I can remember climbing this big rock when I was a kid...funny how each year the rock seemed to get smaller and smaller.....but to my daughter it's probably like climbing half dome!
One of the best things about camping is breakfast made on the smokey griddle. Pancakes, bacon, eggs....yum! My dad is the official campfire chef...but even a pro like him burns an occasional piece of bacon. If you didn't know it already, Eric hates the cold. You can see him trying to hide in his hoodie...funny thing was it was rather warm this year. Next time I'll have to pack him a parka, just in case.
Eric is such a great daddy. He graciously slept with the Tasmanian devil the one night we stayed up there. As I said before, we didn't get too much sleep. I think I might have slept the most, even with having to wake up to feed the baby.
Sani wasn't the only baby in camp this year. My aunt and uncle just got a puppy, affectionately called "Prince" Henry, so he joined us on the trip. As you can see, my son has also discovered one more use for his own tongue. What is it with boys never wanting to take a straight picture?
Here are some shots of Cadence poking at the dirt right before we packed things up and headed home. She stayed surprisingly clean. We have pictures of me as a child covered in dirt from these camping trips.
Finally I have to share one anecdote. Saturday about half the people from camp decided to hike to another creek known for better fishing than the creek at our camp. My mom stayed behind and decided to try her luck in the stream just about a stone's throw away from our campsite. Cadence joined her, as did I. A few moments after dropping in her line, she got some good bites, then suddenly, hooked a 12 inch trout and pulled it out of the water! Cadence was fascinated by the fish flopping all about. My mom got a good hold on it and showed it to her. My daughter poked at the fish a little, looked it straight on, smiled, and sweetly said, "Hi!". She's familiar with fish as she has a goldfish at home and we have a few others in our room as well.
My mom then discretely took the fish behind a tree to end its suffering, emerged, and began to walk towards camp.
"No!!!" shrieked a tearful Cadence, chasing after my mom.
"No, no! Home!" she continued, this time pointing to the creek behind us. A silent moment passed as my mom and I looked at each other, troubled at what to do next.
"Cadence, " I begin, "Do you want Ooma (my mom) to put the fish back in it's home in the creek."
"Yeeesss!" replied a crying Cadence. My mom looked at me, a pained expression on her face.
"Well Cadence, we are going to take the fish back to our camp and give it a new home," I continued. She quieted and looked at us.
"Would you like to see?" I asked.
"Uh-huh," she replied. Cadence followed us back to the camp site and watched my mom pull a ziplock bag out of storage, plop in the fish, seal it, then place it into an ice chest.
"See Cadence, that is the fish's new home," I instructed. She was no longer crying and seemed satisfied. My mom looked relieved and a few minutes later grabbed her pole and headed back to the stream. Cadence pensively watched her walk away, wandered over to the ice chests and storage bins, then followed after my mom. I also followed to see what she's was up to and saw her chasing after my mom with a new ziplock bag in hand. When she reached my mom she proudly handed her the bag and exclaimed, "Home!" with a smile. Disaster diverted! I'm not sure either Cadence or myself were quite ready for a talk about what death is. It's pretty neat to see how simply and easily the world of a child can be set right.
Cadence and the fish, and Cadence deciding pine needles are not so tasty!
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