All Good Things

Must come to an end.  Dad made me a fire in the morning so I could go out smelling like a fire pit.  The rest of the morning we finished packing up and cleaning up our cabin.  We were loaded up and ready to go before 9:00.  We took a photo of us by the cabin to send to Ute because she was with us last time we were there in 2013.  Baylor was just ready to go home and I was too because of the seven days were were camping, it rained five of them.  I did not get a photo of all the wood we left on the porch for the next campers, but it was ALOT!!  Camping is not as much fun without fire and sitting around the fire.  But we spent a lot of time together and that is what was really important.  

When we pulled into the camp office to drop off the key, the rain started making down something fierce!!  It was a perfect memory of our week at Rickett's Glenn!  We did not hike any trails, no boating, and not many fires.  

Mom rode in the car with Baylor and I until we got to the same McDonalds where we picked them up a week ago.  We parted ways and each headed home to unpack and see what was going on in our part of PA.  We came home to ripe black raspberries!  One of my favorite Summer treats! 

And a sign we had a lot of rain at home as well.  

Camping Day Seven

We woke up in the rain forest again, foggy and rainy was the Red Rock Mountain weather forecast for the day.  I made breakfast inside and Gloria got ready to leave for home.  She was gone by 9:00 and after she left we had the Mama deer with her two fawns visit our yard again.  

We watched movies in the morning and around 11:30 we left for Harvey's Lake to have lunch at Grotto Pizza.  We had a window seat and the entertainment was the birds eating the mayflies off the windows.  The out of focus dark spot in the bottom is the bird.  They flew up off the ledge pecking off the mayflies.  

Baylor did not want to go out to lunch, again, as usual, but ate anyway, again, as usual.  Of course he loved the gelato for dessert.  After lunch we took a drive around the lake looking up homes for sale on my phone.  I don't think we can afford to move up there anytime soon.  It was hot and raining at the lake but when we arrived back at camp, it was foggy and cooler.  We stopped at an antique store that is near the park and if I had more room in the van, I would have bought a few nice things for the house!!  

 The rest of the afternoon was off and on light misty rain and no day for a fire.  Between rain and movies we played outside a bit and Mom and Dad went for another drive.  When they got back, they said the rain stopped as soon as they were off the mountain.  Apparently the mountain is a great rain catcher. While we were outside I asked Baylor to sit on the rock again because I remembered we did that two years ago when we were here.  

He is not the only one who grew in the last two years.  The woods are a bit different as well.  

Baylor and I made a small fire between rain showers.  He was the master fire builder again.  

He wanted to get a photo of me in my red shirt and red bandanna because he said I looked beautiful to him dressed like that.  

Love this kid!  

And fire.  

Camping Day Six

My grandma Miller was apparently right: kids who play in the fire wet the bed.  Baylor had an early morning accident around 2 am. There was a lot of shuffling in the dark changing clothes and sheets.  But we were prepared for such an event, because we never know when such an event will happen.  Gloria took my place in the bed and I got the slowly leaking air mattress on the floor for the rest of the morning.  We all woke up around 7 and since I am ready to go as soon as my eyes open, (I get going even better after my coffee) The sun was out (yippee)  and Dad had started a fire.  I started cooking breakfast over the fire.  The menu was fried potatoes with onions and peppers, bacon and ham, and fried eggs.   I tried the cinnamon roll on a stick trick but I bought small rolls and they are not rolled.  They are a puck and a puck does not wrap around a stick very well.  Next time I will get the jumbo rolls and see how they work.  I cooked the rest of the rolls in the pie iron and that worked out well.  

Gloria, by the fire, awww.  Not her favorite morning routine, but she was enjoying herself.  

Mom and Dad left around 9:30 for a trip to Corning, NY.  I would like to see it sometime but today was family day and the forecast was not for all day rain!  We left shortly after that to go fishing.  Since the lake is drained we stopped by the park office to ask for other places to fish.  They mentioned another park, Frances Slocum State Park, which was about 40 minutes away.  That sounded good to me because I want to visit as many state parks as I can and this would add one to my list.  

It turned out to be a great place for my beginner fishermen.    

Baylor was so excited to show me his casting skills and it took him a few tries before he found his rhythm again. I was a proud Mommy to see him so excited with his skills.  They have only gone out a few times this year and I was glad we had such a nice day for them to fish.  I don't have a license so I got to sit on the grass and watch.  

And take photos.  

And selfies.   He shows me in many ways how he his growing up and in just as many ways that he is a little boys who needs his mommy.  

Thankfully there was a bench because we did not pack our camping chairs.  I was sitting in the grass well out of the way of any flying hooks.  I have an irrational fear about being snagged with a fishing hook, so I stay well back.  

Gloria cast a few times but spent most of the time as teacher, 

 and as the line untangler, 

We did not even get a nibble but we enjoyed our family fishing trip.  A few people on the fishing pier very close to us had caught some fish, but it was a pretty uneventful afternoon.  

We did not stay too long, neither of them are long term fishers, and headed back around 1:00.  We stopped and picked up a six pack and for a barrel of wood (I am always the optimist when it comes to fires).  We built up the fire again and Baylor made Mama his now famous salami, mustard and roll sandwich.  We had smores and marshmallows as well. 

After lunch we headed to the beach and within 15 minutes he had befriended a family of boys, I think they had seven kids from diapers to early teens.  

Gloria even walked down to the mud pool to play a bit and see what all the fun was about.  

But she got out of the way when the mud fight started.  All the kids were having fun with the mud and of course it ended up with throwing the mud on each other.  

Even spattered with mud, he is my most cutest person I know!  

He went into the shower after a quick rinse off with the water guns.  He of course had to shoot out the rest of the water in the bucket before going inside. 

Buddy and I got busy with the pie irons making peach pies, a ham and cheese sandwich for Gloria, and our first wolf pie, a biscuit formed on the end of a fat stick and roasted.  I filled it with chocolate pudding and topped it with whipped cream.  Baylor loved it.  Baylor watched The Hobbit and I sat by the fire for a while. Mom, Dad and Gloria went to bed early.