Friday afternoon, our respective vehicles all packed, we drove over to the campground and got set up.
It was cold and rainy.
It was also Ezra's birthday. (Four!)
We threw dogs and brats on our camp neighbors' grill and tried to avoid the drips and drizzles.
The mustard was almost empty and Jonah kept stealing chips from my plate. (I can't fault him for loving them so much, though. Potato chips are my one weakness.)
After dinner we did cupcakes and presents. A couple staff families and another couple we all know camped on neighboring sites, so it was a fun little party of sorts.
Even the fire and hot drinks couldn't take the chill off the evening, so as soon as presents were opened I drove back home for more blankets.
The arrangement we have is this: the boys sleep in the camper with Mom and Dad, I sleep in a tent with the girls. It's nice, because I don't have to bring my own tent or get my own campsite.
But with temperatures dipping into the 30's that night, I knew the "extra" blankets I'd brought wouldn't be enough for us all to stay warm in the tent.
It rained most of the evening and by the time we went to bed, we were all damp and chilled. I slept fitfully until some point early in the morning when the rain stopped, all four of us had migrated towards the center, and the blankets were finally doing their job.
Jonah does this thing - since the summer - where he'll pretend he's looking for something. He'll gasp and put his hands up and glance around, which is pretty much the cutest thing ever.
It's also a great distraction tactic if he's crying. "Jonah, where's the doggy?"
Gasp! "Where?" :)
The ol' girl Purdy seems to mostly like camping. Every camper and their brother had a dog this time, though, so there was lots of barking and repeated, "Purdy, SHHH!"
After sleeping only a few hours the first night, this nap was quite needed.
Squishy Jonah cheeks are the best for kissing.
On Day Two, it was cold but the sun was out (Praise the Lord and Hallelujah!).
We ate bacon and eggs, and they teased me about coming along "just for the bacon". I reminded them that I had brought the bacon. ;)
The kids took walks and played in the woods and looked for leaves while we adults mostly chatted around the fire, trying to thaw out from the night before.
Rick fried fish, onion rings, and french fries for lunch, per usual. The rest of us brought dishes to share...also per usual. (This is only my second time camping with the group, but I've been told this has been the tradition.)
It was all simple, unpretentious food - but so delicious. I found myself wandering back to the table for another salty, fried potato of some form or another; the kids reached for another brownie bite, another sugar cookie.
We drank dark Guatemalan coffee (it's my new favorite roast) and eventually people ambled back to their campers to get their respective dinners ready.
It was all kinds of grilled deliciousness that night - we'd brought hobo dinners and there were various grilled sandwiches being made.
The smell of the campfire reminded me of so many meals in Senegal cooked over a tiny little charcoal fire.
It gave me such a hankering for Senegalese food that once we got back, I went to the store to buy ingredients for viande hachée sandwiches.
He ate leftover popcorn while we packed up Sunday morning.
The leaves were lovely, though the pictures don't do them justice.
In closing:
Camping puts one at the mercy of the sometimes-unmerciful elements, and that is not really my favorite thing ever.
Camping is smoky.
Camping gives one a hearty appetite and makes everything taste particularly delicious.
Camping is a great way to disconnect from technology and focus on what is actually going on around you.
Camping makes memories, and I'm thankful for the memories gained with this group.
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