Camping at Priest Lake

So we went camping last weekend.  Not bad for us; camping is often a thing we do quickly before the summer is over.  But hey, no garden = more fun.  :) And anyway, we didn't initiate the trip. We went with Nathan and Faith and their kiddos.  They had the idea and invited us.  We need friends like them.  Otherwise I'm afraid we would reside peacefully at 115 Branch Lane indefinitely.      So anyway, getting there involved a two hour road trip and about that long of a boat ride.  I get a little nervous when you mention my kids and boats in the same sentence.  Yup, I'm one of those "nervous women". I was actually ok once we were on the boat.

    Every camping trip has to have its memories.  Well, our memory this time was our redneck transportation. You see, we were using an electric trolling motor on the Jon boat to go from the lower lake to the upper lake.  We had our qualms about whether the motor would have enough charge to make it to the campsite, but we knew that Nathan also had a gas motor on his boat..... And there are always the oars......... Well now we know that the trolling motor doesn't troll for THAT long. We finished the trip with our boats tied together.  We did get gawked at a bit by alll those people in their shiny speedboats. :) Oh, and then we were joined in the evening by a few more friends who also completed their trip up the river with alternative energy (they rowed).  So going back down the river we had THREE boats tied together.  I guess there are things in life that keep you humble and proud. You have to laugh when things don't go as planned. It keeps you humble.  It makes you proud that you know how to improvise.  It makes you humble when the people with real boats look at your improvisation and smile. It makes you proud that you don't care if they're laughing because you're not in debt over your boat, and you're having fun. It makes you humble when the captain of your two and three boated barge wears a cowboy hat.  It makes you feel better to know he really does own cows.

What would little girls be without secrets!

The kids got right down to the business of playing as soon as we got there.  There was a beautiful tree by the water whose roots were exposed.  Excellent place to play.

The babies don't actually play that well together yet. But they sure are cute!

The above pictures are just picture that Jay and I couldn't help taking.  The lighting was just perfect.  

There is an unwritten law that mothers may not sleep well on camping trips.  For some reason, my perfect baby chose that night to cry loudly, often. And then he woke before six and became the sweetest little fire seeking, chair dwelling charactar.  His big sister joined him while it was still early, looking a little puffy eyed, but as brilliant as her little morning person self often does. 

  Just some pretties. Sun and water and kid tracks.

We got home the way you should. Tired and happy.  For real. The kids slept the whole way home. And then when we got home we just put everything away and stayed up until midnight doing laundry and cleaning the coolers.  And then we went to bed at 9:00 and slept soundly until 6:00.  And woke up to a sparkling house and perfect children.  :) Believe whatever you like. :)