Believe it or not, I am a tent camper. And while I don't like all the work it entails, I do love to go off camping in my not-so-wee tent to get away from the stresses and busy that is our lives. Camping was on my list of "Things I wanna do this Summer," and so we did--we made a reservation, called some friends, packed my tent (and my family)....and off we went.
One of the perks of blogging is that you find the most interesting people and find out cool stuff about them....like one of them just happens to own THE sweetest private campground EVER. Thanks to Karen
(Will Oaks Studio) telling us about the campground that she runs, we contacted her early summer and made plans to visit her and the Will Oaks Campground.
It was HEAVEN. Pure heaven.
We had a quiet lake as our view and our entertainment for the weekend. It was peaceful, chock full of frogs (who sang me to sleep each night), and clear and cool for swimming.
We didn't even notice if it was hot, because we were chilling in this lake the entire weekend. And no, the fish did not nibble on my bum.
There is just something about "swimming to the platform," you know? It was all so "retro" for us, who grew up on lake swimming. And while we thought the girls would be squeamish about swimming with fish--they weren't. The lake is crystal clear and sooooo inviting. You couldn't get us out of the water.
Well....until it was dinner time.
Colin, Joe, and Audrey were hooked on fishing. It's "catch and release", which is great for those of us not-so-brave folks who don't want to have to clean fish..... AND for the fish, who don't want to be caught.
And then there's the company. Good friends, Pete (Bill) and Judy, along with their family, joined us. We are old camping buddies from waaaayyyyy back when. We laughed our hineys off this weekend--especially when Joe had a little too much medicine and called Pete "Bill". We still don't know what that was all about--he's an idiot. Joe, I mean--not Bill.
I have an adorable photo of Karen and I, but she's one of those private people who loves to share her jewelry (LOVELY!!) and her campground, but not her pretty face. I so loved meeting her--and she gave us all such an incredible weekend--so we all have great memories of Karen, Dakota (her dog), and her family's place...along with some quality family time.
And if you are a camper, you will know that I am still unpacking the car and doing laundry. Yeah, that is the un-fun part of sleeping under the stars. Ugh.
18 comments:
As the song says, "All good things must end..." and certainly unpacking from a camping trip and starting the laundry is the end of the good time. It pleases me that you had a good time, though. May your days be filled with many more good times!
WOW! The place looks divine, Lin!
Happy unpacking!
That was quite the adventure. However, it reminds me of Myth Busters the stars get to blow stuff up. Ever wonder who has to clean up afterward? You probably already have the answer. Right?
Looks like a great time even though it's been hotter than %@!! Hoping this heatwave breaks before our trip!!
Sounds like a wonderful time was had by all. It was way to blasted hot here to camp...upwards of over 100 degrees with heat indexes close to 130. YUCK! I'll stay in the pool!
Camping has never been my thing. I am more a four star hotel kind of gal. Any fewer stars then that and I feel I am roughing it! LOL!
Looks like you had fun though - good for you!
xo Catherine
We used to tent camp before we got our first motorhome. In fact our first trip together after our honeymoon was a tent camping trip through New England. In October. Wese be tough.
Beautiful!
Glad you had fun camping. Funny with my induced sitting I followed links around from your comments and looked at the campground last night. I will say your tougher than I, tent camping in this heat is brutal. I've camped in the recliner lately.
Glad you had fun at Karen's campground! It looks like a great place to be - during the day! I'm so not a camper of any kind so staying in a tent would not be my thing but I enjoy everything else associated with camping especially by a lake.
I've seen pictures of Karen's campground in all seasons and it's just lovely. Glad you had a great time. I don't know if I could handle sleeping on the ground even with an air mattress :)
There is something about camping that renews the spirit...you get to leave it all behind, laugh, relax, reconnect....
That looks like a beautiful place to go camping. I wish I could get out for more than a few hours at a time myself.
Vanilla--I love camping, but, gees, there is a lot of work with tent camping. If only I had a sherpa. :)
Veronica Lee--It was lovely. Very quiet and nice. I hope to get back there again soon. That Karen is darn lucky to have that place!
Chuck--It was nice that the kids are old enough to help now. That made a huge difference. But yeah, I get the laundry. Ugh.
Diana--I can deal with the heat when I'm on vacation. Especially if I'm near a pool or a lake.
Sherrie--We went with the intention of leaving should we get too warm. Didn't happen. I think being away from the city it was more comfortable. Between that and the lake, we were more than comfortable.
Catherine--I like my tent. I'd rather stay in my tent than most hotels, believe it or not. I like the fresh air and the quiet. AND being disconnected!
Patty--Sounds fabulous, Patty. If it wasn't so much work to cart all that tent stuff, I'd do it every weekend.
Rebecca--It IS! And so quiet and relaxing!
Winnie--It was nice, believe it or not. The evenings were cool and we didn't do much other than swim during the days, so we were really comfortable. We were gonna leave if we were too uncomfortable and it never happened. I'd love to go back this weekend if we could!
Beaded Tail--Well, we have cots and stuff, so we "rough it", but not really. That lake was literally feet away from out tent--it was GREAT! We all had such a nice time.
Ann--Cots, Ann, cots. There is no sleeping on the ground for these old bones. :)
Jodi--Bingo! I love disconnecting and leaving behind all things city life. I love finding toads, snakes and yellow fuzzy caterpillars on my way back from the shower. And I love those froggies singing me to sleep each night. Sigh.
Ratty--It is!! We loved her campground. Karen is very lucky to have this little piece of heaven! I hope you can get back to longer times outdoors too, Ratty!
Awww! I have to try to make it there this year! With the havoc that's going on around my house I'm not even sure that we'll get to do our Labor Day weekend camping. It's in my blood now.
We have a queen air mattress. I just got the kids twin mattresses and we haven't been able to take them. I even got a cool Canopy. All this new gear and so far we camped for 1 night.
Lola--Be prepared--there is no driving to your site. You have to haul it all, so be careful how much you bring. We packed a wagon and Karen has a huge wheelbarrow for lugging. I personally think she should provide Sherpas. :)
Looks like a great way to go! We were in a hotel for 9 days and I'm now home doing laundry too. Seems it doesn't matter which way you go, the laundry still manages to pile up!
Aww thanks for sharing such nice tales about our little place, Lin!! We aim to provide a rustic, natural experience but yeah, hauling stuff is a drag, I know.....Well anyways, come back again soon!!!! Karen
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