Roughin' It

While we have the larger goal of de-stuffing our lives, we did decide to invest a portion of our last tax refund in some camping gear so that we could [again] become People Who Camp (we are from Oregon, after all), even if only as Car Campers. So, we purchased all the big stuff: tent, sleeping bags, air mattresses, stove, flashlights, etc., and enlisted family and friends for advice, tips, and lists (thanks, especially, John and Erin!). And then we were off! First trip: Cape Henlopen in Delaware. The campsites are located in the "woods", with a 15-20 minute walk to the beach.

Our campsite! We actually had to move our tent to the other side of the table (basically where I was standing when I took this pic), but that's another story. 

Our GIANT 8-person tent had a divider, so Oscar had his own "room".

John was an expert fire-builder the entire trip.

 Our super-cute Stansport cook stove! I have to share that I found a great warehouse deal through Amazon and was able to get this for as much as I would've paid for a much less cute stove. (It also got great reviews as well for being more than cute.)

And we cooked and ate some great food--oatmeal with fruit, tofu stir-fry, fried mac and cheese, breakfast burritos, hot dogs, and

s'mores, of course! OK thought they were great, but ultimately liked eating the marshmallows "raw" (he's not a fan of sticky fingers).

After we set up camp our first day, we walked down to the beach. Apparently, we had just missed a storm--the clouds were intense but thankfully on their way out.

OK wasn't sure what to make of the water, but he loved the sand.

We went back the next day and played for a while. The sky was clear, the beach was beautiful, but the wind was crazy. You couldn't sit down without getting covered in sand. Still we managed to have some fun.

 On the long walk to the beach (next time we will bring our bikes!).

We climbed to the top of a World War II military watch tower. I guess I'm getting weird about heights in my old age because the bars and gate around the top weren't enough to keep me from feeling I was about to be carried away by the wind.

Sitting around the campfire.

 A tree by our campsite that Oscar climbed (with help).

 After Oscar was asleep, John and I played toddler-free ladder ball, which is admittedly more fun.

Even when you have to rescue one of the balls from a tree.

 We survived! We built fires, cooked food, slept under the stars, hiked around, and otherwise enjoyed some time away from the city. The best part--we get to do it again in a couple of weeks.