(click here for today's pictures)
This morning when Robby and I woke up, he said that we did something right-our kids had slept until 10! We stirred first and then heard Graham moving around, but everyone else kept on sleeping a way.
I eventually looked at the window and could see the other kids playing. Campbell and Keaton were the first ones out this morning. They couldn’t wait to get out there with their friends. I waited as long as I could because I thought that it looked a little bit cool out there!
Soon Robby and I headed out. The other men folk had worked hard on a fire, and we had a blaring fire all day long. The fire was steamy hot and probably was the reason that we were able to stay out and enjoy the day like we did.
The guys foraged around for wood in the woods near us. Traci and I worked on grabbing some tall grass to lay on the mud all around the fire. The rain last night continued throughout the night, and then even this morning we fought drizzle off and on leaving the fire surrounded by mud.
The drizzle didn’t stop the kids at all. They rode on bikes, scooters and skateboards all around the block. I am sure that they were all freezing, but they didn’t act like it at all. The kids even enjoyed climbing up the side of hill beside the camper. The littles all worked on building a survival hut up there.
While they were building that, the men started working on the tents-it was still drizzling so we needed cover. Last night we had two tents out, but had heard that there would be some 40 miles per hour wind so we took all of the tents down. We didn’t have the wind so that was a good thing.
We put back up our big tent as well as our extra tent with sides. The sides were screened in so they didn’t help too much with the cold, but they did help the drizzle from blowing in. Casey put up his tent, and Wes added his tent to the mix. Now Wes did put a tarp all around his tent and also added a heater inside, so that was the place that the big kids stayed quite a while this afternoon. They added most of the camp chairs along with a table and probably could be heard for blocks while screaming with excitment about their card games.
Once the tents were arranged, it was about time for us to start work on breakfast/lunch. It is not New Year’s day with black eyed peas and hog jowl-well, we didn’t have hog jowl but we did have 4 pounds of bacon with our black eyed peas. We added some delicious homemade cornbread as well. And the other night when we made our meat pies and had some stuffing leftover-potatoes, carrots and ham. Robby put all of that on the griddle, and we just had ourselves a big 2:00 meal.
After lunch was over and cleaned up, it was really about time to start on supper! Ha! We had a few minutes to relax. Robby and I hung out by the roaring fire as much as we could. We did drive to the visitor’s center for a few minutes. I needed to get a stamp for my passport booklet. It took me a while to wait in the line, but eventually left with a stamp and a sticker for the side of the camper.
While I was in the line, Robby thought that he would explore the building that we had seen with a sign that read laundry out front. It was no longer a laundry for public use which was a bit disappointing. Disappointing becuase Traci and I spent most of the day rearranging things on her drying rack and using a dryer would have made us happy!
There were still so many puddles from last night along with so many wet clothes still from last night, that everytime we would walk by, we would turn and rotate things on her drying rack. Her Gabriel loves the puddles so his things were everywhere on the rack, but I eventually started adding my still wet socks from yesterday (not mine-I kept my socks dry, but all of the other ones). Surprisingly all of the things that I hung up last night did dry out completly-I just didn’t hang up the socks. Tonight we have two hangers with about 14 socks clothes pinned to them hanging waiting to dry. They aren’t crazy wet so hopefully, they will dry fairly soon and be wearable in case we need them.
Supper tonight for our family was taco salad. The Crafts had tamales, and Robby and I tried one of those. Taco salad is a fun meal and probably one of our favorites. Our meeting spot this trip has been in front of the Crafts’ camper so every thing we have to bring over there to make and eat. Back and forth we have walked about a hundred times today-not necessarily a bad thing since we are just right across from each other.
Tonight we ended the evening with s’mores. I think that s’mores are the favorite thing of my kids-especially Whitman. Whitman did just say that his favorite thing was not being cold-one time sweet Campbell did come to tell me that Whitman was in the camper and was cold. He was sitting on the ground acting like he was shivering-now, we have blankets enough for everyone so he wasn’t thinking too clearly there. I took off his wet socks and traded them for dry ones. Then set him by the heater for a few minutes to warm up. I did tell the kids about hundred times today that I could not get them dry so do not get wet!
Right now it is 68 degrees in the camper and should be well below freezing outside later. Tonight is going to be colder than last night so it will be a bit chillier in here. Last night Robby did put in the front slide to help keep it warmer up front so he will be doing that tonight as well. And yes, it is midnight and Whitman just finished his shower! We have been showering for almost an hour or more tonight. Robby and I still have our showers to take, but at least I am finished with the blog!
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