Finding Joy -

Jul. 7, 2008

This weekend was wonderful. We were able to get away from the house and have a proper outing for the first time in months.

Thursday afternoon we left for camping. There is a beautiful spot we like about an hour from our house. It was raining, drizzling really, when we started setting up camp. I kept looking at everyone saying "we are not going home!" and they kept saying "we don't want to". "Ok, as long as we are clear". We took a long drive around the back roads up there, since we do not know the area very well yet. The midwestern alpine forests are so beautiful to me.......aspens, fir trees, wildflowers, creeks everywhere. It took awhile for me to remember to say "fir cone" rather than "pine cone" like down South but then I remembered Winne the Pooh always calls them "fir cones" too and it became fun.

Thursday night I was determined to do more than hot dogs and marshmallows. I always wonder why we head into the woods and fresh air and nature..........and then eat the most artificial food available. Last summer we were driving through Rocky Mountain National Park, down some back road, in our seventies van, listening to John Denver, with the windows rolled down and I am feeling very earthy and happy. Then I look around and realize all my kids are eating Little Debbie snacks and drinking Capri Suns!! Where is the homemade granola bars, the organic fruit juice I pressed myself? Bad earth mama, LOL. Since then I have tried to mend my ways but the establishment keeps holding me back, man. They were out in force Thursday night........"where are the hot dogs? Mom, aren't we having hot dogs? well, can we at least have s'mores?" LOL Yes, I let them have s'mores but we also had t-foil dinners....hardly a new concept but at least it was real meat and some veggies too. They loved them!

And corn on the cob, roiled in t-foil and cooked over the fire. And Samantha made us an apple cobbler in the dutch oven. After dinner, the kids sat around the fire, playing games and talking. It was nearly nirvana.

Friday was a beautiful day......clear blue skies, plenty of sunshine. I woke up to the sound of birds, chipmunks chattering, the creek. Lovely. After our usual breakfast, (Walt always gets up early and makes pancakes, eggs and bacon while the rest of us huddle around the campfire drinking hot chocolate), some went fishing, some went hiking/walking. Jessica, Sarah and I made our first "fairy house". Jessica, my little creative spirit, got right into it. Sarah asked "are fairies real?" I said "well, no, but it is fun to use our imaginations sometimes don't you think?" She screwed up her face and asked "well, if they are not real, then why are we building them a house?". LOL This is the girl obsessed with planes and space ships. Obviously more of a scientific bent. She still helped though. I took pictures that I will post later.

Friday afternoon we came back home, rested a bit. Grilled some ribs and then did fireworks. Saturday morning we went up to Manitou Springs, which is a village north of Colorado Springs, in the mountains. Pure tourist town but still lovely to walk through. We bought funnel cakes at the boardwalk and played in the park by the river. We tasted four of the seven "flavors" of soda water in fountains around the town. Then......we went to Chuck E Cheese. No matter what, we always seem to end up at Chuck E Cheese.

Other things.....Samantha has been accepted into the ILP. She should be leaving in January for five months of teaching English to Russian school children. She is very excited, we are very excited.

Ryan is working up at the Scout Ranch for the month of July. For a boy who wants to be a forest ranger, this is a dream job. Not much money, but some and he gets to live in the mountains for a month.

All in all, we are doing fine and having a great summer.