CHAPTER 26

2025-2-20

As time passes, these happy memories guide him in search of his dream destiny.

In primary one, I attended the school picnic at Victoria Park on Hong Kong Island. I ate quite a bit of snacks beside the sandwich. Since then I always looked forward to going on picnics enjoying the scenes of hills and streams with well prepared food and drink. I started going tent camping in the summer after G.9. That night the seaside was so chilly that we became friends after volunteering, seeking shelter from the cold inside the empty changing room. It was adventuring and filled with joy.

After Lun was diagnosed to suffer from autism, my wife and I were determined to nurture Lun to enjoy nature. So we went camping. Later Lun's younger brother who was still an infant was brought along for the enjoyment and challenges. An annual overnight outdoor camping was regularly organized.

When Little Brother (LB) was approaching seven years old and shortly before the Easter holidays, we wanted to go camping in a recreational vehicle (RV). Canada was a hot spot for RV tours for European tourists, especially in summer. Make the most of life when you live, we should try at least once in Canada. Before the rent doubled in summer, we rented a twenty-seven feet long four beds RV and went to two lakeside campsites one hundred and twenty km east of Vancouver. That was our first RV camping and we felt good about it.

On the third day we had a leisure walk along the lake side. I casually picked up sticks and wood chips. LB followed. Before dark, I built a small stack of firewood on the open space behind the RV. My wife took care of Lun who dared not to move around because he was afraid of darkness. LB attended my campfire building closely. Since I had no clue, it took some time to light up the half wet firewood. Finally the fire together with smoke gave out a fragrant smell and lit up the gravel ground of the site.

Since Lun was hungry and we needed to cook. The firewood stock was too few to keep burning. I could only put out the fire and clean up. Yet the tiny spark spreaded in our hearts. With the first experience of setting up a campfire, I always looked forward to setting up a bright campfire and enjoyed the whole process from sparking, firing, heat and light radiating, as well as disappearing as smoke. The knowledge and skills of setting fire carry on the survival and civilization of humans.

In the summer a year later, I borrowed a book on different kinds of stoves from the library and read it in the hotel during vacation. With an understanding of the principle and methods, campfire setting became easier. Through frequent observation and practice, LB learned to appreciate and enjoy nature. Other than starting a fire, he made and tested different kinds of stove in campsites. As time passes, these pleasurable memories guide him in search of his dream destiny.