Seven Kinds of People You Meet When Camping

The hubs and I have done our fair share of camping since we first got together. We've camped everywhere from way out in the willywacks to places that are really deconstructed hotels, and everything in between. But no matter where you seem to go, there always seems to be those token campers, the kinds of campers that your experience just wouldn't be complete without.

That Kid - You, it's that kid. The one that stumbled into your site about five minutes after you arrived because he noticed your naive friendliness kids sitting in the back of your car. It starts innocently enough; he wants to play with your kids and check out your gear. But then he starts eating your food, and much like in If You Give a Mouse a Cookie, it leads you through a destructive cycle that ends in the somewhat unwanted addition around your campfire 20 hours a day (I mean, he does leave to go to sleep, but it's at, like, midnight, and he'll be back at sunrise). Where is this kid's parents?!

Super Adventure Folks - You only see these people twice a day - at sun up and at sun down. Between those times they are either: hiking the biggest mountain, rafting the gnarliest river, biking the longest trails, or parasailing while performing heart-surgery. Their sinewy svelteness puts you to shame while you eat your eighth breakfast s'more and contemplate the best angle for the sun to be in when you take a nap later.

Sweet Retired Couple - They came in their camper from 1985 and unwittingly wear matching outfits of khaki shorts and some sort of state bird themed shirt. They still hold hands even though they've probably been married for 300 years, and can be frequently see just smiling at each other. Though they keep mostly to themselves, they are pleasant to talk to and smile benignly at your filthy and loud children.

The Bros - The bros come in many forms and ages. Young college guys, old farts who've been doing this for 20 years, or even the ladies' night crowd, exchanging the unending beers for wine spritzers and Mike's Hard Lemonade. What doesn't change is the noise. The screeches and hollers. The random explosions. The smell of grilling steak at all hours. The super loud music. ('80's hair bands are the common thread. Tell me, how many times can you "pour some sugar on it"? Really?) At first, they seem kind of cute (either because they are kind of cute to look at or old people having fun is adorable), but then it gets old. Fast. And you want to go back in time and collectively kill Poison, AC/DC, and Def Leppard.

The Folks from "Away" - Odds on their camper (and it will be a camper) is the biggest and newest at the camp and it will have either Massachusetts or New Jersey plates on it. It will be filled with really nicely dressed people, with really nicely done hair, and they will look lost the whole time. Any time you see one of them, they will have this vacant look in their eyes that says, "Where am I? Did I accidentally buy a time machine that took me back to the olden days? Who are these people? What are these fabric things they're sleeping in? Are they poor? Is this a community of homeless people?" Also, there will be at least one person, usually male, who will ride a four wheeler super fast, everywhere.

The Perma-Campers - You know, the folks with the permanent site, the one they've been renting for the last forty years. On the site you'll see what was once a camper has evolved into a glorious home away from home. There is a small garden and nicely landscaped path leading up to the porch the owner's son-in-law built two summers ago. The porch borders the camper which has at least one addition, and there is a satellite dish stuck awkwardly somewhere, probably a tree. There is a constant stream of people coming and going, usually other perma-campers, God forbid they associate with any of us riffraff.

Mystery Campers - Last, but not least, there are the campers that are never seen. Their tent appears out of nowhere one morning, a car of indeterminate age and origin sits beside their site. You think they must come out at some point, because there's a rotation of items on the picnic table, yet you never see a soul. The tents remain absolutely still, doors and windows completely zipped up, the car never moved. You start to wonder if they aren't traveling vampires who are just staying put in their light blocking tents, waiting until the sun sets to search for their next victim... Or at least that's what you tell you kids before you tuck them in that night. See you in the morning, suckers!! Muahahaha!

The First Beach Day

 

After what felt like the longest winter of my life (and certainly of my littles' lives), we ditched our usual school night routines and found ourselves at the lake last Thursday night. The water was frigid but the air had that lovely heavy heat to it that I know I won't love in July, but it was perfect for early May.  

 

Weekend Lovin'

I've often said to folks, "When my husband's gone, he's gone." Meaning, he works an hour away at a job that requires him to work twelve hour shifts doing some really tough stuff. When his days off turn up during the summer we're pretty relieved to have him home and are ready to go out and have some fun. Unfortunately, our kind of summer fun takes us to the great outdoors, and up until this month, the great outdoors has been pretty soggy in these parts, especially, it had seemed, on my poor husband's days off.

But finally, finally we've had some truly fabulous weather, and every day he had off the weekend we found ourselves out doing something just so nice.

Friday:

Out on "grandma and grandpa's lake" with my parents. The sweet sunshine, delicious food, jumps into the lake, and looking at beautiful lakeside homes. 

Saturday:

We were up at 4 o'clock Saturday morning to drive to Lewiston to watch the morning launch for the balloons at the annual Great Falls Balloon Festival. It was a beautiful morning that was followed by a yummy breakfast at a local diner. E. had a wonderful time and was very happy to finally have a chance to wear her balloon outfit. 

Sunday:

It seemed fitting that the week of our wedding anniversary my husband wanted to take the kids and I up to Frenchman's Hole in Newry, one of the places he took me when we were first dating. With a little grilling and some swimming later into the afternoon, it was a very pleasant and relaxing end to a really perfect summer weekend.

Summer Themes: Farm Week

Yee-haw! It's farm week at our house, and I'm pretty sure it's going to be my favorite week this summer, if only because I haven't had to do a thing except bring E. to camp at an adorable farm in Scarborough, Maine and then pick her up a few hours later, happily dirt covered and filled with stories and songs all to do with farms.

Besides attending camp, we've also been reading stories about farms, like:

• On the Farm by David Elliot (a fun rhyming tale about all the animals and happenings on a farm)
• Deep Sea Farm by Dahlov Ipcar (a story about a merman who farms on the bottom of the ocean - totally appropriate, I think, since Scarborough is also a coastal town)
• Click, Clack, Moo: Cows That Type by Doreen Cronin(a fun farm setting, and I sort of feel like it introduces the concepts of unions...a little Animal Farmish)
• Brown Cow Farm by Dahlov Ipcar (a farm themed counting book)
• Down on the Farm by Merrily Kutner (a rhyming story that follows a little goat all over his farm) 

To finish out our week, we'll likely visit a local farm (I love Scarborough, but it's farm from local for us) and do some strawberry picking and buy some local produce to do a little cooking project with.

I hope to post some pictures of the farm where E. is going to camp at the end of the week - it's really worth a look (and I can't say enough how much fun it's been to send E. there; I know she's really loving going and this week is going by a mite bit too fast for her liking; if we were closer I would have considered two weeks rather than just one!).

A Little Note (that might turn out to be longer than "little"): You might be wondering why I chose farms as one of my themes for our summer fun. I was a really lucky little girl - my grandparents had a farm. They raised cows for beef (organic, grass fed, way before it was cool) and kept a large veggie garden along with high bush blueberries. Both of my grandparents had grown up on farms. Eating fresh and local wasn't a hip lifestyle choice for them; it was the only choice if their families wanted to survive huge catastrophes, like the Great Depression

For me, their home was a little piece of Eden, where I roamed around, helping my grandpa feed the cows and picked my snacks and lunch from the garden. I even saw baby calves born and got to ride on a great big green John Deere. These experiences shaped me in a very appreciable way. I knew what hard work looked like. I understood where food comes from. I was a very small part of a very old tradition, something that was deep within my family. And, above all, I was doing something very, very fun!

I wanted these experiences for E. While we live a pretty rural area and live right down the road from a farm (we frequently have to drive around escaped cows on our way to town), E. hasn't had the chance to really spend time at a farm and see how it works. I felt that camp and doing some activities at home would help give E. just a little piece of what I was so lucky to grow up with.

Summer!!

School's out for summer! After eight weeks back to work post maternity leave and what seems like the longest weekend of my life (we had to go back for JUST ONE MORE DAY on Monday), we're officially on summer vacation.

And this summer we're trying something a bit different. While looking for a bit more structure to help me keep both E. and myself occupied, I've found myself coming up with theme weeks. Obviously I don't want to take the fun and sweet, lazy flow out of our summer, especially since E. will be starting Kindergarten at the end of August. It will be a busy time, for certain, so I don't want to overwhelm her with lots of "work."

I've tried to pick themes that we can all enjoy, be involved in, have some fun trips, but also be able to find things to do at home. I also wanted to be able to be flexible, plan around things we naturally do during the summer, and leave myself feeling like we weren't tied down to doing really specific things.

Each week has one sort of "field trip" planned. Some are as simple as visiting an art gallery in town (we have THREE) or going for a hike on the trails near our house. Others require more planning and a bit of money, like visiting a train museum in New Hampshire or seeing a play at a local theater (which I'll have to post about sometime - if you're ever in south western Maine, Deertrees Theatre is the place to be).

I'm also pinning up crafts and other activities like crazy (my summer themes pin board can be found here). I'm planning on doing one small activity or craft each day along with reading books that are related to that week's theme. Along with those, I wanted to work with E. on her letters and numbers. She has a lot of it down and I think that she's developmentally ready to tackle something a bit more intense and enjoy the challenge of it (versus feeling overwhelmed). I also really want to do a cooking or baking activity. E. loves to cook and I love trying new recipes, and I need to work on my patience with having other people (particularly small people) in the kitchen with me.

So, with all that said, here are our themes:

• Farms (this week E. will be going to camp at Broadturn Farm, so most of the activities will be through that; I'll supplement with books and a cooking/baking activity)
• Fantasy and Fairytales (we're planning on going to a puppet show of Pinocchio this week)
• Gardens (I'm hoping to get a lot of work done in my own garden)
• The Ocean (we go to the ocean a lot, so this week should be easy to work in)
• Arts and Crafts (E. is very excited about having an art show at the end of this week for our family)
• Healthy Me (I currently see a nutritionist and I will be taking E. to one of my appointments during this week - maybe we'll even do a special trip to the grocery store and farmers' market, too)
• Maps and Geography (this might be the week I'm most excited about - I love making and following maps!)
• Planes, Trains, and Automobiles (I'd love to visit an airport and watch the planes take off during this week)
• Kindergarten Readiness (this will be our last full week of summer; the main focus will be helping E. get ready for the big change, visiting the school, playing at the playground there, planning fun lunches and snacks for her to bring)

My biggest goal for each of these theme weeks is to keep them fun and fairly cheap and to relax. I'm very good in getting wrapped in how I think things should be, but frequently my original vision and how things turn out can be quite different and that's okay (I tell myself repeatedly).

 Above all, I'm really keen to see how everything turns out, and if all goes well, to think about what we'll be doing next summer!