So camping was awesome this year! (We had to skip our annual trip last year because I was in the delivery room). We absolutely loved having Camryn with us. She is quite the explorer, loving the dirt, rocks, weeds and flowers, trees, sand and water.....and birds, seaweed, sand toys, new friends, long walks and bike rides. We were so glad she started walking before this trip because I can't imagine her crawling in all the places she was able to walk. We got quite the work out from following her around everywhere but to see the delight in her face when she experienced something new was priceless.
Aside from great conversation with all the family we hadn't seen in 6 months or more, the food was awesome, the smores were perfect and the boose trumped it all. We haven't been that liquored up in a long time and how many nights were like that? Hmmmm, I can't count. All I know is the minute we got there the Tequila bottle was out and the party had started.
Aside from great conversation with all the family we hadn't seen in 6 months or more, the food was awesome, the smores were perfect and the boose trumped it all. We haven't been that liquored up in a long time and how many nights were like that? Hmmmm, I can't count. All I know is the minute we got there the Tequila bottle was out and the party had started.
Our days started out in the mild cool air sipping coffee and talking. Then we loaded up for one of the various beautiful beaches Bodega and Sonoma has to offer. The ocean there is beautiful and the waves pounding against the rocks is endless and exciting. We saw seals laying on their backs in the seaweed almost every day, and there were groups of pelicans that flew down so close to us you could see their eyes.
We visited Lucas Warf for the best fish&chips ever (twice!) and the Tides Warf which has been there since I was a kid. We took a picture of Camryn in the whaling pot, you can barely see her head out of it, and I have the same picture of myself at almost the same age in my photo album. We took a day trip to the beaches on the northen end of Sonoma (Goat Rock) and then through Guerneville to see the great redwoods, thousands of years old. Many of them so big you could stand in them. This is a trip I always like to take because it reminds me of how old our planet is, and we still get to see some of the few things that withstood the tests of time.
After our day trips we usually wound down around a fire with drink in hand while one of the families made dinner. Each family makes dinner on a different night and this works out well for us. We had fish tacos and jumbalaya, bbq chicken sandwiches with pasta salad and strawberry shortcake, beef stew with the best sour dough bread ever delivered fresh daily to the local store, tri-tip with baked potatoes (right over the fire) and corn on the cob, spaghetti with salad and more yummy sourdough bread, and last but not least....chili with cornbread (and by the way, 3 different homemade chili's to choose from, mild, medium and hot) with sides of cheddar cheeses, onions and sour cream. Does this sound like camping food to you??? We know how to rock the menu on these trips!
We topped everything off with a tribute to Camryn for her 1st birthday. We served pie and yummy brownies made by Pat and all her cool friends, and opened gifts. Camryn had her own little cake and we sang happy birthday. It was the perfect thing to do!
Our one major casualty included Kyle being hit in the eye with a stick that left him with a cut and minor black eye....I think he didn't mind it so much because he took interest in the girl camping across the way and spent some quality time with her trying to make it feel better! Oh, I remember those days, when you're just about 16 years old, no real responsibility, and nothing but fun to be had. She (Paige was her name) went to the beach with us one day and it looked like they were having a lot of fun together. Hope her family didn't mind since she came back completely soaked from head to toe. I think Kyle will remember this trip for a while. She was really cute. (Oh yeah, forgot to mention we gave Kyle his first shot of Tequila to dull the pain...should we have?? Who knows - we did it anyway!)
This trip was really the best and we can't wait until next year! I want to personally thank Dave and Jane for selling us their trailer (this trip just wouldn't have been the same in a tent). Most of my family that have trailers didn't have them at our age so we are eternally thankful for that.
Thank you to everyone who was there for the great fun we had. Looking forward to seeing you all at Christmas, unless Jack can finagle getting the cabin for Thanksgiving. It would be nice to bbq a turkey together this year.
