Editor’s note: Nancy Cox is the founder of Research Story Consulting and former CPG corporate researcher. Her work and play include words, sketchpads, cooking (not baking) and the occasional sock puppet.
Passions, hobbies, healthy distractions and even guilty pleasures – discover how the research community plays and how that plays out in their work life. In the Venn diagram of work and play, what happens when work and play overlap? Research colleagues share their work and play stories in this interview series by Nancy Cox.
Camping is my play. My way to rejuvenate, recharge and retain a lifelong passion. Some of my earliest photos of me are camping with my mom and dad. Today, camping continues to be part of our family identity – now the grandkids are coming along.In the last few years, my camping has evolved to teardrop trailer camping. A teardrop trailer is not a recreational vehicle (RV) or a larger trailer like an Airstream. A teardrop is a small two-person trailer. One of the great things about teardrops is that you can customize it. Inside mine there is a bed, some small storage, a few outlets and USB plugs – not much else, no bathroom. Outside the trailer, you open the back to a little kitchen area with a sink and stove.
The teardrop keeps you dry. It keeps you warm. It keeps you off the hard ground, which I appreciate more each year. But I feel like I’m still camping.
Teardrops are a very old style of trailer. They became popular in postwar America, in the 1940s and 1950s. The enthusiasm dwindled, but teardrops boomed again with COVID. I was a bit ahead of this trend as eight years ago, my daughter and I built a teardrop camper. It took us about two years to build as there was a lot to learn. I had to learn to wire for electrical! I also included a large marine battery so I’m not tied to electrical when choosing a campsite.
We’ve done about 10 of the 88 Texas state parks and have...
