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Source:Pixabay/Memory Catcher
CC0 Public Domain
*Not the author's RV
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For a long time, I pondered the meaning of penultimate. It
seemed like such a powerful word. At first reading, it seems as though it means
something beyond the ultimate. Of course, that is not the case, being that
ultimate is an absolute meaning the last, the best, the most, the farthest.
What could be beyond ultimate?
Penultimate, despite its lofty sound, means second place. More
specifically, it means the one “occurring immediately before the last one: second
to the last.”[i]
Today my missus and I embark on our penultimate camping
adventure before my students return to school. We are taking a long weekend, or
should I say she is taking a long weekend because I’ve been on an extremely
long weekend since June, and are headed west towards the foothills in search of
scenic venues and cooler temperatures.
Fast forward several hours and miles, pulling a camper through
some heavy city traffic, and we are here in our campsite. The campground is
very scenic. Each campsite is spacious and there are lots of trees and shade.
The shade is welcome. The cooler temperatures we were hoping for are not to be
found. It is just as hot here as it was at home.
The good news is we do have air conditioning in the camper. The bad news is we’ve become pretty spoiled by
having air conditioning in the camper. Having grown up as a tent camper myself,
and after all the years of Scouting with my boys, plus all the years my missus
and I were tent campers before buying our first popup, I feel as though what we
do now isn’t really camping. Perhaps the invented verb RVing is a more accurate
way to describe what it is we do now.
Camping or RVing, whichever term one chooses to use, it is a
relaxing way to spend time away from home. And with the RV, we have most of the
comforts of home with us when we travel.
As always, I remain,
The Exhausted Educator
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