First order of business, a disclaimer: We use the term *camping* quite loosely. As many of you know we own an RV. We don't own a home on a foundation, but for 7 years our 26' Green Goose has been our nest on wheels and we love it. We can't go too faraway on a weekend and so we hunker in with a lot of other families and locals in the county park. We do cook over fire, pitch a tent, feed ducks, ride bicycles, hike, breath deeply, observe nature and reflect on issues of the day. At night, after chilling ourselves by the fire, we crawl in to our nest and sleep in the shelter and comfort of the Green Goose. Alex did sleep on a cot under the oaks and stars, which was brave and adventurous.
Our first morning in nature we set out on an exploratory hike, to see what the natives were up to. Maria was the first to spy Nature, in it's most subtle form. She approached with caution. The flamingo never flew, but sat quietly on its perch while Maria stroked it's "soft, soft" wings and fed it from her outstretched palm. She kissed the flamingo good-bye, saying, "Cute-cute birdy. So perty."
RVers have a sense of humor. I think this is even funnier than "Spamalot."
Ah, here we go. Nature in motion. We were the first ones at the pond, so the ducks and coots were hungry and appreciative. We even saw a coot we know from previous visits. He is a one legged coot and we always feel sorry for him and try to feed him extra... I don't know why... being an obese one legged coot couldn't be good.
I was feeling a little sorry for myself, camping, cooking, cleaning all by myself, but maybe Geoff had it worse. He worked Friday, then drove up. He left for work again after our little duck feed session and 3 bicycle races with Max. Then he returned Saturday night, and he worked again on Sunday. Camping was not as restful as I'd have liked.
But, I did get to play with my camera. It has way too many bells and whistles and I am still trying to fugure them all out. Here is my artsy macro submission. Dew on a Web.
Then I had to
Geoff seeing Maria's donut face.
These are the toys Maria was playing with before she fell asleep. She calls the tiger a "cow."
The nap. Ahhh, the nap. It took me 30 seconds to decide not to clean or organize, instead I played with the camera.
This is why I love our county park... the oak trees, and especially looking up at the canopy and beyond to the blue sky. It's beautiful, and makes me feel like I have come home.
Look at these two. These are such great guys. They spent hours sharing ideas and making plans and talking together.
Maria had the best nap under the shade of the oak trees.
Max followed me up the ladder to get a view from the top of the RV.
Still playing with the camera. I've been meaning to get more pictures of the four children together. Next time we'll try one when Maria is awake!
Looking at this picture I can see that Alex really has grown a lot recently. Other clues are his new shoes and shorts. Where can I get a print of this? I want to frame it.
Speaking of growing, Max is definitely ready for another, bigger bicycle. He loves riding around the campground. I joined him a few times, and William and Alex kept an eye on Maria.
More nature. Crow in oak.
Woodpecker.
Another woodpecker.
Do you think it was the woodpeckers that woke Maria? They are very loud and there were three of them banging away in the oak trees... very inconsiderate.
Max and William have been working on getting Maria to cover her mouth when she coughs, and guess what: She covers her mouth when she coughs.
Max and Maria painted.
Maria loves painting. She likes glitter glue too.
Maria painted a lot.
The best part about camping is smiling. Without the regular expectations of our daily lives there comes a moment when you feel at ease and find yourself smiling.
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