Tim had some computer work he needed to do for friends out of town. The weather was so incredibly beautiful that I begged to go along. Okay, I actually didn’t beg or even ask, I just announced, “I’m coming with you.” The children wanted to go as well. They did beg. There might have even been some desperate pleading and bribery (“Chocolate is always a good place to start,” I could have told them).
A scary bunch of hitchhikers if ever I saw them.
When the dust settled we decided to go and camp overnight. The kids thought this was the best idea ever (obviously never having done any real camping, at least not with me). Joshua immediately set about making lists and collecting sleeping bags and food (gotta cover the essentials).
And now we are campers. Oh yeah, we camped. We’re the Campsters! There were tents and flashlights and a fire. We had fights over pillows and sleeping bags and tent zippers that didn’t work. All the glory of camping wrapped up in one night.
The Marshmallow Research continues.
We even discovered a new school of thought regarding marshmallows. It turns out Tim’s careful study of marshmallow roasting was incomplete. I’m sure he’s terribly embarrassed. He somehow overlooked the Stuff Them in Your Mouth and Eat Them Right Away class of people. We suspect this might be a very large group.
As David says, “I like to eat them raw!”
Still, the night of the Family Camp Out wasn’t without a few glitches. This is not the time or place to go into details but I will have to say one family member slipped out of the tent at 2:45 am, snuck away, pillows (yes, as in more than one) in hand, to spend the rest of the night on the sofa couch (prepared by knowing grandparents). Even with the air mattress, this pampered/spoiled person couldn’t last all night in the tent.
Does sleeping three hours in a tent count as truly camping? I’m thinking….No.
We’ll just have to extend a little grace here, people. After all, look what happened to those who did remain in the tent all night. Serious Bed Head.
Look at that dirty face! This girl is a TRUE camper.
Or what about this child, munching on a delightful breakfast of roasted hot dogs.
Sarah is very particular about her grilled food. She does not want there to be any indication that it was actually cooked. She doesn’t like those delicious marks on a hamburger that show it has been grilled to perfection. And she ESPECIALLY does not want a hot dog roasted all crisp and black.
“Um, do you expect me to eat THIS hot dog? I don’t think so.”
My goodness we are a spoiled group. The next thing you know she’ll be sneaking off in the night with her mother to find the hideaway bed.
Oops. Did I say that aloud? Heh, heh. Well, it is important to get that beauty rest. I’m not sure what you get when you’re tenting can be called beauty or even rest. Next time I’ll shoot for 3 1/2 hours.
Maybe.
I’m off to get a hot shower.
Kathy
Project 365 – Day 188
Man, I wish I could have gone too. Just too much fun you guys had. I would have loved it. Great pictures.
So what does hide-a-bed head look like, Kathy? Conspicuous lack of photos of YOU in a lot of these blogs.
Hey! I like the contest idea. My mother says I’m good at commenting, so it must be true. Anyway, I must admit I subscribe slightly to the third class of marshmallow-eaters, but I don’t generally partake of the food. I much prefer good ol’ beef dogs crisped to a nearly cinderly state.
Excellent Dad and Daughter picture! LOL ~Yvonne
Kathy, I’m with you. If there is a couch or bed made up INSIDE… why stay outside.
Any chiggers? Mosquitoes? Snakes? You can tell I’m no camper. Glad y’all had fun. In Texas, I’d be afraid of critters!
Some great pictures but the one of Princess Sarah and Tim is priceless!! Obviously the peasant besides The Princess didn’t know that she DOES NOT eat grill marked food! I see that in a wedding montage….. So very cute that niece of mine!!
And poor Daniel – what a grimace – hotdogs for breakfast? Where was Grandma and her freshly baked coffeecake?
A camping experience (glad you found the couch Kathy! I would’ve been right behind ya!) that some may have wanted to forget – ha!
My favorite is the 3 campsters hitch hiking. Too cute.
I love my marshmellows on fire and burning!! Uncle Jerry likes his barely brown. Ah, we are each a different flavor- ala Nana Cain.
I could tell you that dear advernturous Katherine was always an ‘inside sleeper.’ From early on.
Love you guys!! We watch the Portland weather for Mason and Chloe–and have been cheering the warm happy days. They’ve been at the dunes having a grand time. Staying in a house! Love, Aunt Kate
Kathy, I would have been indoors with you, um, I mean with whoever that wimpy person was who was afraid to stay in the tent the whole night. :^D
I also adhere firmly to the Golden Brown marshmallow group, although I am surrounded by Blackened Blobs of Goo people. But regardless, we can still NEVER get a good S’More – the chocolate just doesn’t melt. Which leads me to simply EAT the Hershey bar and smear the graham cracker with Nutella. Better for sticking the Golden Brown marshmallow in, my dear.
We used to camp all the time. Then something tragic happened – Steve and I aged. Camping in damp air and sleeping even on an air mattress on the ground makes us feel arthritic. Finally my husband agrees with me that a five-star hotel with down pillows is superior. Who’d have thought?
Oh – and WHERE OH WHERE is your Project 365 button? I start at my blog and hit “next” on the little Project 365 loop and hum right along reading and admiring pictures, then I get to yours and I get STUCK! Now I must resort to going BACK to my blog and then going BACKWARDS until I once again make it to your link-less blog. (sigh) Some people make life so complicated. ;^D
I don’t camp.lol The only time I attempted it was with my Brownie troop. What was I thinking? I had 12 girls, my 2yo son, and only two helpers.lol Jon ended up throwing up all over the tent and I had to take them home. I’ve never done it again.lolol
Ginger —
It turns out that the Project 365 button was hidden for those who use Internet Explorer, but not for those who prefer Firefox (as Kathy and I do). There was a weird HTML thing going on that hid the graphic for IE users. Sorry for the interruption of service.
Ginger – I LOVE your Nutella idea for S’mores! Why didn’t I think of that?? we are big Nutella fans around here. I simply must try that next time. Any excuse to roast marshmallows again (for further research and all that).
Oh yea… must not forget the straight from the bag variety of marshmellow eaters! And… then we’ll have to do the rice krispies too, you know! LOVE rice krisipies… I make mine extra gooey with about double the marshmellows/butter.
It looks like you have had a fun weekend.
Well, *I* think camping for three hours is camping. I think sleeping in a HOTEL is camping. I don’t like camping, of any kind!
That is a GREAT pic of Sarah and Dad!
LOL – I really think I’m getting too ancient for tent camping….and that is probably why Mike decided we needed a trailer. I can stay in the trailer while THEY sleep on the gravel bars of rivers! ::snort:: It works.
De’Etta – I think if we ever did any major camping that we would have to get some sort of a trailer. I’m just to pathetic when it comes to sleeping on the floor. Either I’m terribly sore and cramped in the morning (and pretty much useless for the day) or I lie awake all night. Neither one is very fun.
Kristine – I’m glad to know hotel sleeping can also be considering camping. Ha!
I’m amazed. I thought more people were die hard tent campers. Last summer we had people come and speak to our Bible study group. It seemed like every single one of them (couple after couple) listed camping as one of their great family memories. We finally decided to be Real Parents we had to take the kids camping.
Well, this was it.
Cynthia – now you’ve gone and done it. You’ve opened a whole new can of worms, so to speak, with talk of Rice Krispies. That is a previously unexplored side of marshmallows here on the blog. I’ll be sure to get this info right to Tim.
The kids are extremely eager when it comes to the experimentation that goes on in this marshmallow research. They’re just helpful that way.
Joyce, you have an excellent point. We were fortunate not to have any worrisome critters crashing our camping trip. There were mosquitoes (and the kids and Tim are still itching a bit) but we didn’t have to worry about snakes or chiggers or nasty spiders.
There are some elk that like to hang out in the area but they didn’t bother us. I would imagine the quarreling scared them off.
How fun! Kathy, Kathy sneaking away in the night, for shame! Of course, this is coming from someone who has a comfy, albeit cramped camping trailer to sleep in.
Just love the picture of Tim and Sarah…great face, Sarah…just perfect.
I figure I’ve paid my “true camping” dues by years of real camping in my younger years…my old bones don’t like the hard ground anymore.