Tuesday, July 26, 2011

Camping (part 1)

We spent last week camping at Branbury (a state park about 1/2 and hour from our house on Lake Dunmore).  This is one of our very favorite summer traditions and this was probably the best trip so far.  It was by far the best weather we have ever had.  Perhaps a little on the hot side, but that’s what the lake is for!  We swam 4-5 times a day and sometimes stayed in for hours.  We played games and cooked and told stories.  We ate ice cream and went for hikes.  We played in the woods and played ball.  We made s’mores.  And we swam A LOT.  Perfect life for me!

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Campsite!

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badminton was a big hit

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eating ribs

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early evening at the beach is my favorite time (this is about 500 ft or so from our campsite)

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cooking breakfast (or stretching)

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heading back to the lake!

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every year I bring a big container of trail mix.  This year the squirrels just couldn’t leave it alone.  First it was in a plastic bag and they ate through that.  Then I made some more and put it in tupperwear, in a plastic tote, with a rock on top of it.  And this is how I found it. 

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In previous years we have rented paddle boats, but this year we stepped it up and rented canoes! It took awhile to get the steering down, but we finally did, and Joseph LOVED it!  A couple years and I can relax while he does all the work ;-)

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We took our canoes to a small island in Lake Dunmore and explored and swam there.  My little pirate thought this was pretty great, as did we all.

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So much fun!  (I have more pics on my phone, but haven’t figure out how to get them onto the computer yet.) 

Hope everyone is getting outside and enjoying summer!

3 comments:

JG said...

Oooh... I am pretty jealous. Your camping trip looks amazing! The thing I can't figure out is, who's that kid with no hair? :)
The island exploration sounds really fun! Your trip must have been so satisfying. Yay for summer!

Anonymous said...

So nice of you to ignore the "No Trespassing" signs on the island. There are loons nesting there and the fish and wildlife people are trying to protect them. Great lesson for the kids.

Ruth said...

Anonymous, I know that you are right! However, I didn't know any of this before we went to the island. When we got there (after hours of rowing) we did ignore the "no trespassing" sign thinking the owner was just being selfish. Then some other people came and were swimming. I asked them about it and they told us about the loons and that it is ok to swim but not walk on the island. I felt really bad about it and have told J that we can't go back. However, I think they should posts signs that explain why they don't want people on the island. Thanks!

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