Honeymoon Camping!

Estimated reading time: 15 minutes, 19 seconds

First Light of Morning

Without my watch, I did not know what time it was as if it mattered. After several hours, the storm became only steady rain. I could hear Jan sleeping in my nook. I was so happy that we were married and would have thousands of nights sleeping next to each other. Although I do not remember sleeping, I know I must have. 

Sunlight began filling the tent, and I slowly dressed and slipped out. 

A large tree had fallen no more than fifty feet to the left of our tent. Had it fallen in our direction, we probably would not have survived.

The trenches had kept the water away from the tent. However, fresh, deep gullies showed where the water had flowed freely around us. 

I had prepared for the storm and placed dry wood in the car. I gathered it and started a fire to make breakfast, especially coffee, for the love of my life. 

Wow, the storm was worse than I thought,” said Jan as she came out of the tent. 

“Yes, we were lucky. The water is heating up for your coffee.

Jan smiled at me as she pulled on her boots. 

Full sunshine was beginning to dry out the campsite as we finished breakfast.

What do you want to do before we drive to the Promised Land,” I asked Jan.

We had only planned to stay one night on the NJ side of the Delaware Water Gap. Our next stop was the Promised Land State Park. I had been there on my hostel trips. It had a lovely lake and hiking trails. Jan thought it was an ideal place for us to go on our honeymoon.

“It may take a few hours for the tent to fully dry; maybe we can take a hike?”

I nodded affirmatively and quickly got ready for a morning hike.

A Photo from My Sweetheart

When we reached the road, we had two choices of trails. One was four miles and looped back to the point of beginning. For the other one, we would have had to walk as far as we wanted and then return the same way. Let’s take the trail that will bring us back here,” Jan suggested. 

The trail was a little muddy from the rain, but our boots were dry, and the walk was more leisurely than expected. 

“Look,” I said as I pointed to an Eagle flying over us. 

Can you get a photo?”

“I will do my best.”

The trail was full of wildlife and flowers. We frequently stopped to take photos. 

Close to the halfway point, we saw a fire lookout station. It was made of wood and stood thirty-five to forty feet in the air. 

“Let’s climb to the top. We should be able to get some great photos.”

I let Jan go first and followed her up the stairs. 

“Wow, Jan, this is a great view.”

We hugged each other as we looked around at the forest and the river.

Do you have any film in the camera,” Jan inquired.

“Yes, one or two photos left. We have more film in the car.”

“Can you take a photo of me?”

“Yes, my love, I am happy to take a photo of my lovely bride.”

I held the camera and started to frame the photo.

“I am not ready yet.”

“If you stand on this side, we can get a perfect photo.”

I turned to look at Jan to see if she concurred. 

She was pulling her shirt over her head. 

Unless you have a problem, I want you to take a photo of me bare-chested,” Jan stated as she unhooked her bra.

“I’m OK if that is what you want,” I said, astonished.

I am twenty-five and have always wanted a photo of my breasts. I am not getting any younger, and one day, my boobs will sag even more. Whenever I was with someone and thought of taking a photo, I decided not to because I could not trust what they would do with a photo of me sans my shirt and bra. I love you and trust you. Plus, it might be nice for you to have a photo to remind you of me if I am away.

Standing only feet away on the lookout tower, I was aroused and in complete agreement.

Jan leaned on the floor with her right hand holding her head. Her left hand with the ring I had given her two and one-half days ago when we wed was on her hip. 

I was not a good photographer, but I took my time on this one to ensure that it would be what she wanted. 

Finally, I took the photo.

“I think my eyes were closed.”

I held the camera and took another photo, but no film was left. 

“There is no more film.”

“That’s OK. Will you still love me when my boobs hang below my belly button?”

“I will always love you.”

“Me too. But I worry you will change your mind if they sag too much.

“Jan, nothing will ever stop me from loving you. I love you because you are who you are, not your body. We share each other’s souls and are bound together forever.”

I put the camera down and walked over and kissed and caressed Jan.

I know the storm interrupted our plans last night, but I am not sure a wooden floor would work for either of us. Splinters might deflate the pleasure.”

“I agree. That would not be the way to start our married life.”

“As long as we are on the lookout tower, I do not see any reason to put my bra or shirt on unless you want me to.”

Blushing, I said, “I am quite happy with how you are dressed.

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Hello Beautiful

Read: March 2023

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Hello Beautiful

by Ann Napolitano

Hello Beautiful by Ann Napolitano is a gorgeous, profoundly moving portrait of what’s possible when we choose to love someone, not despite who they are but because of it. Although several sources recommended Hello Beautiful, I chose the novel based on the title as it is how I always greeted Jan. I highly recommend this book as it is one of the best I have ever read.

Hello Beautiful is an exquisite homage to Louisa May Alcott’s timeless classic, Little Women. Knowing it was not him, William Waters’s experience growing up as an only child was an engaging character in the early portion of the novel. However, my hero was Sylvie, the dreamer who pursued true love and found it in a place one would less expect to find it. The consequences of her love reverberate over decades in their families

The following passage is one example of a well-written book.

We’re separated from the world by our own edges,” Charlie Padavano says to Sylvie in “Hello Beautiful.” He continues, “We’re all interconnected, and when you see that, you see how beautiful life is.

The interconnections of the characters make this novel one of the best I have read. If only more of us could learn the lessons that Charlie Padavano shared with Sylvie.

As a man on a lifetime grief journey, this exchange echoes my experience.

When an old person dies,” Kent said, “even if that person is wonderful, he or she is still somewhat ready, and so are the people who loved them. They’re like old trees, whose roots have loosened in the ground. They fall gently. But when someone like your aunt Sylvie dies—before her time—her roots get pulled out and the ground is ripped up. Everyone nearby is in danger of being knocked over.”

Grief is love.” Now Alice thought: Forgiveness is too.

The Goodreads summary provides an overview,

William Waters grew up in a house silenced by tragedy, where his parents could hardly bear to look at him, much less love him. So it’s a relief when his skill on the basketball court earns him a scholarship to college, far away from his childhood home. He soon meets Julia Padavano, a spirited and ambitious young woman who surprises William with her appreciation of his quiet steadiness. With Julia comes her family; she is inseparable from her three younger sisters: Sylvie, the dreamer, is happiest with her nose in a book and imagines a future different from the expected path of wife and mother; Cecelia, the family’s artist; and Emeline, who patiently takes care of all of them. Happily, the Padavanos fold Julia’s new boyfriend into their loving, chaotic household.

But then darkness from William’s past surfaces, jeopardizing not only Julia’s carefully orchestrated plans for their future, but the sisters’ unshakeable loyalty to one another. The result is a catastrophic family rift that changes their lives for generations. Will the loyalty that once rooted them be strong enough to draw them back together when it matters most?


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Everything My Mother Taught Me

Read: December 2022

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Everything My Mother Taught Me

by Alice Hoffman

I read Everything My Mother Taught Me by Alice Hoffman on the last day of 2022 as I was alone, and I have always admired Ms. Hoffman’s prose. The short story is a haunting short story of loyalty and betrayal, a young woman in early 1900s Massachusetts discovers that in navigating her treacherous coming-of-age, she must find her voice first. I know it is a book that Jan would have enjoyed reading, and I highly recommend it.

Alice Hoffman’s Everything My Mother Taught Me is part of Inheritance’s five stories about secrets, unspoken desires, and dangerous revelations between loved ones. Each piece can be read or listened to in a single setting. By yourself, behind closed doors, or shared with someone you trust. I plan to read more of this series in 2023.

The Goodreads summary provides an overview.

New York Times bestselling author of The Rules of Magic Alice Hoffman crafts a beautiful, heart-wrenching short story. For fatefully observant, Adeline, growing up, carries an ominous warning from her adulterous mother: don’t say a word. Adeline vows never to speak again. Her only secret. After her mother takes a housekeeping job at a  But that’s not lighthouse off the tip of Cape Ann, a local woman vanishes. The key to the mystery lies with Adeline, the silent witness.


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The Antidote

Read: October 2025

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The Antidote: A Novel

by Karen Russell

Karen Russell‘s The Antidote, a finalist in the fiction category for the 2025 National Book Award, serves as a profound reckoning with a nation’s tendency to forget. It addresses the settler amnesia and deliberate omissions that have been passed down through generations, revealing not only horrors but also shimmering possibilities. The Antidote resonates with urgent warnings about our current climate emergency, prompting readers to reflect on what might have been and what is still possible.

The Antidote opens on Black Sunday, as a historic dust storm ravages the fictional town of Uz, Nebraska. But Uz is already collapsing—not just under the weight of the Great Depression and the Dust Bowl drought but beneath its own violent histories.

The Antidote follows a “Prairie Witch,” whose body serves as a bank vault for peoples’ memories and secrets; a Polish wheat farmer who learns how quickly a hoarded blessing can become a curse; his orphan niece, a basketball star and witch’s apprentice in furious flight from her grief; a voluble scarecrow; and a New Deal photographer whose time-traveling camera threatens to reveal both the town’s secrets and its fate.


Karen Russell is the author of six fiction books, including the New York Times bestsellers Swamplandia! and Vampires in the Lemon Grove. She is a MacArthur Fellow, a Guggenheim Fellow, and a Pulitzer Prize finalist.

She has received two National Magazine Awards for Fiction, the Shirley Jackson Award, the 2023 Bottari Lattes Grinzane Prize, and the 2024 Mary McCarthy Prize, and was selected for the National Book Foundation’s 5 Under 35 award and The New Yorker’s 20 Under 40 list (she is now decisively over forty).

She serves on the board of Street Books, a mobile library for people living outdoors. Born and raised in Miami, Florida, she lives in Portland, Oregon, with her husband, son, and daughter.



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Girlfriend on Mars: A Novel

Read: July 2023

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Girlfriend on Mars: A Novel

by Deborah Willis

I began reading “Girlfriend on Mars: A Novel” by Deborah Willis today. It’s a humorous, touching, and captivating debut novel that satirizes the idea of space travel funded by billionaires and tells a love story that spans across planets. Alic Munro, one of my preferred authors, praised the book’s emotional depth and range, as well as the author’s exceptional clarity and skill in writing.

Amber Kivinen is vying for a chance to join MarsNow and be part of the first human-led mission to Mars. She is one of twenty-three reality TV contestants worldwide, including an attractive Israeli soldier named Adam, a charming Canadian named Pichu, and several science enthusiasts and aspiring influencers. Billionaire Geoff Task is sponsoring the mission; only two seats are available.

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In a reality TV show similar to Survivor and Star Trek, Amber participates in challenges in various parts of the world. She seems to develop feelings for Adam, but it’s unclear whether it’s genuine or a strategy to avoid getting eliminated. Furthermore, given that the technology to return to Earth from Mars is not yet available, would Amber be willing to abandon everything to become a billionaire’s experimental subject on the red planet? Even though the rainforest is currently ablaze, Geoff Task has purchased New Zealand, and Kevin may be struggling with depression, is there any chance for a brighter future on Earth?

Girlfriend on Mars is an impressive first work from a brilliant and unique writer, as described by Molly Antopol. It presents a satirical critique of our societal desire for fame and fortune amid environmental turmoil. At the same time, it delves into humanity’s fundamental yearning and eternal cliché: love.


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Read: June 2023

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I Am Homeless If This Is Not My Home

by Lorrie Moore

Today, I started reading Lorrie Moore‘s latest novel; I Am Homeless If This Is Not My Home. It’s her first book since A Gate at the Stairs, and it’s a bold and contemplative exploration of love, death, passion, and grief. Moore examines what it means to be haunted by the past in terms of history and the human heart.

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With I Am Homeless If This Is Not My Home, Moore takes us on a journey to a windswept, tragic, and comic landscape. It’s unmistakably her world and a journey you won’t forget.


The Jan Lilien Education Fund sponsors ongoing sustainability and environmental awareness programs. Gifts made this month; I will match dollar-for-dollar. All donations are tax-deductible.

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Working

Read: October 2019

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Working

by Robert A. Caro

Working by Robert A. Caro is a book of evocatively written essays on his life and work. Among the many valuable words of wisdom is his case that one needs to look at every piece of information, not just what we know when we begin. Far too often, people jump to conclusions without having learned all of the facts.

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I found this one of the best books I have read and recommend it to all readers.

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