we have a nice dry house, why are we here?

 When it rains it pours, but sometimes...it REALLY pours.  And when that "sometime" is when you're camping in a tent, with a sandy, muddy campsite, well...you might just decide to pack up and go home!

So we're home a day early, and let me tell you, I need to forget a few things about this trip before getting all excited about going again next month.  Here are the things:

Sand.  I don't like sand.  The dogs got very sandy, and slept in our tent.  A nice big rug caught a lot of it, but not all of it.  I had a little mat next to my bed to wipe my feet on, can't sleep on sandy sheets.  I am not much of a Roughing It girl.

Leg cramps:  I attribute these to walking in the sand, or perhaps just sleeping on the air mattress.  Last night, sleep was elusive. I conked out okay, but woke up with the leg cramp, and it must have been a sight,  me try to get up from that four inch air mattress in a wicked hurry to stand and walk it off.  In a tent, there's nothing to lean on, you just have to stretch through the cramp...then heave back down onto the uncomfy little bed.  (I didn't bring my giant-0 air mattress...).  I was so totally wide awake after that.  I was afraid to stretch and cramp up again.  When you can't sleep, you hear the buzzing of a mosquito, and your arm falls asleep, then you roll over and can't breathe out of your nose, so you have to work at it a bit.  Your toe starts itching, then your hip starts aching.  You hear a crying child from two sites over, and recognize it's your two year old grandson Tennyson, and you say a prayer for him, and his tired pregnant mama.  You hear a different child cough a croupy sounding cough, and when you discern that it's a different child and not Tenny, you feel relief that you instantly feel guilty for.  So you say a prayer for that child, too.  

Five o'clock rolled around, and my aches and pains were starting to fade into the sweet oblivion of actually falling back to sleep, then it started raining...ah, love that sound, so cozy.

Well it didn't STAY cozy.  The rain cleared up for a bit, we got up and had some coffee...then the REAL rain started...thunder, lightning, pouring rain.  It swirled down our campsite and left a  muddy mess.

Morning coffee...Tennyson had his tiny mug, of water.  He's SO cute.  (I didn't want to post this picture because I look so fat, but if that's how I look, what difference does it make?)

Anyway.  The first night was better, and Friday was a gorgeous beach day.

The dum-dums love going.

Sunset on Thursday

Suri the bear.

Paul starting the fire...

Waking up in the tent...

Lake Ontario

Pups on the beach

Ruth, Grant, Achilles, and that's Paul (Grandpa!) walking in...

Kids love sand, Grant did NOT want to go home when it was time.

They're so cute!

Friday evening swim...it was so warm and humid, it felt fantastic...Paul had cooked some steaks over charcoal, and salt potatoes...so good!  Then a swim...there are EXCELLENT parts of camping, too!

The cooler makes a good footrest!

Then, the rain this morning...ugh.

Mud!  

Wulf...

We went for a drive, found an old cemetery with revolutionary war soldiers buried in it.  We drove to Watertown, and walked through the mall.  We went to Aldi and got snacks (a block of cheese, some cherries, cheese popcorn, almond flour chocolate chip cookies, beef jerky, Buffalo style turkey breast, and some sea salt and peppered pistachios).

Then we made the decision to pack up and go home.  Wulf and Tenny weren't too thrilled, but we looked at the radar, rain was to last for hours, and even when it stopped, everything was soaked...and so much mud.  

We deflated the air mattresses, rolled them up with all the bedding, etc., then took down the tent...then the awnings...then finally, ahh, on the road...

The roses bloomed again!  The kitties were happy to see us.  Orange Guy and Sunny greeted each other with the longest face rubbing I've ever seen.  

I made some burgers for dinner, and picked the tomatoes and lettuce from the garden...

I've done two loads of laundry, and put most of the stuff away, but not all of it.  We had dinner, I sat in my comfy chair, and I'm tired.  pooped.  whooped.  

Tomorrow, Paul has to drive to Boston to pick up Sonja, Char, and Camille.  Sam and Grace will be bringing Grant and Ruth here, because Monday morning, proceedings for the new baby's arrival will begin!  

My goal is to get a good night's sleep, then clean the house all up...lofty goals...always, my aim ha.  Especially the good night's sleep one.  Oh, I am old.  Remember way back when, when you'd just go to bed and assume you'd get good sleep?  When waking up with your heart racing, certain that this was IT, wasn't even on your radar?  (Just a little aside: (as if the whole blog isn't FILLED with "asides"...) a few months back (January), I was having major issues with a racing heart.  I had been a bit sick, and it seems like since Covid, when I fight something off, my heart races frequently.  Anyway...it's WAY better, rarely does it anymore, and shh, it's not because of the meds, because I never took them...

Anyway.  I'm ridiculously glad to be back home, in my big dry comfy house ha...have a good evening, and a really good sleep!