Cora's First Campout

This is a quick exercise in perspective and communication. I'll only post new pictures to go with it, but this is my version of the weekend's events!

So on Thursday Cora and I made our way to the pediatrician's office for her two-month appointment. That was a trying experience for all involved, with the exception of the nurse, who was pleased at how well everything went. The guilt I feel at watching my daughter react to the poke of the immunization needles is only lessened when I think that those pokes may keep her out of an iron lung later in life.

And then, the next day we went camping.

What were we thinking? I'm not sure. Cora's been fussier than normal what with immunizations and the confirmed diagnosis of teething. And then there's the issue of the dog, but that's an entirely different matter. We did enjoy ourselves nonetheless, with very few hesitations on that declaration.

We drove about an hour to the camp I picked, which was specifically labeled as an "Equestrian Campground," and had facilities (read posts to tie horses to) for those who wanted to take their favorite hoofed friends camping with them. At first, we were the only ones there. We let Dickens off-leash to wander the cul-du-sac area of campsites, and kicked off the afternoon hours with a little relaxation.

John and Cora played while I rested.

After that a trio of horses and their riders came and took to the trail. Upon observation, it seemed as if they were trail-breaking their smallest horse. We all took to the trail near the campsite soon thereafter.

Near the trailhead, I noticed a bush growing small, red aggregate fruits. I wondered whether they were raspberries or unripened blackberries. I picked the largest, darkest red one I could find on the bush and discovered that they were raspberries, but upon eating it, that it was not ripe. It was woody/seedy textured, and quite sour. Later up the path, we found more of the same bushes, with berries ranging from green, through red, to purple-black. We ate a good many on the way up the trail. On the way back, we drained our water bottle and collected some to enjoy with breakfast the next morning.

After we arrived back, the horses packed back into their trailer and drove home. We enjoyed a dinner of steak, zucchini, mushroom, bell pepper and onion shish kabobs, and another group began to arrive with their horses. This group continued to arrive until after dark, it seemed.

Dickens didn't like the horses.

But the donkey was hilarious to watch.

Actually, Dickens really didn't like any change in the status quo. So long as things were consistant, he was quiet, but when something would change (ie: another trailer pulled up, a generator switched on, a horse trotted past, etc) he'd bark up a storm.

We chased dinner down with a peach cobbler. Don't over estimate the milk you put into cobbler. It comes out more like a bread pudding with peaches, which isn't bad, just not cobbler.

We lit a campfire (as opposed to a cooking fire) then, and played a round of "San Juan." After that it was getting dark, so we started to settle down. Once when John was walking with Cora out in the roadway, he called me over and said "Look!" gesturing upward. I looked up, expecting him to be pointing out stars as he had mentioned stargazing earlier, and was very excited to instead see bats!! I love bats! First off, they eat mosquitos. Second off, they are flying mammals, how unique and amazing is that?! Third off, I love watching them fly; they flap their wings in butterfly-like ways, with owl-like silence in their wings. Mother Nature also provided an excellent light show in the forest as fireflies flickered and winked at each other from all heights in the canopy. --Come to think of it, I really hope bats don't eat fireflies. That would be such a waste of complementary excellence, in my opinion.

The night was sort of long, what with Dickens and Cora waking me up every so often (Cora I don't mind waking me up, but that blasted dog--I have nothing nice to say about his behaviors), but I'm pretty sure that John slept well. I'm afraid that those sleeping patterns are becoming habitual--I don't sleep, John does. This is something I am legitimately allowed to be afraid of. I am not an agreeable personality on sleep deprivation.

We slept in until the sun was well up, and proceeded to make breakfast. After that I'm pretty sure we began striking camp and came home.

Upon arriving home, all four of us took time in the bath to get cleaned up (much to Dickens' distress, mwahahaha, vengeance is sweet!), we got laundry done, and almost all signs of camping cleaned up. I still need to re-season the dutch oven, but that is the only thing I think that has not been completed.

Sunday is coming and we're resuming our lives in the normal lanes of traffic.