During the summer, I teach a handful of weekend classes at the Fletcher Farm School for the Arts & Crafts. We've been going down as a family since 2002. In 2003, we started camping out in the summer time, so for the past 8 years, my kids have looked forward to the summers down there. It's a special time for them. They get to spend the whole weekend with David and have uninterrupted time with him. There's no yard work or house work to distract him. It's just a lazy summer weekend when David and the kids can play in the fields, the river and creeks, the lake down the road and its waterfall. He takes the kids to the park and plays tennis with Girly. Zach spends his time catching crickets and katydids. The three of them come to the art school at noon time and we share a lunch under the trees near the little pond at the top of the hill.
Even though I teach on those weekends, they feel like lazy summer weekends. There's nothing to distract me when I come back to the camp site at the end of the day. No computer, no cable. There's not even electricity or running water where we camp (unless you consider the nearby creeks "running water"). There's a pit toilet nearby, but that's as fancy as it gets. It's almost-primitive camping at its best. We love that there's no one else near us. The dogs can run around and so can the kids, without worrying about bothering anyone else. We get the tent set up, David gets a fire going and we cook over the open fire. The s'mores ingredients come out after dinner and the kids look through the hedgerow to find the perfect stick for their marshmallows. Good times, for sure.
A few weeks ago, the kids noticed that there were berries growing in the hedge row. Lots and lots of wild raspberries.
The kids each grabbed a bowl and started picking. Soon enough, Zach left his bowl and ate everything he picked. Girly ate some while she picked but she wanted to share some with David. Zach isn't so fond of sharing food.
This is what I get when I ask for a picture of the boy-child. He gets it from his father. I get the same kind of response from David. I joke that it's the tainted Amish blood that runs in his family. My poor kids got the shallow end of the gene pool from both of us. Poor things.
Girly has taken over the job of making the "big bed" in our tent. Over all these years, she's watched me do it long enough that she knows exactly how to set it up. We're camping purists and don't bring an air mattress. Instead, we bring about every blanket, comforter and quilt we own and make our own mattress. David and I sleep in the middle and the kids are on either side of us. Add in the 3 dogs and we're quite cozy for the night. This tent has served us well over the past 10 years. I think it still has a few more years left in it, but the kids are anxious to have tents of their own soon. David and I are anxious for that, too. *wink*
I love waking up to this sunny scenery from our tent door in the morning. Meadowbrook holds a special place in our heart. Even the woman that owns the property knows that particular spot is the "Martin's spot." I let her know a week ahead that we're on our way and she makes sure that there's a little sign tacked to the picnic table that says, "Reserved for the Martins." It makes my heart smile everytime I see that sign when we arrive.