Camping is my happy place. The days are long in the best ways and I feel immense joy camping with my kids. Corey is a natural as well. He jumps right in as though he’s been camping for decades (he hates that I’ve written that). I am fortunate to have him really see how much this time in the redwood trees has shaped me.
This year was especially fun because we celebrated Andrew David’s birthday early. Our friends and family came to visit us at the campsite so we had a day with Auntie Lisa and Uncle Gary, Madler, Dang and Abby, and Auntie Jamie showed up a day earlier than expected after 48 hours of travel from Europe.
The creek looked healthy and full this year. There’s now a pool of water and a large rock near the campsites and the O’Bergs and Aunties had a blast dunking ourselves into the cold current. In my role as a responsible adult, I encouraged climbing rocks, jumping off logs, and only wading into waters after you’d proven you could swim. We found a tree swing, stacked rocks, and attempted to catch small water skeeters and tiny fish.
The phrase ‘Thank God for Auntie Jamie’ still resonated this year. She coordinated games, had jokes for all ages, and joined Nicole for a strong lesson planning session coupled with a few beers. Nicole is embarking on her teacher training year, and there were many cooks in the kitchen for to help her with assignments, and Jamie put in the hours for all of them.
We visited the Point Reyes Nature Center one day, and I thoroughly enjoyed how well designed it is. There is so much to see in a small space, and I’m excited that the cousins all signed up to be junior rangers. There are many more activities my kids have to complete before they receive their badges, but we’ll be ready by next year. I took Corey to the Heidrun Meadery because we didn’t get a sisters slot this time. We also shopped at Point Reyes Station finding ice cream, incredible peaches, and our annual camping swag- a beanie for me and a couple long sleeves for Core.
What else? Cheeky raccoons, midday naps, glowsticks and a scooter brigade. Early mornings talking about books over tea and coffee, and late evenings around the embers. The days didn’t need much more than that. And yes, I’ve already got the dates set for Samuel P 2024!
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