oh ho, hands down, no contest, waaaay better!!!!!!

 The camper, a game-changer.  In case you missed my camper history, or if perhaps you like hearing the same stories over and over again, here you go:  We started out tenting years ago, when we had two small children.  It was holy heck, challenging-ly difficult, but fun too.  A week in a tent, with nary a cook stove, meaning even coffee had to be made bent over a campfire.  Smoke in your eyes.  We decided:  we need a camper.

The next summer, when we had baby Benjamin, our #3 child, we bought a brand new Coleman pop up camper.  We used that until #6 Aaron was a baby, then we bought our 35 ft. Prowler.  (We had one rainy camping trip, tucked all those five children in bed in that pop-up, then sat under the tiny little awning reading the newspaper by lantern light...and decided:  we need a bigger camper).

That 35 foot camper was years of fun.  We had our own bedroom in the front, could play cards and backgammon, tuck a baby into bed next to our bed...we outgrew it...for several years we had to use some tents too...then it started getting older and bigger, then we got rid of the Big Van, and couldn't tow it if we wanted to.  So we went back to tenting...after getting rained out a few times, we decided:  we need to rent a camp.  We had some nice years of that, then the grandchildren kept coming, the family got just too big for that.  So, we went back to tenting.

Now, I like tent camping.  But heaving myself onto the air mattress at night, then getting the camping leg cramps, waking in the morning and un-heaving...then the horrific walk to the bathroom, trying not to think about peeing, one step at a time, and heaven help me, one morning the janitor was in there, just a minute, m'am, almost done!  Well, you're gonna have an extra puddle to clean up, kind sir.  It was like the little nightmare on top of a very bad dream, to see that janitor cart and the stupid little We're Cleaning! sign.  

So we got this new little camper.  I had hopes, I had dreams, and I wondered if the reality would match up.  Well, yes.  Yes, it has.  I won't say it was the most comfortable sleeping, as I had the edge part and there's a crevasse where the camper and the bunk part meet, and I am the Princess and the Pea.  But it was okay.  It was cozy.  Morning rolled in, I rolled out of bed, no heaving, and took four steps to the bathroom.  Ahhh.  Then the morning coffee:  that inside camper stovetop is so slick, just turn on the burner, and voila, the kettle is going.  Then:  coffee on the couch with my feet up.  Oh ho, it was nice.  

We had some chilly windy weather, mixed with a small bit of rain during the night.  Excellent sleeping weather, as the waves were noisy, it's the best to sleep with the sound of waves.

This was our view from the campsite.  Lake Ontario.

These two, they like camping.

So cozy in their little bunk end.

Paul...

Camping hair, camping clothes...

One lazy pup too close to the fire...yeah, we moved her.

I can't believe we have a camper again.  I do love it.

Unzip the end and wow, the lake!

Charlotte Claire learned how to chop the wood to get kindling pieces.

A little bit of sunshine!

Paul and Char drove home in the truck, towing the camper.  Camille rode with me in the car.  We were going right by a grocery store, so I decided we should stop.  Burger was $3.29 a pound, bacon $3.33 a pound, cherries were two-something...we only got a very few things, because we wanted to get home.

I invited the family over, (I missed them!) on the way home, on the family chat.  We weren't in the door ten minutes when they started coming over...maybe a bit longer, we had put the refrigerator stuff away and unfolded the ends to air out... 

Meatballs!  Six pounds of ground beef makes a lot of meatballs...I made some pasta too, just the right thing for a beautiful windy day, with a passing rain shower.

Six of my girls went over to the school to play pickle ball with three friends...Amanda has the tennis balls, Grace is behind her (their second cousin!), and Linnea (another second cousin!)...Margaret in the front with the sunnies, and Kathryn...then Sonja K. in the back, Evelyn, Char, and Miss Cam next to Grace...

 So Darius was here with his three kids, Adrian with his three kids, Sam and Grace with their three, but Grace wasn't feeling well.  The dads were watching a race, and watching their kids...but you know how that goes!  I was helping quite a bit, it was busy, but the kids and babies are so hilarious, so precious.  The bigger boys were playing in the yard, I set the two year old girls (Rhys and Ruth) up at the table with teeny tiny things (Calico Critters), I chased babies and gave one my measuring spoons, got the bin of blocks for them, just helped keep them safe and happy, while making meatballs and sauce and pasta...it was like the old days!  They were actually all really good.  The two year old cousins have a few spats here and there, but they play together more and more.  

Blythe and Maeve

Jamie

Maeve

Blythe and Jamie

Uncle Darius with Wulf (Grant, and Achilles too)

Aunt Evelyn with Jamie, who just woke up, and Rhys

Time to go home...all the gathering of tired children and babies, finding the socks, the water bottles...then  wow, ..it's quiet.  

There is laundry to do, and things to put away, but for right now, an early evening coffee and reflections of a very nice weekend...ahhhh.