7-23-11 Saturday Camping

I was the first one up Saturday. These pictures were taken around 5:45 that morning. See the tiny little sliver of a moon? The clouds were catching the rays of the dawn over the ridge.

An hour later, we had a fire going

And Dad was starting the coffee

Right in here should be an amazing picture of the fire I'd arranged, with a knothole piece at the top, catching these wonderful tongues of flame through it. But it's gone. I displayed the image for Bob after I'd taken it. When I went to pull it back up for mom, it was gone. I must have hit the delete button instead of cancel. By then, the lovely moment was gone. You can just see the blackened remains below.

Something about this stupid deletion made me crazy. It was the second and last time I had to make myself stop and breathe deeply and let the anger drift away on the trip.

So Bob, who likes to "fix" things, started finding me another knothole piece. While mom and dad worked on our blueberry pancake breakfast . . .

Bob was splitting out the piece and carefully attempting to remove the knothole.

I save it for the night fire since we were about ready for breakfast by the time it was complete.

This trip had an interesting rhythm. Travel one day, then FIRST full day of camping, then all of a sudden, LAST full day of camping. There was no interim where you began to think of home and begin to wish for it. Next trip needs to be longer.

Post breakfast time by the river.

Then it was time to head for the reservoir and try some bank fishing. 

The drought of 2002 started the fire that ate up a good part of the forest facing the reservoir.

We caught a good bit of grass and nothing else. Then it was time for lunch.

After lunch Jake the Stellar Jay hung around the hammock and watched jealously as the chipmunks enjoy handouts.

The cheeks on this guy were wonderful. He crawled up next to me and shoved even more in there than you see. I was too afraid to grab the camera and frighten him off.

Sammi has got this camping thing down.

After naps Pudge decided hand-feeding wasn't so bad.

Once Pudge had his fill, it was our turn. Last supper = tacos!

At the end of dinner the rain that had been toying with us finally showed up. We had about an hour in the tent listening to the wonderful sounds of the rain on the roof and generally getting silly.

Post-rain we got the fire going. Back in 1984 the pictures Dad took of Mom and I with existing light near the fire was furnished by lanterns. Since we wanted to do those again and hadn't gotten the lanterns primed and ready, tonight would be the only night to catch our shot. Rain or not, we were having a fire.

The rain reappeared but wasn't enough to put the fire out. We did model our ponchos for a bit and Sammi stayed in hers the rest of the night because it added some warmth.

And finally, when it was getting dark, I arranged the fire and settled Bob's knothole on top for a picture. It's at this point on the tape that Dad asks if I'm trying to signal passing airplanes.

Dad fires up the lanterns when it seems to be getting dark enough to recreate our picture.

And Sammi breaks out the s'mores one last time.

So we don't get our picture exactly angled right, but it's close enough to enjoy the last night of camping with a little nostalgia.

Oh, and I made one for Dad, too.

The Silliness of the Rain Tent

7-22-11 The rest of Friday

There was an adjacent section of the camp site that was tucked away through some bushes near the river. The fire weed growing there was a brilliant pink.

Mom and Dad play with the tackle box and Dad's 50 year old lures. There is no live bait fishing here.

While Mom gets the feel of the open face reel, I play in the water.

I was trying to get a shot of the hundreds of soft green pine cones sprouting at the very top of one of our biggest trees.

The chipmunks also came at their appointed time for dinner.

That evening was Pap fried and hamburgers, which necessitated the firing off all SIX burners.

Pap fries are old school -- buckets of Crisco and salt frying up peeled and thinly sliced potatoes by the ton.

After dinner around the fire, I get Sammi to show off her finely dirtied feet from playing around camp all day in flip flops.

I think I may have won Bob over on the camping thing. For years, his resistance was worn down with the promise that it would not be like the Army camping he remembered. Now the conversations around the fire are about what other gear we need to procure for the next trip.

We made if family bandana night around the fire. My excuse is my head was starting to feel itchy. I don't think Bob can say the same. ;)

Soup's on!

The best thing about the camp fire is how mesmerizing it becomes. You sit and stare and night falls all around you. The popping of the wood and the light of the flames are better than anything in the world at that moment.

And then you look up.

(One day I'll have a camera that can capture the twinkling stars that are visible to the eye but not this lens.)