This came home Wednesday. Joe totally surprised me. I was subbing at school when he texted and said he was on his way home with the camper. For some reason I got a burst of energy that evening and I cleaned it all up – bleached, dusted, vacuumed, washed the bedding. Then Mom texted and said they had their camper set up at Belva Deer. We ran out there for a little bit and I guess the camping bug got us.
This is what happened Thursday night. Totally unplanned and spur of the moment. I raided the freezer for meat, the refrigerator for eggs, made a quick stop at the grocery store and we were off.
It rained and rained some more. Saturday was spent in the camper for the most part due to rain. Sunday the kids and Aunt Beth came out and we were able to eat lunch outside and then back to the camper to sit out a storm and lots of rain. We did get to sit around the campfire each night – it was chilly and the blankets came out – perfect campfire weather. We had a great first trip and we have the next one planned for June. We have lots of work to get done between now and then!
We started out Saturday checking things off our to-do list. Joe got the mowing done, I got the tomatoes, peppers and cucumbers planted and the rest of the my flowers. As we were getting ready to start on the mulch Joe got a phone call. Quick change of plans. Friends we hadn’t seen for ages called and asked if we wanted to meet in the Amanas for the afternoon. Of course we said yes! I wish I had taken pictures but I totally forgot. We had so much fun getting caught up with our friends Fred and Denise. They moved here from Texas 13 years ago and we met them right after they moved. Fred’s sister was with them visiting. This was her first time visiting here and she loved it. It was a great afternoon and evening catching up with old friends and making a new one. Definitely worth the break from getting projects done at home!
Later we met Dad and Mom at Belva Deer for our first picnic of the season. The weather was absolutely beautiful. Drew took his new scooter and had fun on it. We walked around the campground and stopped and talked to the Sigourney campers that were there. Our camper is still in storage. We’ve decided to get our projects done before we think about camping – but after being out there and talking to friends, Joe was talking about bringing it home this week. I’m not ready to camp but it’s always nice to have it home!
Our anniversary camping trip went way to fast! It was so nice and relaxing with just the two of us at what we’ve decided is our favorite campground. Robert’s Creek is in Pella by Lake Red Rock, about an hour away from home. We love all the trees and the big secluded sites. It was so nice to sit in the evening around the campfire with the trees all around us and above us. We went for walks, stopped at an antique store I’ve been wanting to visit, visited the meat market and the bakery (twice!) and for the most part just enjoyed each others company at the campground. I got a great start on stitching up baby girl’s Christmas stocking while Joe just relaxed and messed around with the fire. Then Eric texted and said we could come visit him on Sunday if we wanted so that ended the weekend on a good note. We woke up Sunday to rain so we packed up early and headed home. Picked up Dad and Mom and Drew and headed to Iowa City to see Eric. We took him out for an early supper and it was nice to be able to see him and give him a hug!
After spending the day in Ottumwa shopping with Eric for college we made a spur of the moment decision to pick up supper in town and head out to Belva Deer and go for a hike. Drew had a free pizza from Casey’s he earned at school and we decided to use it tonight. It was a beautiful evening – cool and calm – perfect hiking weather!
We have been camping for years. At least 25 I would say. Our camping friends have changed throughout the years. Our campers have changed throughout the years. But still we camp. We got our first camper after Joe roofed a house for a friend. In payment, they gave him a camper. An old, dilapidated little camper actually. All the water lines were ruined and the refrigerator didn’t work. It was pretty much falling apart. But, we were young and thought we had hit the mother load! And we had so much fun in that little falling apart camper. We had friends who also had a little old camper, although it was in much better shape than ours, and we spent the weekends at one campground or another with them and their daughters. Their two girls and our two kids were so close in age and had so much fun together. They were from a neighboring community and the kids would never had gotten to be friends if we hadn’t spent so much time camping together.
That’s why we camp. We have made friends throughout the years with people we probably would have known as acquaintances but that would be it. Instead, when you spend weekends camping together you really get to know each other. In a whole different way! We have developed lifelong connections with these people and our kids have developed connections with others that they wouldn’t have in any other way.
It’s different now that we only have one little to take along. And times have changed too. At one time there would no less than four kids and usually many more and those kids would take off in a “pack” and hit the playground or go hiking or ride their bikes all over the campground. They had to check in so we knew they were okay but otherwise were free to roam. They would inevitably make new friends from around the campground. Friends they probably would never see again but they still touched each other’s lives for a day or two. They also spent most nights in a tent and not in the camper. They had way more fun together in the tent away from parents! Camping was a whole different world for them and they loved it. Even as they got older they would want to come with us and camp.
Today is not quite the same. All of our camping friends are our age and so their kids are either teenagers or are gone and so Drew doesn’t get the same experience as our older kids did. And times have changed. You don’t just let kids roam today and check in once in awhile. It Drew wants to play at the playground or ride his bike, an adult goes along. There is no letting him take off on his own and explore. But he still makes new friends. The last time we camped he met the little girl who was staying next door with her grandparents. They would ride their bikes and play with chalk and had a great time. Over the weekend we visited my sister who was camping and Drew spent the evening playing on the play equipment set up where we could sit and watch. He loved playing with a group of kids he’d never met before. Kids don’t get to do that much anymore. We have to be too much on guard at all times to let them make friends with strangers.
Saturday saw us heading south to Lake Rathbun. My sister was camping and asked us to come spend the day. So, off we went for a nice, relaxing afternoon and evening spending time in another campground! We have camped at Lake Rathbun but never at Island View and what a beautiful campground. We would like to stay there sometime – it was so nice. Beautiful views of the lake, huge sites and playgrounds in the middle so you can sit at your site and watch the kids play. Perfect when you have littles!
Joe came home early from work on Thursday. He’d had a not so great day and was wanting to just “get away”. He walked in the door and asked if I wanted to go camping. I had no food in the house, a pile of laundry, hadn’t showered yet, and the list goes on, but – we went camping! Back to Belva Deer we went. Dad and Mom were already out there so I had them tag us a spot, I got the chores done and watered flowers, did a couple loads of laundry, jumped in the shower, threw some clothes in the camper, all while Joe loaded up fire wood and bikes and chairs and off we went.
