Camping Fun

One of my "coping mechanisms" when I’m feeling overwhelmed is to plan a get-away.  Sometimes simply planning it is enough, but sometimes we actually go on said get-away.  Back when we were knee deep in VBS preparations, I planned a trip to tent camp in Boone.  After a week or so of plotting it, we decided to actually buy play tickets to see the Horn in the West, and therefore committed to going.  So, this weekend, we packed up 3 rubbermaid tubs, a tent, and various other necessities, and headed for the mountains.  

We had a great time!  We drove up on Thursday and spent the afternoon at the campground.  That was our night to do the whole fire thing.  We roasted hot dogs, and s’mores.  It took us forever to get the fire going as it had been raining and the wood was moist.  So, basically we cooked our hot dogs and marshmallows over pitiful little flames.  About the time we were completely finished, the fire took off nicely and we had to laugh.

Abe loved the s'mores!

Friday we visited the original Mast General Store in Valle Crucis.  One of the buildings had barrels FULL of 600 different types of candy.  Needless to say, the kids had a blast choosing their own personal stash.  We drank cold soda pop out of glass bottles as we sat beside the stream and ate a variety of sugar confections.  

By the time we were finished, we had great need of protein.  But, we’d spent our lunch money on candy, so we took our paper plate cow masks we’d made back at the picnic table and headed to Chick-Fil-A for Cow appreciation day.  It was fun seeing some of the costumes people had come up with, and the food was extra yummy as it was free!

Friday night, we took the oldest 4 to see the Horn in the West outdoor drama in Boone.  It is a Daniel Boone/ Revolutionary War tale that went along well with all we had studied this past year.  It was so family friendly and the kids really enjoyed it.  The guns and cannons could be a little loud at times, but we had prepared them, so they did well.  

One of the things we learned when Isaac did his Daniel Boone report this spring is that Daniel Boone never wore a coonskin hat.  Apparently, the costuming department had a different reference source than Isaac did.

Abe spent that time with some folks who were friends of friends of friends and were kind enough to open their home to him so that we could take the older kids to see the play.  We shared a pizza dinner with them before we left him. Our 5 kiddos and their 6 kiddos had a great time playing together.  As Elizabeth said when we were pulling away, “If we lived in the same town, they would be good friends.”

Saturday morning we made our favorite camping treat, homemade donuts, before packing up to head home.  We made a stop on the Blue Ridge Parkway at the Cone Manor National Park.  We had just enough time to enjoy a picnic lunch before a downpour came out of nowhere.  We all scurried around to get the food and blankets back in the Suburban before we got soaked to the bone.  

Not bad for a summer house, huh?

Abe's first Oreo

Here are my two favorite kid quotes from the weekend:

“Mom, I really think we need to go find an employee! I am sure they could help you.” Said by Lizzy when she thought Ryan and I were taking too long starting our campfire.

“Hey! Somebody peed on my pillow last night.” Heard by Isaac when he awoke to a dew-dampened pillow on the first morning.

All in all, it was a great weekend and we thoroughly enjoyed some family time.  Ryan will be traveling 3 out of the next 4 weeks, so we were glad to get some time with him before the busy month ahead.