"I think this goes in the little hole thingy," he said, poking a pole toward my eye."Leo, that’s the rainfly. And please stop swinging that."
Even when they’re poking you with tent poles.
We went through an entire bag of marshmallows. Leo burned every single one of his until they were charred black husks. "It’s the smoky flavor," he insisted, charcoal smeared across his cheek. -ENG- Camp With Mom and My Annoying Friend Who ...
"And then, right when you think the hero is safe—BAM! Giant robot spider," Leo shouted, echoing off the canyon walls.
After the initial chaos, we all sat on the shore. Mom shared stories about her own childhood camping trips, many of which involved her being just as "annoying" as Leo. "I think this goes in the little hole
Driving home, Leo fell asleep against the window within ten minutes. The silence was finally there, but honestly? It felt a little too quiet. I looked at my mom, she winked at me in the rearview mirror, and I knew we’d be inviting him back next summer.
It was in that moment, watching Leo try to skip stones (and failing miserably), that I realized something. His energy, as grating as it could be, kept things from being boring. Without him, we would have just hiked in silence. With him, every mile was an adventure—even if it was a loud one. S'mores and Solutions Leo burned every single one of his until
My mom stayed a few paces behind us, taking photos of wildflowers and letting us bicker. Every time I felt my blood pressure rising, she’d point out a hawk circling overhead or hand me a piece of jerky. She has this way of grounding the situation, making Leo’s antics seem less like a nuisance and more like a comedy show. The Incident at the Lake
That night, we gathered around the fire. The smell of woodsmoke filled the air, and the stars were so bright they looked like spilled salt on a black tablecloth.
The summer sun was relentless, baking the asphalt as we loaded the last of the gear into the trunk of my mom’s SUV. I had been looking forward to this camping trip for weeks—a chance to escape the city, breathe some mountain air, and spend some quality time with my mom. But there was a catch. One very loud, very energetic, and very persistent catch named Leo.