....home from a seriously nice weekend...

That sunset though! The first night, there were only six of us there, not including the two little girls (Anya and Elise). So these three NY strips, roasted over the coals, were plenty for our evening snack.

Oh, the best laid plans...! We started off on Thursday, after putting oil in the van, air in the tires, packing it up, yay, finally on the road, and at a good time! We would get to the campground nice and early. It was extra adventurous, because it was just Sonja and I, and Miss Char and Miss Cam. Ben and Ashley and their two little girls would be up a bit later, in the site next to us.

Well. We got a half hour into our trip, and WHOA, was there a really really loud motorcycle behind us? nope, that was our red minivan, oh my dear goodness, shaking and quaking and clacking and roaring, uh-oh. We pulled over, and all jumped out, just in case it started on fire, because well, it seemed likely, and because Sonja really thought it was going to happen. You could smell gasoline, and the engine light went on. I called Paul to let him hear the sound it was making and he wondered if I should try to just drive it back home...then a guy in a truck slowed down and asked if we needed help. Well, yes, I said, I'm not sure if I should drive this thing or not. Well, he pulled over, got out, and he looked a little...sketchy. He had a bandana on his head, and an earring, and I'm not judging, I'm just sayin'. So he looks under the hood, and declares that a sparkplug blew clear out of the engine. But, he offers to follow us home, says he lives a few blocks from us, and we take him up on it. We drove with the flashers on, and it was like we were on a roller coaster, the noise it made going up the hills...it was crazy, a white knuckle ride. This nice guardian angel stopped and talked to Paul, explained what he thought was wrong, and wished us well.

So, we unpacked the broken van, and thankful that we made it home safely, piled everything into the new Mitsubishi. Some of it didn't fit, so we left it behind in the truck for Paul to bring up the next night.

And off we started, again.

One of the casualties of the smaller vehicle was my big comfy mattress. No way, no how, it had to stay behind. Miss Char so nicely let me use her little, thin air mattress, and she snuggled in with her sisters. (Can I just say it got an F- from me? I was thankful for it, but ow, my hip hit the ground). Paul brought the big one up the next night, and since we didn't have the electrical outlet in the van, Benjamin brought it over to the bathhouse with the extension cord, inflated it, and carried it to my tent. Talk about the Princess and the Pea, it was hilarious, and embarrassing, but ahh, it was nice to have my comfy mattress for the next two nights!


The trials weren't over for the day yet though...our tent situation was, in retrospect, hilarious. It's always funny afterwards, but during it, well...one tent smelled funky, and the girls declared they were sleeping in mine with me, then...the elastic that held the 13 pieces of tent pole together snapped, and we threaded it back through like five times before we got it sorted, had to tie it off, and thread the other piece through the other pieces, couldn't re-connect them, etc., then we got it set up, and it was all wonky. There were only 12 pieces, uh oh! We found the other piece later, and got it put in, and it stayed up.

The stinky tent aired out, and with the help of a fabric softener sheet from Ashley when they arrived, was fine.

It was kind of fun though, to start out with trials, then finally get it all sorted out and set up.

The beach up there is gorgeous. You can bring dogs, there are no lifeguards, and you can have floats and boats.



The dogs love going in to chase the stick in the water.


Grand baby Ophelia visited for the day, and grammy rocked her to sleep.


Auntie Evelyn holding Ophelia, and little Elise.


Sonja, Cam, Char.


Evelyn, Char, Sonja, Cam, taking the two Labs and Ben and Ashley's two pups for a walk.


In the first pic, that's Ben in the front with his Baxter and Lila.


Sunny and Suri, all excited to go bye-bye, not realizing they were leaving such a nice place.

Refreshed and relaxed, we are home, time to mow the lawn and clean things up...