a-camping we shall go

We met Mary Jane, Randy, Ruthie, Ryan, Jaclyn, and Toby at Meeman Shelby State Park for an Easter weekend camping trip. It was a pretty centralized location for all of us to meet up. After those of us coming from Tennessee dodged the tornadoes, we finally arrived and set up camp.

we love some s'mores!

Jaclyn and I were in charge of the two breakfasts during the weekend. I brought some pancake mix and Jaclyn brought the electric griddle. Along with some Saucettes and fresh strawberries, it was a great breakfast!

I finished making the pancakes and took the opportunity for some creations. This, theoretically, was Mickey Mouse. I also made a dog and a smiley face.

Ryan got the fire going again on Sabbath morning with the help of some coals and a little "kindling." We got the fire hot enough that night to turn the metal grate bright orange!

MJ giving Toby a little scratch. Toby enjoyed the attention from all of us . . . except maybe Randy. Toby liked having several laps to choose from as we sat around the fire.



Toby the leaf monster

The Ryans enjoyed the road for playing tennis and catch.

After breakfast, we took off in the van and car to see the mighty Mississippi river. It's pretty wide where we were, just north of Memphis. It turned out to be a great place to find driftwood to burn. I contemplated cutting up this log we all sat on, but we couldn't have fit it in the van. Ruthie didn't like the idea that there might be snakes on the bank when I brought it up.

Jaclyn, Ryan, and Toby on the big log. Toby loved all the smells down by the water.













Ryan and I with the river behind. It looked very muddy and even though it was really wide, it was very fast-moving.

While we were there, this huge barge started past. The boat said it was from St. Louis. It was 4 barges wide.

a little bridge on our short hike



plants from our hike

Jaclyn spotted this cool beech tree with its exposed roots next to a stream.

Ryan K. getting in a short nap after our haystack lunch. They just got this tent before this camping trip. I hope they get lots of use out of it meeting us to go camping!

a new thing: self-portrait with a dog!

sitting around the fire Sabbath afternoon

Randy reading up on his new camper







Toby loved it when we jumped in the cars again to head over to Poplar Tree Lake to check out the nature center and cabins. This was all well and good until Toby sneezed into the wind while sitting on my lap . . .

a timer shot of the whole group near the lake

Jaclyn took some shots of Ryan and I by the lake. The trees on this peninsula were really pretty. The guys played frisbee for a while and MJ walked Toby around to all the popcorn balls left by an earlier group. I can't believe he didn't throw up!

The guys also thoroughly enjoyed terrorizing the resident great-horned owl that lives in a cage outside of the nature center. Any time any of them approached the cage, it hissed at them. I need to upload the video so you can see.

Jaclyn & Toby

Ryan brings out Toby's best, as you can tell

Sunday morning self-portraits
I'm smiling despite the worst migraine of my life . . .

Sunday morning, Mary Jane and Jaclyn both planned for Easter egg hunts . . . so we had TWO!

Jaclyn and Ryan show their spoils from the second hunt

3rd slide picture

a weekend to recharge

Ryan and I were late getting to Tims Ford State Park to meet his parents, Ryan, Jaclyn, and Stephanie for our weekend camping getaway. Thank you Google Maps. =( We got there after dark and quickly threw the tent up and joined the rest of the group around the fire.

We had a great weekend with beautiful weather. It feels like I had a home leave, which is just what I was wishing for as I left school/work on Friday.

Jaclyn and Ryan walking across the bridge early Sabbath morning.













Since we were up and already wanted to walk across the bridge, we hunted down some good firewood to take back to our campground.

Ryan carried most of a dead tree and Jaclyn dragged some other ones behind her. I set mine down after running ahead for this picture.

Randy's bow saw proved easier (& quieter) for cutting the wood into smaller pieces than Ryan K.'s hatchet. Most of the time we just threw them across the fire and let it do the work of cutting through.







Stephanie insisted that staying put was the way to ride out the smoky times caused by a shift in the wind. She hunkered down in her shirt and waited for a different breeze.









Ryan and I by the fire Sabbath morning. His air mattress went flat in the night and he ended up inhabiting his parents' other bed in their new camper. We both moved in there for Saturday night.

Our hike to Weaver Point. The name is more exciting than the view, I have to say. Most of the time we walked around fingers of the lake through really dense trees.

Finally found a break in the trees along the way. It will be really gorgeous here when the trees are at their peak color. The water was really calm and very green. We had fun playing on the shore for a few minutes before moving on.

The fallen tree's roots were really gnarled and neat looking. It had shelf mush- rooms growing out of the bottom that looked like pancakes.

After the hike, we tried to get a picture of the whole group on the bridge. I leaned out onto one of the concrete supports and set the camera on top, set the timer, then jumped and ran to get in the picture!

Ryan and I on the bridge. It really was a pretty lake. I can see why most of the people who came had boats.


Jaclyn and I snapped a silly self-portrait before we all headed back up the hill.

We decided to wind down the day by taking some "reenactment" pictures on the playground behind the bathrooms.

See this link for the pictures from Cumberland Falls S.P. (KY) two years ago.

Even more fun with Stephanie added to the pile.

We had too much fun while the boys played frisbee. MJ and Randy took pictures for us.

Tims Ford has a Bear Trace golf course on the grounds that I'm sure gives really pretty views of the lake. We decided to use the last of available light to check it out.

Like every- where else, there were deer on the golf course. I saw six total and each group of three was made up of a small, medium, and large deer.

The campfire was stirred back to life around sundown for the long- awaited s'mores. You'll have to check out Jaclyn's blog for those pictures. We skipped the planned hot dog supper due to a late lunch and snacked while the daylight disappeared.

After sending Ryan to bed with some Tylenol PM for his fever, headache, and sore throat, we played a game of Thump-Thump (7 up, whatever . . .) by the light of Randy's shop light. In the hands with only one card with which to make your bid, you're not allowed to see it! You have to look at your opponents' cards and then make a bid based on what they have. Stephanie beat us handily.

Stephanie slept the nights away in a hammock. Aside from the mosquitoes and the dual-temperature she dealt with, I think it went pretty well for her.

Ryan came and cleaned up the pancakes and saucettes that were left. He tried to sit at the table while avoiding the ever-changing smoky breeze.










Ryan leaves his mark (temporary) on the campsite while playing with his fire stick. We seemed to have just the right amount of firewood for the weekend and gathering it wasn't too bad -- just a walk across the bridge.







Ryan and Jaclyn stayed in a borrowed tent from MJ and Randy. Putting it away was pretty much the last of the clean-up. Then we loaded up and headed our separate ways with promises not to wait two more years before the next trip.