Camping Trip #2

 Since we now consider ourselves People Who Camp, we thought we'd share a bit from our second (and last) camping adventure of the summer`. It was another short trip--we left Monday and came home Wednesday--but that's just long enough to enjoy some time in the great outdoors without having to replenish the ice in the cooler. Our destination this time: Ricketts Glen State Park, known for its waterfalls and beautiful lake.

I'm pretty sure our little car couldn't hold another thing.

Unpacking the car is a bit of a process, but I think it is actually fun to set up our little temporary "home".

After getting set up, we explored the camp site a bit, and then got to work on dinner. We do manage to eat well out in the wild.

The next morning we woke to discover a small bear had been nosing around behind our tent. This is NOT actually the very bear, but our neighboring campers took a picture of it (I wish I'd thought to ask them to email it to us!). I found this picture online that looks awfully similar (though a little thinner than "our" bear). Glad he was little and not TOO nosy!

After breakfast, we went for a hike. OK hiked some and rode some in our borrowed external frame backpack--this was awesome to have on some of the trickier paths!

There are around fifteen waterfalls in the park. We managed to hike out to four of them, which was perfect for us.

Resting after some fun tossing rocks in the water.

 This was the big one--a whopping ninety-four feet, though the pictures don't show how big it really is. I took the next one, from the top of the fall (where we started before hiking down). Notice the tiny people down there?

 Exploring (in nearly the same spot as the tiny people pictured above).

 The long hike back up. There was more huffing, but it was just as beautiful.

After lunch, we headed down to the lake. Oscar was a little wary of the water at first, and spent a good amount of time enjoying the sand (aka "mixing cement").

But soon, he and Johnny were swimming like a couple of fish.

(I can't think of the right caption for this picture, but it is hands-down my favorite from this trip.)

My boys resting in the shade of our little beach tent.

 A little post-beach running to get...

ice-cream!

 Around the campsite we found lots of ways to keep entertained, including riding the scooter. OK liked "riding fast with Daddy".

Camping, we love you. We are already looking forward to next year--or maybe sooner? We'll see...

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.

John's Forty-is-Fine Field Day

June has come and gone like most months do these days--quickly. We did manage to celebrate a pretty significant milestone, though: John turned 40! We decided to have a field day, complete with games, "good" beer, and a picnic spread.

 The weather was amazing--not too hot, mosquito-free, and with a sweet breeze. 

 We had Sarcone's hoagies. If you don't live in Philly, the next time you are here, we will take you there. They are the BEST.

We got to meet Haas, our dear friend Pete's new dog.

 There was easy birthday dessert (and birthday singing).

 We played lawn games, of course, like ladder ball,

 bocce ball,

 badminton,

and even an energetic attempt at kite-flying.

 There were plenty of kiddos (who have known each other since they were babies!).

 Squirters!

This trio played a rousing game they called "Snowball" (How to play: pick up a piece of ice, and then throw it into the grass while shouting "Snowball!")

One final pic with the last folks to leave (and who helped clean up--thank you!). 

Happy happy happy happy birthday, Johnny!