Camping Adventure!

This weekend we enjoyed a Father's Day camp-out at a nearby lake.

The dads took the kids out canoeing for several hours on Saturday and they had a blast exploring beaches around the lake and finding tadpoles.

Thanks Dad for bringing up your awesome untippable canoe!

Lesina got a chance to paddle!

"Take my picture"

There was a beautiful walk around the lake and a boardwalk through a nesting area and wetland. We saw lots of evidence of beavers at work, Nu learned about skunk cabbage (mainly that it is not where skunks hide, but rather that it stinks like a skunk), and the kids got up close with a frog someone had caught.

Lots of good family bonding time.

When I made the reservation, I knew that we would be 'roughing it'...it was, after all, a provincial park. I have such great memories of camping all through my growing up years, and we often used provincial parks. It's not the easiest place to camp, but I really love the experience and the feeling of accomplishment afterwards.

This one was beautiful, with spacious sites connected by fern-covered forest floor, tons of tall tall cedars, and the smell of campfires lingering permanently in the air. The kids loved it right away and didn't want to leave at the end. Mekaia said this would be a good new home for us!

I'm so glad they are getting a love for the great outdoors.

There were, of course, the usual challenges of 'roughing it'. And the unusual ones experienced by the 7-months pregnant person. Yes, I am guilty of wearing the same shirt two days in a row (possibly including the nightime hours), several members of the family (who shall remain nameless) were forced to pee in a bucket in the wee hours of the night, we did wake up on the cold hard ground after our 'luxury air bed' deflated within the first few hours of the night, there were countless trips down the path to the pit toilets, there wasn't much sleep, and no showers or cleanliness to be seen or heard of. All of this was worthwhile for the good times sitting around the campfire, exploring the lakeside, and making some memories together. Will we do it again? Yes! But not until next year...