This is perfect.

PERFECT BY JAMES MARTIN 34THPARALLEL MAGAZINE ISSUE 103

Irina was practicing for her interview at the embassy. “What do you plan to do in the US?” the immigration officer might ask. Irina would say, “I’m going to meet my husband’s family.” We had been married five weeks. She would add, “My husband doesn’t like cities, so we are going to see nature.”

I hadn’t been camping in the States for years but my memories were still sharp. I wanted to find a campsite with a lake, the ground covered in pine needles.

“Campgrounds near me” found me “Rancho”, a building surrounded by concrete. The door whisked open automatically and I stepped into an airconditioned office with three people at their desks waiting for something to do. They tumbled over themselves to help me.

“Oh, yes, we should have no problem with tents,” said one. “Can we have a site near the water?” I asked.

“Yes,” he said. On his site map he showed me the artificial pond. “As you can see, there are showers here on the other side o…