Camping trip

Unfortunately, I lost the memory card that held our camping photos. The most annoying part of it is that I took the card out of the camera for the sole purpose of uploading those photos. Apparently something happened between point A and point B because the card never made it into my laptop. We're moving in a few days, and I'm crossing my fingers that it will turn up before then.

Fall Family Camping took place October 12th-14th at Scoutland in Gainesville. Mom and Daniel dropped me off Friday evening, and Johnathan and the kids began to lead me back to our campsite. Dark was falling fast, and I stumbled uncertainly across gravel, fields, and more gravel. We trekked up the hill to our campsite, and I was incredibly relieved to see familiar faces in the warm light of a campfire. The kids ran around for ages with glow sticks, tripping on roots and invading each others tents. The air was chilly beyond the warmth of the campfire, and most of the adults seemed content to chat amiably around the glow.

Sleep was slow in coming that night. Our tent was on a slight incline, so the kids kept sliding feet-first towards the entrance of the tent. The girls kept worming out of their sleeping bags, so I intuitively woke every so often to check on them. Johnathan and I had the opposite problem. We bought brand new sleeping bags for the trip and almost roasted to death. Note: When they say "Comfortable to 34 degrees," they mean "Don't use this in 49-50 degree weather." We were slightly better off around 3:00 a.m. when we finally decided to use one bag as a mat and the other bag as a blanket. That was also about the time we heard something gallop past our tent. I gripped Johnathan's arm and whispered, "What the heck was that!?" He laughed and welcomed me to nature. A few minutes later, however, we heard a skrrrrr skrrrrr that could almost pass for scratching on canvas. This time it was Johnathan's turn to urgently whisper into the dark. After staring at the ceiling for what seemed like an eternity, I finally decided the sound was more like someone rolling over on an air mattress. Our nearest neighbors must have brought one. Some wilderness warriors we are...afraid of an air mattress.

The next day passed in a blur of events. Craft making, playground (parent rest) time, outdoor cooking, and hiking. That night we cooked "silver turtles" and made "mountain man breakfast" for dinner. I have to admit that one of my favorite things about camping is cooking over a fire.

Silver turtles:

Diced up carrots, potatoes, onions, and other vegetables of choice
Season and place on sheet of heavy duty aluminum foil
Place seasoned hamburger patty (or other meat of choice) on top of veggies.
Fold foil to seal and place over hot campfire coals. Cook 35-45 minutes.
Open foil and enjoy.

Mountain Man Breakfast:

Cook 1 lb. sausage and 1 chopped onion in dutch oven over a bed of hot coals.
When sausage is cooked, add 2 lbs. frozen hashbrowns and cook until tender (approx 15 mins).
Pour 12 beaten eggs (or one large carton of egg beaters) over sausage and potatoes.
Cover dutch oven and place 12-18 coals on lid (leaving 6-9 on bottom).
Allow to cook for about 30 minutes (or until eggs are firm).
Sprinkle liberally with cheddar cheese (we use a whole lb). Continue cooking until cheese has melted.
Enjoy. Have seconds.

On the second night, the kids and I retired early. Or at least I tried to... The children who had been falling asleep only minutes before sprang to life when I mentioned "bedtime." We were all exhausted enough that we slept much better the second time around. Poor Emily was just a crumpled heap at the door of the tent when morning came. We got up early and packed in hurry. I had to be at church by 9:30 in time to teach Sunday School. I have never been so glad for a hot shower...or for my own bed.

And how could I have forgotten to mention the latrines!? Our assigned campsite was a long hike from the bathrooms, but there were latrines just down the hill from us. Terrible, awful, smelly things. David complained non-stop every time he had to use the pot, and Ava went into flat hysterics when I took her the first time. Emily was the trooper who just sucked it up and did what had to be done. I tried to explain that people used to have outhouses and that we aren't that far removed from those days, but my words fell on deaf ears. It definitely gave me a renewed respect for the people who came before us. We know nothing about discomfort or inconvenience.

Tonight, the wind is whipping savagely around the house. It's 46 degrees, but 22 mph winds (and gusts up to  40 mph) make it feel much colder. The wind is courtesy of Superstorm Sandy, which slammed into the New Jersey coast this afternoon. New York City was slapped with a 13-ft surge of water, and at least 3.1 people are without power. Water is closing in on the island on three sides. The storm is hitting during the full moon, which is the worst possible time for it to hit. The combined effect of the storm and high tides will be devastating. Saying a prayer for friends in Maryland and NYC tonight. Very thankful to be snug in my house and not in a tent (or in the northeast).