Stories from the Stringam Family Ranches of Southern Alberta

From the 50s and 60s to today . . .



Thursday, April 12, 2012

Sing We Now While Camping -or - What is your family's most annoying camp song?

'Slithery-Dee'
With grandchildren

Our family was camping.
With our good friends, the Boyd family.
Something we have done every year.
For the past 24 years.
Rain or shine.
Usually rain.
It involves work.
Setting up trailers and tents for nearly thirty people inevitably includes some sort of exertion.
1.      1.  There is the usual ‘tarp wars’.
Won by whichever family can set up the best, tightest, most wrinkle-free campsite covering.
2.      2.  The leveling of the tents/trailers.
Highly important if some members of the tribe are susceptible to headache.
Inevitably brought on by sleeping with one’s head tilted below one’s feet.
3.      3.  And the choosing of the ‘Boydolley’ camp song.
This is very important.
It has to be the most aggravating, annoying, ‘stick in your head’ song imaginable.
We’ve had such treasures as: ‘Oh, How I Love to Stand’.
And: ‘Hi! My Name is Joe!’
Plus the ever-popular: ‘Ninety-Nine Bottles of Non-Alcoholic Beverage on the Wall’.
And who can forget: ‘Jon Jonson’?
Seriously, who can forget it . . .?
And then there’s the year that the Grandkids were finally old enough to get involved.
And vote.
What did they choose?
What classic would take its rightful place in history?
Was it something momentous?
Heart-warming?
No.
It was ‘Slithery Dee’.
The classic song featuring a monster that comes out of the sea and eats everyone.
Perfect camp fare.
For a family camped beside a lake.
Moving on . . .
There were various versions.
Depending largely on the age and capability of the singer.
Megan, the eldest could sing it quite well, “Oh, Slithery-Dee!”
Right behind her was Kyra, “Oh, Swivery-Dee!”
And then there was the youngest talker, Odin, “Oh, Dee-Dee-Dee-Dee!”
They sang it by the hour.
And I do mean By. The. Hour.
Until . . . THE EVENT.
It was early afternoon.
Lunch had just finished.
Grandma (me) was lying on the bed in our tent trailer, telling stories to as many of the grandkids as would lay there and listen.
At nearest count – several.
Then they asked to sing ‘Slithery-Dee’.
Sigh.
I complied.
We were just getting through the first verse, wherein (good word) Megan had been eaten.
Then we were interrupted.
I should tell you, here, that our little tent trailer consists of a central square block.
With three wings/beds.
Each wing is covered by the main canvas, which hooks under said wing.
Canvas that can be . . . unhooked.
Without the person, or persons, on the wing knowing anything about it.
Back to my story . . .
Where were we?
Oh, yes.
End of first verse.
Unbeknownst (another good word!) to us, my Husby had unhooked the canvas immediately below us.
Just as we started to sing, “Oh, Slithery-Dee!”, a hand and arm reached up through the wall of the trailer and grabbed the nearest grandchild.
Who promptly screamed.
Inciting an immediate riot.
Grandma and grandchildren boiled out of the trailer like angry bees.
Then, realizing what had happened, started to laugh.
After we beat on Grandpa.
Camping.
Every minute a new adventure.
What does your camp song do for you?


16 comments:

  1. I wish Steve and the girls and I could go camping with you guys lately; we have several songs that are perfect for getting stuck in your head...

    ReplyDelete
  2. I want to go camping with you....

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. You are definitely invited. Bring your own song . . .

      Delete
  3. That grandpa is a perfect slithery monster. And, I bet those kids keep an eye on him in future.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yep. They keep a close eye on their Grampa. Never know what he'll do next . . .

      Delete
  4. What wonderful camp memories and that photo with the hammock makes me laugh since it looks like everyone is on the ground swinging in the hammock! :) Thanks for linking up another great story and memory at NOBH! O, how I have missed escaping into your world by reading your posts! Such fun memories!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thank you, Tracy! It think that hammock was just barely off the ground! A couple more grandchildren and they would have truly bottomed out! Thanks for visiting!!!

      Delete
  5. I laughed so hard!! That sounds just like my dad! He once set a sprinkler off on a group of 10- 7 yr old girls at a slumber party on the deck... You can imagine the screams at midnight or so... :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Don't tell my Husby! It'll give him ideas. Such great ideas . . . :)

      Delete
  6. camping is so much fun.
    We also made good memories sitting beside camp fires chasing mosquitoes away.
    You made some nice memories with the grand parents lol

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yep. We raise mosquitoes here in Alberta. they have been known to carry off small children . . . Gotta love camping!

      Delete
  7. LOL!!! That's so funny! I love camping stories! Whenever I want to get a song stuck in my kids' heads I always start a round of, "Beans, Beans, the magical fruit..." ha ha

    I hope you gave that dear husby of yours a good slug in the arm! It sounds like he deserved it! :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Oh no! Now I've got THAT song stuck in my head!!! I'm so suggestible . . . And yes, he did get a slug in the arm. Several, in fact!

      Delete
  8. We don't have a camping song. But every August we go with 50 of our closest friends camping. We have a theme night where you must dress accordingly and bring a dish to share. Last year was neon--yes we had neon mashed potatoes. This year it is pick a country. You have to dress in ethnic attire and provide a dish from that country.

    Should be interesting

    ReplyDelete

Thank you for visiting! Drop by again!

Real Estates: All Murders Included in the Price!

Real Estates: All Murders Included in the Price!
My FIRST murder mystery!

Blessed by a Curse

Blessed by a Curse
My very first Medieval Romance!

God's Tree

God's Tree
For the Children

Third in the series

Third in the series
Deborah. Fugitive of Faith

The Long-Awaited Sequel to Daughter of Ishmael

The Long-Awaited Sequel to Daughter of Ishmael
A House Divided is now available at all fine bookstores and on Amazon.com and .ca!

Daughter of Ishmael

Daughter of Ishmael
Now available at Amazon.com and .ca and Chapters.ca and other fine bookstores.

Romance still wins!

Romance still wins!
First romance in a decade!

Hosts: Your Room's Ready

Hosts: Your Room's Ready
A fun romp through the world's most haunted hotel!

Hugs, Delivered.

Compass Book Ratings

Compass Book Ratings

Ghost of the Overlook

Ghost of the Overlook
Need a fright?

My Granddaughter is Carrying on the Legacy!

My Granddaughter is Carrying on the Legacy!
New Tween Novel!

Gnome for Christmas

Gnome for Christmas
The newest in my Christmas Series

SnowMan

SnowMan
A heart warming story of love and sacrifice.

Translate

My novel, Carving Angels

My novel, Carving Angels
Read it! You know you want to!

My Second Novel: Kris Kringle's Magic

My Second Novel: Kris Kringle's Magic
What could be better than a second Christmas story?!

Join me on Maven

Connect with me on Maven

Essence

Essence
A scientist and his son struggle to keep their earth-shattering discovery out of the wrong hands.

Essence: A Second Dose

Essence: A Second Dose
Captured and imprisoned, a scientist and his son use their amazing discovery to foil evil plans.

Looking for a Great Read?

E-Books by Diane Stringam Tolley
Available from Smashwords.com

The Babysitter

The Babysitter
A baby-kidnapping ring has its eye on J'Aime and her tiny niece.

Melissa

Melissa
Haunted by her past, Melissa must carve a future. Without Cain.

Devon

Devon
Following tragedy, Devon retreats to the solitude of the prairie. Until a girl is dropped in his lap.

Pearl, Why You Little...

Pearl, Why You Little...
Everyone should spend a little time with Pearl!

The Marketing Mentress

The Marketing Mentress
Building solid relationships with podcast and LinkedIn marketing

Coffee Row

Coffee Row
My Big Brother's Stories

Better Blogger Network

Semper Fidelis

Semper Fidelis
I've been given an award!!!

The Liebster Award

The Liebster Award
My good friend and Amazing Blogger, Marcia of Menopausal Mother awarded me . . .

Irresistibly Sweet Award

Irresistibly Sweet Award
Delores, my good friend from The Feathered Nest, has nominated me!

Sunshine Award!!!

Sunshine Award!!!
My good friend Red from Oz has nominated me!!!

My very own Humorous Blogger Award From Delores at The Feathered Nest!

Be Courageous!


Grab and Add!

Search This Blog

Ghost of the Overlook

Ghost of the Overlook
Need a fright?