A week in the woods

Last week was spent at camp with Nana and Grandad. We all had a great time, despite a few days of constant rain. (To put it in perspective, my officemate was canoe-camping a couple of hours away. He and his boys spent a day just sitting in their two-man tent with their wet dog.)






There were so many fun experiences that it's hard to know where to begin! Like last year, we took Sam on several hikes at the local state park, which Sam loved. The longest was about 1.8 mi., and this year it was rare for me to pick him up. Shown here is a photo of Sam with a field of new-growth trees, most of which he was taller than.

He had a great time spotting the trail markers. He would run ahead and yell at the top of his lungs when he found one. So we didn't see any deer this year, but it was great to have a place where he could just yell like a 3-yr-old.

Sam really enjoyed seeing Nana and Grandad. (And not just because of the books and the gift they gave him!) They puttered, threw rocks into the water, played hide-and-seek, goofed around and generally had a good time.

Sam even got to join Grandad and I when we towed the raft out away from shore in the little rowboat. You'll see from the photo, it's good that the seas were calm that day.

Unlike last year, Sam was more interested in canoeing and kayaking. We went on two long canoe rides, one on Arbuckle, one on Higley. All fo us joined in for both rides, brought us right down near the surface of the water--prompting Sam, on the second trip, to ask if we were going to sink. Despite high winds and waves for Higley ride, we stayed out of the water.

While canoeing we explained to Sam what a "buoy" is. At first we tried to maintain what Nana says is the correct pronunciation, "boy", not "boo-ey". (Though Merriam Webster has bowed to popular usage.) This led to some confusion, so that later in the week Sam spotted one and said excitedly that he'd seen a "fake boy".

Sam had a classic 3-yr-old moment yesteday when I wanted to take him on his second kayak ride. He fussed and complained and I had to "compromise" and tell him he only had to go out for one minute. Naturally, once he was out in the kayak he loved it and there was no talk of going back.

On Arbuckle we not only saw several frogs, but at least half a dozen turtles. Last week we also saw a nest filled with baby birds (at the head of the Beaver Trail, in the registration area, so we could go right up to it), snails, slugs, caterpillars, turkey vultures, wild turkeys, and even a bald eagle which swooped down and grabbed a fish out of Higley. (According to wikipedia, fish are their main diet, and they do indeed live in this part of the US as well.) The life guard at the state park said they'd seen some as well. And to top it off, when we were just about to leave on Sunday a chipmonk got into the act and ran into the camp, and it took all of Susan's and my curling skills to shoo it out with our brooms.

Since we were on the water, Susan got Sam some beach toys at the dollar store, which included a very large squirt gun of sorts which resembles a pump-action turkey baster and can squirt quit a distance. You can see it here, being used with glee on a fleeing Susan.

Susan also got Sam a package of sparklers, and he had a tremendous time playing with those. I am relieved to find out (again from my officemate) that the sparks they give off won't even light paper. Perfect for Sam!

All in all, an excellent week. Beforehand I was worried Sam wouldn't have enough to do. Such a delight to see that hiking and swimming were plenty. :-)