Soggy Memorial Day

We woke Monday morning to the pitter patter of rain on the tent.  We got up about 7am...but decided to go back to bed.  It was so relaxing to hear the rain.  It got harder...and then finally I looked at Tim and told him I was done.  I was ready for a shower, hot shower and to go home and get things cleaned up.  We looked at each other and thought...yep, that is what we should do.  So we got the dog in the car and packed up.  We didn't even have breakfast...and the rain came down.  Everything was soggy and muddy!  We got it all in the car and left.  We got home a little after 11am and Tim showered and made the breakfast he had planned to make while at camp, eggs with cheese, ham and potatoes...we had coffee and it was in our apartment after taking hot showers and putting on clean clothes.  Felt AWESOME.  Though, I would not have traded the camping trip for the world!  I didn't even take pictures of our exit!  I should have taken a picture of the campsite once we cleaned it up!  The rain continued to fall all day.  We watched THE ROAD and some episodes of FREAKS AND GEEKS...the sun peeked out...and then hid and it POURED and POURED.  Apparently more rain is coming!  Happy Memorial Day!

Soggy Camping Day Two

So, we got up the next morning to a pretty dry campsite.  Tim made an INCREDIBLE breakfast of GF french toast bake in the dutch oven...with some sausage.  We had coffee and tea...and it was really quite good.  Then we packed up for a short hike so Tim could go fishing.  We packed a light lunch and got all bundled up.  Up in the trees it wasn't so bad...but next to the lake...it was going to be chilly.  Did I mention the high temperature all weekend was UNDER 60...I think 57 was the high Sunday!  Anyway, we bought a new pack for Elphaba.  She did not like it one bit.  She ended up without a pack and I strapped hers to my pack.  We went to a dock area and Tim tried some regular fishing.  We saw a couple other people out there...but mostly it was us and the rather large Canadian geese.  We walked around the bay to the other side where it was less windy and Tim tried some fly fishing...and caught a tree.  We ate our lunch there.  The weather was overcast and it looked like rain...but it didn't rain.  We headed back to camp about 1:30pm and read a little.  The sun started peeking out and we headed out on a second hike.  We went the other direction to look at the lake from another view.  By the time we got there, the sun was REALLY peeking out and the skies were blue with puffy white clouds.  We actually felt a little warm.  We ended up on the top of this hill and there was a lookout for Mountain Goats!  I looked through my binoculars and could swear I saw one...but there were rocks and my binoculars were not as powerful as I would have liked.  Saw lots of birds and ground squirrels.  They were in colonies like meerkats or prairie dogs...they had sentries that squeaked that we were coming...it drove Elphaba NUTS!

We got back to camp and chilled a little...then Tim started dinner.  He made his awesome chicken, rice, salsa and cheese dish in the dutch oven.  We had that with some white wine and just sat next to the giant fire I made that night...it was great.  The dog was WORN out.  She could barely keep her eyes open and was relieved when we headed to the tent.  The evening was DRY!  I did roast some marshmallows again...Tim was too stuffed to share with me!

Rainy Memorial Day Weekend

For Tim's birthday (May 1) I booked us a campsite at Farragut State Park in North Idaho.  I had heard good things about it and decided even though Tim isn't a fan of camping at camp sites per se...he does enjoy fishing and camping...and would probably enjoy it.  Plus we could bring the dog...always a plus!  So, we checked the weather for this weekend...RAIN RAIN and MORE RAIN.  Not to be daunted...rain isn't so bad.  Usually I don't mind the rain...and we decided we were going anyway.  Saturday I had to work...so we didn't leave until about 5pm Saturday, it only takes about an hour to get there...and we got to the campground just as it started to rain again.  We checked in, got a map and headed to our campsite.  It was a pretty cool setup...but right next to the kids playground.  But...thankfully the rain kind of kept things quiet!

Normally I set up the tent and start the fire...while Tim gets food prepared.  But, in the rain, set up is a two person job!  So Tim helped me get the tent set up and then while I started the fire, he made an AWESOME lean-to for us to hang in out of the weather.  I was successful at starting the fire, no lighter fluid...damp, okay SOGGY firepit...some newspaper, one firestart lump thing from REI and my lighter.  NO KINDLING and just bigger pieces of wood.  Interesting start...but after about 20 minutes I had a fire going.  Tim got our dinner ready, turkey franks, pea pods and hummus, carrot sticks, cheese sticks and red wine.  Later we roasted marshmallows over the coals, in the rain.  It was fun!  We managed to get into the tent without much water getting in...the dog was wet...so we had this lovely wet dog scent that followed us all weekend.  Our dog HATES water...not a big fan of rain or being wet...she kept looking at us like when are we going home?

End of day one...

Camping

WHEEE...we are going camping this weekend.  You should see our living room...FULL of camping gear. We are deciding whether or not we should be minimalist or just go for it.  We are car camping...with our tent and dog.  It will be raining!  That will make it interesting.  Tim has his fishing stuff and I will read of course...cards and blokus!  Anyway, I will definitely recap the trip as it should be interesting.  North Idaho, Farragut State Park...is where we are headed!  Happy Camping!

Mother's Day

Today is mother's day.  I want to take this opportunity to thank ALL of the women out there who are mothers...who have been mothers...who plan to be mothers.  Take this job seriously!  I can't stress this enough!  I have fond memories of coming home from school to a snack and my mother who was ready to hear about my day.  I was the oldest of 5..and I am sure that sometimes she wanted to pull her hair out...but what I remember most was her being there.  It was a comfort...and maybe sometimes I didn't appreciate that enough.  I feel being a mother is a privilege and an honor.  I also feel that once you have made that decision...your life is no longer about you and what you want...but about your kids.  I have made the decision to not be a mother...but I am a godmother, an aunt...and I love the kids in my life.  I made the choice for a variety of reasons...health, the world, and the knowledge and acceptance that I am not meant to be one.  I want to say to all of the mothers out there, you are awesome...and even when you feel like you want to go insane...it is worth it...keep up the great work...and use those people in your life without kids to help you...we will!

Happy Mother's Day!