Grandma off the grid: What my grandkids must think of me

You know you’re not an average grandma when your 15-year-old granddaughter has perfect eyebrows, well-defined eyelids, and a hint of blush on her cheeks, and she looks at you with a polite stare.

- 

I always wear a “naked” face like I just got out of the shower, my signature shirt and denims, and my Merrel, the ones trail runners and hikers wear in the mountains. But I’m not anywhere near the great outdoors. I’m sitting with my grandchildren — a boy and girl both aged 15, and another girl, 10.

Yes, I am a grandmother. Yes, I still work full time. And yes, I can set up a tent and awning, hammer the pegs to keep them stable, and still have energy to unload a table, chair, camping stove and cook my dinner. That’s what I call “living the dream” —though my grandchildren seem a little confused what I am talking about when I tell them about that.

At 15 and 10, my grandkids are firmly rooted in the digital world and the comfort of air conditioning and food prepared by somebody else.

Meanwhile, I drive out of the metro leaving urban comfort behind, enjoy-ing the ritual of struggling up from an air mattress, finding my balance, and almost stumbling out of my tent.

Making coffee is a slow ritual. Assembling the camping stove a little bigger than my fist, and installing the butane cannister looks easy when other campers do it. But I fumble with finding the right alignment to turn that thing to work!