ranger Rudi

Puddle Problems?
If so, Call Your Uncle

by

Have you or a close friend …

Ever stepped in a puddle?

Uncle & Uncle is in Your Corner

And if so, did it cause your shoes (and possibly socks) to get wet, to the point you’re walking around for the rest of the day with that swishy sound in your shoe. And did that water cause physical damage and psychological harm causing you to slip and possibly damage other apparel? If so, Uncle & Uncle is in your corner where we specialize in petty differences and frivolous disputes. Folks, don’t curse the puddle. Call Your Uncle. 1-UNCLE-UNCLE. And remember folks it’s not just one shoe and sock that got wet. They come as a pair. So keep that in mind and Call Your Uncle.

Share with friends

PinLinkedIn

Factoid: The term puddle dates to the 14 century related Old English and German expressions, such as PudeIn “to splash water.”

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

— Cowboy at the Campfire

Redemptive Return
A prodigal son returns to get things right

by

Restoration is possible …

You just have to believe.

Prodigal son returns with a campfire confession

A little imagination doesn’t hurt either …

Plus a lot of hard work.

The list goes on.

Or is it too late? In this campfire confession, a prodigal son returns to to find a landscape he doesn’t remember and memory he wants to reclaim. Fortunately the Cowboy at the Campfire has a fire waiting and is ready to hear him out.

Share with friends

PinLinkedIn

Quote: “Redemption is not perfection. The redeemed must realize their imperfections.” — John Piper

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

Buck and Paste
And how it compares to other great inventions

by

In the great debate …

Of humanities greatest invention:

Buck gives a short tutorial on “Cut and Pasting”

It probably varies according to who you ask. Going back to the beginning, many would say the wheel, or any of the other six simple tools (wedge, screw, lever, pulley, inclined plane and the wheel and axle). From a more contemporary viewpoint, others might say the microwave oven, the automobile, the computer, the mobile phone, and probably not the toaster, although I would give it a vote (I toast all my bread). The camera, moving pictures, the airplane and the printing press probably also rank high. And for that matter, whoever invented writing in general, has to get a vote. Speaking of writing, AM Radio host Buck Buckner from In The Bunker is solidly of the mindset that the fine art of “cut and paste” ranks high on the list of the greatest inventions of the modern age.

To be sure, it’s as good a campfire question as there is: What tops your list as the greatest invention of all time?

Share article with friends

PinLinkedIn

My Top 5: (5) ball point pen, (4) the clock, (3) duct tape, (2) car radio, (1) the toaster.

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

— Old Miner

Campfire Questions
And why the answers don't matter

by

Some questions are best asked …

Around the campfire.

The answer may surprise you

The reason why depends on a number of things. What’s said around the campfire stays around the campfire has to be high on the list. Part truth serum and part ring of trust, there’s an unspoken rule around the campfire that whatever you say there is between the people present and the crackling embers, and rendered in the end to a pile of flakey ash. Another reason may be the ambiguous nature of the answer, or its complexity, or a general acknowledgement that whatever was asked could never be fully solved or understood, just pondered out loud around the popping embers and flame. Maybe, too, it’s the relaxation reflex that kicks in, allowing the conversation to twist and turn in any number of directions without care or concern if the question gets fully explored, or maybe instead opens doors to new questions or quandaries that weren’t directly asked. The truth about the campfire: It has a mysterious way. It lends itself to nonlinear thinking and pregnant pauses of saying nothing at all.

A campfire question is less about the answer than allowing the mind wander to wherever it needs to go.

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

— Burt Silver

Scenic Muscovy Lake?
Art of balancing protection and access

by

Here at Campfire Park …

We like to let people enjoy nature.

Cowboy has a plan, but will it work?

But sometimes people can love nature too much. Too many people in one spot can start to leave impacts. Such was the case at Scenic Lake when an unexpected visitor arrived: A Muscovy Duck. Just as quickly the visitors cleared out. (Let’s just say it isn’t the most majestic of creatures). Departure of the duck eventually led to a return of the visitors and the tell-tale impacts of over use they left behind. The solution? The Lake was aptly renamed Scenic Muscovy Lake. It was that inspired naming convention that led to just the right balance of preservation and visitation.

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

Swindler’s tale
Coming clean at the campfire

by

You don’t get through life …

With a couple regrets.

A swindler repents

And then there’s the ones you can’t get past, that you just dwell, and no matter what you do you can’t shake. In retrospect, it was all so clear. But at the time, going back, you would have walked into the trap every time. So what’s the solution. Sometimes the only solace is to talk it out in front of the campfire, if only to yourself, or whoever’s there to listen.

This swindler knew better until he knew he threw it all away. Or is there a new path forward. Thank God for the Cowboy at the Campfire lighting the way, even if that only means listening. Sometimes listening will do.

Share post with friends

PinLinkedIn

Quote: “Every swindle is driven by a desire for easy money; it’s the one thing the swindler and the swindled have in common.” — Mitchell Zuckoff

+ More