Redeemer's Tent City

Click here for a photo gallery from the Father/Child Camp-Out.

It is night.

The air is still. After the high-winds and threatening skies of a few hours earlier, such stillness is a relief. A nearly-full Harvest Moon lights the sky, and from within the tightly-zippered tents can be heard the occasional whisperings of kids who are not quite ready for sleep. An insomniac crow rattles its approval.

Not far away, in the corner of the church parking lot, though, it's a far different scene. There, a handful of faces are straining to see the screen of a portable television, tuned to the Sydney Olympics opening ceremonies.

Back on the campground, a single child trudges toward the church and its convenient bathroom.

Welcome to roughing it, Episcopalian style.

This past weekend, the third annual Father/Child Camp-Out came off without a hitch.In fact, this year's was the largest so far, with more than 80 campers occupying 33 tents on the front lawn of The Church of the Redeemer.

There was a cookout -- hot dogs and hamburgers -- roasted marshmallows and s'mores, and the yearly highlight, a Eucharist under the stars and singing of some old favorites. This year, Rev. Michael Stone celebrated the Eucharist and, for the third year in a row, David Wallack got us all singing.

It should also be noted that, although this was strictly a guy thing for the adults, quite a few moms also helped out with the setup and with moral and practical support for those of us who don't come by tent-assembly naturally.

The evening was chilly, so many of us made a hasty retreat for the warmth of tents and sleeping bags, though the friendly sound of voices continued on well into the evening.

In the morning, camp-out organizer Jack Dudley was determined that we take a healthier tack, after the previous night's tubesteak and burger main course and sticky-sweet dessert feast. That explained the conspicuous placement of orange juice on the morning breakfast table. Along with about 35-dozen Krispy Kreme doughnuts.

All too soon, it was time to go. And, as we disassembled our tents in the growing light of a Saturday morning, rushing off to soccer and football and other fun weekend duties of family life, we knew one thing for sure.

We'd be back again next year.

Tim Windsor