An apple a day . . .: Our Annual Memorial Camping Trip

The Trip:
Every year for at least the past 5 years, we have gone camping with some good friends of ours over Memorial weekend. Most everyone goes down Friday night. However, Carol has to work Friday night, so Casper and I drive down with her on Saturday.

Where?
Our friends have property near Shelton, WA that we go camping on. There is no electricity or running water, but there is a campfire, a lake, boats,an island, etc. It is very relaxing and a lot of fun.
We stay in a tent, which Cea thinks is the coolest thing ever. (Bry says trailers are for old people.)

The Campers:
Sean and Carol, and their 2 kids Marina and Dakota
Marina brought 2 friends, Megan and Missy
Dakota brought 1 friend, Connor

Aaron (Sean's Brother) and Dani, and their 2 daughters, Rae and Reese all attended for the first time this year. (I hope we didn't scare them off, as they are a great addition to the group!) They stayed only Friday night and left Saturday evening.

Troy and Beth, and their 2 boys, Joe and Danny

and then of course the 4 of us.

What do we actually do?:
I truly believe that we spend the entire time eating while we are there. The food is usually very good!
However, we did hear a lot of jokes about the Saturday morning paperbag breakfast, but as I wasn't there, I can't really tell you what it all entailed.

THE HOTDOG ESCAPADE
We kept the menu simple this year--and as we were in charge of the hotdogs, and hot dogs are served for every lunch, we brought 128 hotdogs and 120 buns. Really, when you think about it, there would be at least 14 people eating hotdogs--probably 2 a piece for 3 meals, that would be around 90 hotdogs to be used for the weekend. Of course some will eat more, some will be dropped, some people will eat hotdots every meal, etc, so the 128 seemed like a good number. UNFORTUNATELY, Sean who sent out the meal plans, did not follow the meal plan, and brought hotdogs as well. Needless to say, we have a TON of hotdogs left over! AND we are rather sick of them already! sigh!
The moral of this story is: Sean should not have brought any hotdogs! THBBBBT! Grin.
Also, if anyone reading this would like a hotdog, please come visit us!

Saturday morning at the campsite. Carol, Casper, Conner and Myself and just arrived.
The campers were all making/eating breakfast.

Hanging out around the fire--I believe they are waiting for their paperbag breakfast to cook.

The campers and the campsite
The far left tent is Aaron and Dani's
The blue tent is ours
The motorhome undercover is Sean and Carol's
The trailer on the right is Troy and Beth's
The bathroom is past the vehicles up the hill

The opposite view

She finds camping exciting.
Here she is hauling a football around in her bucket--because she can!

Cea going on a ride with Conner and Dakota

As you can see, Bryan does all the work around the campsite. Here he is doing the dishes!

Everyone owns a cast iron skillet!

Sean and Casper both looking like regular campers!

This is my sister's husband!
I just had to put this picture in--and don't blame me!---he made the face!

Joe saw Casper and immediately wanted to hold him! Looks like Casper likes his big cousin!

He is ready to camp out!

Danny and his granola bar

I had just complained that I take all the pictures, so there aren't any of me,
so Bry grabbed the camera, and took this lovely picture of me!

Spike aka Joe after getting sunscreened up!

Splashing around

The adults didn't go in the water!
They talked a lot though!

Going exploring

Reese and her mom, Dani

Water fun!

Marina, Rae, Joe, and Cea on a boat ride

A silly goose! I mean little boy!

Hi Casper

The inside view of Casper and Danny playing in the pen

Carol hanging out

Casper and Danny playing in the pen

Marina, Rae and Cea going for a spin

Playing in the water! They both loved it! and they both got soaked! How cool is that?!?!

Cea didn't have any shoes on, so Bryan helps her up the hill to camp!

She wasn't in trouble!! She thought it was fun!

Just falling asleep! Thanks for your help Carol!

Dani cooking a hot dog, Carol probably trying to decide between a hotdog or a marshmallow

Taking a nap

Rae and Cea holding hands while watching the island get blown up!
Thank goodness Dani and Aaron could blow it up this way--as the foot pump was getting them no where!

potatoe gun, Potatoe, and plenty of targets!

The girls swimming! Marina is on the island being pulled by Missy and Megan

Cea getting her fishing rod ready!

Rae fishing
Dakota peddling,
The girls swimming,
Conner paddling
There was a lot to do!

Whee! Look at me! Look at me! Look at me!

Relaxing!
(I'm sure if we were young kids, we would consider what we are doing as a little boring--but now as parents, it is nice to have nothing to do!)

Vroom Vroom! You can bet that Joe in about 10 seconds got in on the action!

Sibling love!

Casper reached for Reese's pacifier, so she took it out and handed to him! What a sweet girl!

Or maybe Casper wowed her with his good looks and charming personality!

If you look closely you will see that Casper has no clue what to do with a pacifier--

he has it in his mouth wrong! snicker!

Waiting for the food

The girls were in charge of the fruit kabobs! They were awesome. The fruit was perfect!

Cea eating a watermelon kabob

Beth with a fruit kabob she made for Sean.
We were feeling bad that we were able to eat the fruit kabobs, but yet he was having to still make the meat and veggie ones!

Sean eating his fruit kabob!

Doesn't that look delicious?!

Troy eating a kabob while roasting a hotdog on the fire, and carrying the bun in his shirt pocket! I'm guessing the hotdog is for a kid?

Making Shish Kabobs on the fire.

Sean makes the kabobs, and Bryan grills them to perfection!

Makes you smile too!--doesn't it?!?!

Casper and Danny hanging out with Uncle Troy

Sean is eating a "pie" he made on the fire courtesy of some neat contraptions that Beth and troy brought. The pie consisted of butter, bread, pie filling and sugar. They were actually quite yummy!

Playing a game

Carol bringing Danny back down the hill.
The "bathroom"
(consisting of a hole and a wooden bench that Troy made)
is up the hill.
Danny got to "help" dig the first hole,
and he was hooked, and kept wanting to go dig another!

Missy, Megan and Marina with their "easter baskets"

Bryan and Danny coasting down the hill.
The keys were lost, so it wasn't on! --Uh oh, remember the campsite is UP the hill!

Dakota looking for the last egg (one that I hid!)

The big kids opening their eggs

Joe and Mircea having a "time out" in the playpen!

Danny wants in on the action!

The escape artists
First they figured out they could move it, and then they figured out how to get out!

Now the boys are caught!

My artwork! We never had time to have the kids do some--maybe next year.
It is a picture of our campsite. The blue bottle cap is our tent, the long piece of bark next to it is Sean and Carols trailor, The red leaf is the girls tent, the short bark is Beth and Troy's trailor. The circle of pebbles is the fire, and the big brown leaf is the lake.

Where is Casper?

Peek a boo!

The 3 little kids, Joe, Mircea, Danny; getting ready for their egg hunt!

Thank you Sean and Carol for setting this up, it was a lot of fun!

Maybe even the start of "Holidays" while camping!

What is it with kids and buckets on their heads! grin

Here's another one!

Danny and an egg!

Danny still looking for eggs. He didn't really understand what was going on, but he had fun!

hmmm, what is in here

cracking open eggs

Look at Mircea's lizard she found in an egg

Casper being entertained by the "big boys" Dakota and Conner

Mircea blowing bubbles she got out of an egg

Boat rides

Casper coming back from his ride around the lake

Casper back on land

Mircea and Bryan out for a ride

No camp out is complete without "FONDUE"! Check it out! It was soooo yummy! Hmmm maybe we should weigh ourselves at the beginning of the camp out and at the end!--these camp outs may be bad for our health!

hanging out

Cutie pie! even when she is grumpy

Sean and his coffee

Mircea hugging her lantern. She wasn't so good at sharing it!
But she was quite excited about using it!

Danny, Beth, Joe, and Mircea. Bed time stories

If you look closely you will see that Cea is poking her light stick up her nose!--

She is definitely her daddy's girl!

Dakota and Conner eating cookies at the late night fire

cracking an egg

pancake up for grabs! (The kids all had to make their own!)

Bryan and his new glasses

Cooking Monday morning breakfast--Pancakes, eggs, sausage. YUMMY!
(We used all of the eggs brought on the trip!
--which means we at least planned well with that number!)

Don't mess with these bikers--they look like they belong to a tough gang!

Casper exploring the inside of the tent!
Don't fall off the cot, Casper!
(We loved the cots--sleeping was very comfortable!
They were the same cots my dad used on his bike ride across the US last summer.)

Running up the hill, after throwing some more rocks into the lake--a favorite past-time

Once we tore down camp, there was no shade, and it was hot, and we didn't want to burn. So, Bryan being the guy he is, created shade!
Again, I maintain my position that if I had to be stranded on an island, or in a forest, or wherever, and I could have one thing with me,
I would choose Bryan--
he can do/make/be anything!

I love this picture.
Bryan and Casper--my 2 dudes!
They both are soooo handsome!
Sigh,

Sean trying on Mircea's coat!

Porsche, Casper, Carol, Sean, Marina, Megan, Missy, Beth
Dakota, Bryan, Mircea, (Conner is ducking behind Mircea), Danny, Troy, Joe
DeeDee The dog

We always take a group picture at the end of the camp out. We are thinking about taking one at the beginning as well--but when you think about it, you can't smell a picture--and that is about all that changes from the beginning to the end! snicker!

Casper and his adoring fan club--Missy, Megan, Marina

The original spot of the fire pit
There is no room to sit on the back side of it.
We are always worried about falling down the hill (or being pushed!)