A Good Camper Always....

Laughs at all of Papa's camp stories.

Lends a hand.


Takes time to play.

Begs for more marshmallows.

Seeks shelter when tired.

Ryan, Tyler, Jim, and I had our first camping endeavor together this weekend. We set up camp in Papa Ralph's back yard and it was a fun adventure. The Homer Hogstravaganza was filled with fun things to do and the boys enjoyed horse back riding, dunk tank throwing (Ryan made the stranger splash with all 3 throws), catching candy at the parade, watching the fireman water contest, getting tattoo'ed, and eating a yummy brunch and yummy farmer's market blueberries. You should've seen Tyler tear into those blueberries. He ate nearly a whole pint himself.

The fun continued back at the campsite where Ryan hammered in all of the stakes and everyone lent a hand setting up the tent. When the work was done, we played golf, baseball, bean "bang" toss, and Yahtzee. We had to threaten the rain away a couple of times and after our walk to the lake and feeding the geese, we headed for one of the best firework shows ever. Boy were they loud. My ears are still recovering. Tyler buried his head in my chest the entire time but never complained. Ryan loved the works and all of 6 us snuggled on a blanket and enjoyed the front row view. Papa T. enjoyed the view on his scooter with his helmet on and his hearing aid off. We actually had to lay down to see the show they were so close. At one point, we even got some debris coming our way. After the show the four of us crawled into our home and zipped up the door while the grands slept inside. I think Mom and Dad actually fell asleep while the kids giggled and played pop goes the weasel. I don't know exactly when the playing stop and snoring started:) Of course, the whole town had the same idea and several party goers made quite a bit of noise all night. Poor Jim hardly slept a wink.

We had an awesome camp breakfast of pancakes, sausage, bacon, blueberrries, and pure maple syrup. The family sang Happy Birthday to me while we sat around eating. It was a horrible rendition. (Joke:) We made our rounds to the Homer parks and ate BBQ chicken before we had to run home for naps, chores, and relaxation. It was a really good time and I'm sure a lasting memory.