Camp Insanity 2009

We really didn't have much insanity during our camping trip this year--no bears, no exploding lanterns or campstoves, no accidents or injuries.  The craziness occured more just before and right after our two weeks of bliss rather than during it.  You see,  just 3 days after we emerged from the woods 165 people were expected in my backyard for the wedding celebration of my daughter Katie and her husband Aaron.  

OK--you are right in asking, "WERE YOU OUT OF YOUR MIND???"  There really were extenuating circumstances: we had had had our camping reservations booked since last October for the primo spot in the campground--we would lose it if we tried to change; the last weekend in June was too soon after school got out for me to be ready for the wedding; the 4th of July weekend wouldn't work; the next two weekends were for camping; and booking into August wasn't good for out-of-town guests because around here all the hotels jack up their prices for the month-long Saratoga horse-racing season.  Besides, my sis, Digital Diva, was counting on the joy our camping trip always brings and I couldn't possibly let her down!

 So, with much planning and preparation we headed for the mountains--and our beloved Sacandaga River. 

Our two weeks on the river were mostly peaceful--once we got our campsite set up.  We acted like two bumbling old ladies at first trying to get our huge 20' by 30'  tarp put up between rain showers; the first time we screwed up so badly we had to take it completely down and rehang it. (We string ropes 15-20 feet up in the trees so we can be high enough to tarp over our fireplace; it's a lot of work!)  

We had to forgo our usual celebratory leap into the river fully clothed when we finally finished our set-up; it was too darn cold and we were too darned tired!  But we did manage to enjoy every morsel of our traditional first-night lobster dinner--and then waited impatiently for darkness so we could go to bed!

We had sumptious days of doing nothing--reading and napping, watching the river and enjoying nature.  I was able to let go of wedding thoughts and lived each day for the moment.  DD and I played our usual dozens of rounds of Parcheesi and Scrabble, but this year we were too laid back to bother keeping score; we simply played for the fun of it.  It was unusually cold and rainy for July so we didn't spend a lot of time in the water. In fact, when we made a supply run home halfway through our time, we brought back winter coats! 

Here are some of the things we contemplated and mused over.....

Our first weekend, my grown kids and spouses joined us, along with my twin grandsons on their first camping trip.  The babies slept great in their portable cribs in their tent, and their mommy brought a collapsable fence that we made into a play area on tarps and blankets so they wouldn't eat too much crud off the ground! 

The only true insanity happened that first weekend; we had a horrific thunderstorm late Saturday night.  There was so much lightning it was like daylight out, and as I cowered in our screen tent, I watched our high-strung tarp forced nearly to the ground and then flung high into the air by the winds--I thought it was a goner but it stayed up.  We put our campfire completely out before bed that night, though,  just in case another storm actually landed the tarp in the fire.  The boys slept through the whole storm.

During our second week, DD's daughter Christina was able to join us for several days, and then DD's son Jamie and his girlfriend came too.  We like having visitors, as long as they obey our one rule:  whoever comes must provide one night's dinner for all of us.  DD and I get to take a night off once in a while, and other people's cooking always tastes better than our own!

Alas, as usual our two weeks went by much too quickly, and we had to head home to the next chapter--the wedding celebration.  That will be another posting, though, so I will leave you with one parting vision of our most favorite place on earth, the Sacandaga River.