It was a quick camp.  In on Friday, out on Sunday, but it was worth every minute of "work" needed to make it happen.  In the beginning I felt a little trepidation about the time frame and the amount of stuff to gather and transport for such a short time, but I found my groove, trusted my instincts and let the stress go. 

I claimed a new mantra for the weekend:  "If we don't have it.  We don't need it."

Sure, we were only 15 minutes from home and I could "run' back for anything we forgot, but I had it in my head to relax and "running home" for little things was not an option.  I got out of bed at 5 Friday morning (as Josh left for work) and spent two hours slugging coffee and gathering.  Gathering cooking stuff, sleeping stuff, eating stuff, wearing stuff, dog stuff, swimming stuff, bug/sun repellent stuff and placing them into a huge pile for Josh to transport to our campsite that afternoon. I then got ready for work and tried not to worry about what stuff I forgot and focus on my job for the day.

Josh finished work, he collected the kids, collected my piles of stuff and gathered more stuff (boats, fishing gear, firewood, man stuff), crammed as much of this stuff as possible into the car and after a few trips, got all the stuff to camp. 

I caught up to my crew at 6pm with a pizza and a smile as I took in the beauty that surrounded us:  green trees, blue sky, deep blue water, blueberries peaking out from the bushes and a calm settled over me.  No TV, no internet, no video games, no laundry (I did dread the loads we would bring home a little), no lawn to mow, no floors to clean, just the breeze rustling the leaves and the loons partying it up late into the night.

We had a wonderful time.  Thunderstorms woke us on Sunday morning and we abandoned camp earlier than planned, but the afternoon brought naps, hot showers and a renewed appreciation for the comforts of home.

 Early morning fishing...

 Sunshine playing in the trees...

 "Dad! Please put my kayak down..."

Loving the many tunnels and bridges.... 

Dodging the smoke while cooking your own dinner... 

Yup, the kids had their own tent!....

Bailey saying "thank you" for all the room to run and swim...

Turning the camera on ourselves!  : )

{{this moment}}

{this moment} - A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

We have been enjoying some absolutely splendid summer weather.  Enjoying it so much in fact that my house is a bit very bedraggled, the lawn is extremely shaggy (almost jungle like), the flower garden is full of weeds, and I didn't even attempt to plant veggies.  As school came to a close and Josh's career path wobbled like a top at the end of its spin, I had this sense of urgency to make this summer unforgettable. 

Half way through (and with Josh finding his place at our local radio station) we have been to the beach more times than I can count, had a few raucous play dates, paddled the full length of Rainbow Lake in anticipation of the rope swing dangling over the waters edge (twice) and stayed up just a little too late on a few occasions.

Now that Josh is gainfully employed and has a regular work schedule (not that I think waking up at 4am is regular but that's news/entertainment), our excursions have to be planned a little more carefully, but we've managed to squeeze in plenty of fun.  Last weekend we took the dog (poor guy has to hang out in said jungle-like-yard and likes to pee on the few flowers in bloom...I think he does it to make me feel bad about his lack of attendance in our little adventures so far) and walked into Moose Pond.  It's a very nice leisurely trail through tall pines and lush undergrowth that ends at a beautiful pond with several outcroppings perfect for swimming.

We even found a few raspberries on the walk out!