Moss-Fish
Where have I been? I've been camping!
Here is Tika, hanging out in the driver's seat. (Yes, she always looks surprised.) For those who are curious, Tika is a miniature Australian Shepherd. She's about the size of a large cat - but will still herd cattle. Amazingly, she remained absolutely silent when a herd of deer come through the campsite after dark. She doesn't hesitate to bark at strange people - but apparently large wilderness creatures are just fine in her book. Tika also took on the very important duty of following whichever camper left the campsite - which meant we all had an audience when we had to pee.
First we had to pitch the tent. Apparently T. purchased the super-deluxe tent o' doom after his last, moderate-size tent bit the dust. After stuffing two sleeping bags, a multitude of blankets, several backpacks, misceallenous gear, and one Lil Camper in the tent, there was still more than enough room to set up a card table with four chairs. Too bad I didn't know that BEFORE we packed. . .
Then we were off to "feed the fish." Apparently the fish in the pond next to our campsite can nibble the bait off your hook without a single bob from your bobber. While everyone else fished, I found a "fishing pole" for A. A. spent the first few minutes smacking every small green plant he could find - and then discovered the pointy end of his pole was great for poking the lake. After a few minutes of sporadic stick jabbing, A. hauled out a two-inch piece of green slime. "It's a moss-fish!" my friend S. exclaimed. We all laughed, and A. was very proud to have caught something.
The next day we broke down the tents, packed up the cars, and traveled to Mirror Lake. Our friend W. assured us the lake was only 11 miles from our campsite. He failed to mention that the last three were up a winding, rock-strewn, narrow road that crept up the mountain and ended in a clearing which was mostly "clear" because the trees ran out of oxygen and couldn't grow. A. discovered the joy of chucking rocks in the water - which kept him amused for hours.
All in all, I think our first camping trip was highly successful. We had a little trouble getting A. to sleep in the tent ("No, Mommy! Want MY bed. MY blankets."), and it didn't help that a rainstorm moved in around 6:00 p.m. - driving us into our tent and making spooky little pitter patter noises (spooky from A.'s point of view, at any rate) - but, overall, we had a great time.
My brave Lil Camper. Ready for the next round of rock chucking and moss-fishing - accompanied, as always, by the ever-present scent of sunscreen and bugspray.
Here is Tika, hanging out in the driver's seat. (Yes, she always looks surprised.) For those who are curious, Tika is a miniature Australian Shepherd. She's about the size of a large cat - but will still herd cattle. Amazingly, she remained absolutely silent when a herd of deer come through the campsite after dark. She doesn't hesitate to bark at strange people - but apparently large wilderness creatures are just fine in her book. Tika also took on the very important duty of following whichever camper left the campsite - which meant we all had an audience when we had to pee.
First we had to pitch the tent. Apparently T. purchased the super-deluxe tent o' doom after his last, moderate-size tent bit the dust. After stuffing two sleeping bags, a multitude of blankets, several backpacks, misceallenous gear, and one Lil Camper in the tent, there was still more than enough room to set up a card table with four chairs. Too bad I didn't know that BEFORE we packed. . .
Then we were off to "feed the fish." Apparently the fish in the pond next to our campsite can nibble the bait off your hook without a single bob from your bobber. While everyone else fished, I found a "fishing pole" for A. A. spent the first few minutes smacking every small green plant he could find - and then discovered the pointy end of his pole was great for poking the lake. After a few minutes of sporadic stick jabbing, A. hauled out a two-inch piece of green slime. "It's a moss-fish!" my friend S. exclaimed. We all laughed, and A. was very proud to have caught something.
The next day we broke down the tents, packed up the cars, and traveled to Mirror Lake. Our friend W. assured us the lake was only 11 miles from our campsite. He failed to mention that the last three were up a winding, rock-strewn, narrow road that crept up the mountain and ended in a clearing which was mostly "clear" because the trees ran out of oxygen and couldn't grow. A. discovered the joy of chucking rocks in the water - which kept him amused for hours.
All in all, I think our first camping trip was highly successful. We had a little trouble getting A. to sleep in the tent ("No, Mommy! Want MY bed. MY blankets."), and it didn't help that a rainstorm moved in around 6:00 p.m. - driving us into our tent and making spooky little pitter patter noises (spooky from A.'s point of view, at any rate) - but, overall, we had a great time.
My brave Lil Camper. Ready for the next round of rock chucking and moss-fishing - accompanied, as always, by the ever-present scent of sunscreen and bugspray.
posted by Andrea Peach | 7:58 PM
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