James Marlow in Georgia's 10th District

I promised to write a few more words about my time with James Marlow.

While having lunch with James Marlow, his mom and dad, and the campaign crew, I had that awkward moment when I tried to make polite small talk. Since it was the Tuesday immediately after the NCAA Basketball Tournament, I tried talking about basketball, a sport.

When everyone at the table had exhausted our collective knowledge of basketball, James Marlow brought up another good topic, the environment.

Now, let me be upfront about the environment. James Marlow did not actually talk about saving the earth, hugging trees, or the environment directly. He wasn't campaigning or giving a stump speech.

There were just a very few people, sitting and enjoying lunch. We needed a topic for safe conversation that could span three generations.

James Marlow used the keyword, Winnebago, as in that huge camping machine designed as a Holiday Inn on wheels.

James said the Marlow Family never had a Winnebago. They owned the much more valuable, Marlow-bago. The Marlow-bago camper never competed directly with the Winnebago camper for brand name recognition. But, I understood the camping term immediately.

The Marlow-bago, a working family solution for camping vacations.

My family had a similar camping vehicle. For us, it was a 1963 Ford station wagon. But, any vehicle with enough room for all the family, a tent, and a Coleman lantern was the answer to Winnebago envy. Various upgrades could include, but were not limited to, a white gas cooking stove, a pickup truck, and maybe even a pop up travel trailer.

Many of us remember going camping with our families. It's pretty hard to forget sleeping on the ground, getting wood smoke in your eyes, and raccoons in the trash.

It's also pretty hard to forget sharing the only hot shower with 200 other people. That was only one of the basic environmental laws to be learned as a camper with Winnebago envy.

"Keep it Clean." "No fires outside the fire ring." "Smile and say hello to the members of your camping community." "Respect privacy." "Let Mother Nature make all the noise after dark." "Don't tease the bears or your sister while hiking." "Don't love Mother Nature to death. Leave some beauty behind for the next camper."

Some time after James Marlow started reminiscing about camping in the North Georgia mountains as a junior member of a family, I stopped reminiscing about my days as a camper. Every good camping lesson could be adopted to the environment or good government. Plan ahead. Get reservations. Buy a road map. Travel with another family or a group. Buy insurance. Be friendly with the park ranger and the park employees. Have a budget and an emergency fund. Buy your firewood locally. Take joy in living.

And don't envy the Winnebago!

Thank you, Buddy Marlow, for taking your son camping.