"Smoke follows beauty"Well, we're trying to make camping a annual occurrence (at least!) . . . but we're not quite to the "tent camping" point. And, it's not because we're wanting to play it safe; it's because we're two parents who work full-time and don't have time to pack all that STUFF! So, instead, we trekked off to a yurt in South Beach (down in Newport, Oregon) and had a terrific time!!
The weekend of September 12-14th was a real blessing, here's some of the memories (in no particular order):
* FREEZING the night we arrived: It had been in the 90's when we left the Willamette Valley in shorts and t-shirts and we arrived about 9 PM to a cool, damp wind and goosebumps! Thankfully we didn't need to set up a tent because we had our yurt (heater included) to keep us warm. For those of you who haven't done yurt camping, it's handy because we had a bunkbed with a twin mattress on top and full mattress on the bottom. And, we had a futon, table, and chairs. Plenty of room for our lot!!
Here's our yurt
Animals aren't allowed in the yurt and so Kali kept pushing it right to the line. . .
Instead, the dogs slept in their crates in the back of the Jeep :>)
* We had a lot of fun with the dogs -- especially enjoying Kali's experiencing the "wild" for the first time (she's nearly 2 years old and we missed our camping trip last year). Her ears perked up to every little sound, she smelled everything (and attempted to crawl under the yurt), and had her tail wagging almost non-stop! Between her mushing us on the beach and figuring out how to untangle herself from the trees (she was on a 30 foot leash tied to a tree) -- she was a lot of fun!
Specifically, on our first day she chased off some sea gulls picking at a crab. When she went to sniff the crab, she was surprised to find that it was still alive (and wiggling ever so slightly -- poor thing!). Kali thought that this was a wonderful toy and so she picked it up and tossed it into the air repeatedly. She would tire of it and go to explore the rest of the beach, but whenever the sea gulls tried to come back she would chase them off and toss the crab a few more times. (What a goof!)
Also, my parents came camping with us and had brought their dogs: Lira (a lhasa opso) is known for stealing toys and treats from other dogs. . . Well, our dogs had bones to chew on and so Lira tried to steal the bone from Kali. . . . Kali jumped up, growled at her, and threw her big malamute body between Lira and the bone. (No agression, just protecting her "treasure.") We laughed as Kali kept burying her treats at the campground and then unburrying it and moving it whenever anyone came near. . . . Seriously, she's a goofy dog! Great entertainment!
* SMORES: Camping isn't camping without smores. I got a kick out of Joel and my mom comparing techniques to create the perfect smores. The kids, Dad, and I all just hold the marshmellows over the fire and call it good, but Mom & Joel have to move the logs around to get the embers just right and then toast them ever so precisely. It was very funny! (And, there were the obligatory comments about how I'd burnt the hot dogs . . . cracked me up!)
* The Beach. . . The beach is one of my favorite places in the whole wide world. The waves are so life-giving and spiritually refreshing and the windy beach is soothing. I LOVE IT!! And, God blessed us: Our second (and last) day there, we had a beautiful, sunny day with about 70 degree weather. There was a slight wind and it was perfect! The kids built sand castles together, Oliver (our jack russell) chased sea gulls, and we had a fun time.
Seems like a majority of my shots at the beach are "butt shots" -- Faith gets so busy playing she just doesn't want to pose for me. I don't push the poses because it's so good to see them having so much fun.
LOVE these kids!!
Animals aren't allowed in the yurt and so Kali kept pushing it right to the line. . .
Instead, the dogs slept in their crates in the back of the Jeep :>)* We had a lot of fun with the dogs -- especially enjoying Kali's experiencing the "wild" for the first time (she's nearly 2 years old and we missed our camping trip last year). Her ears perked up to every little sound, she smelled everything (and attempted to crawl under the yurt), and had her tail wagging almost non-stop! Between her mushing us on the beach and figuring out how to untangle herself from the trees (she was on a 30 foot leash tied to a tree) -- she was a lot of fun!
Specifically, on our first day she chased off some sea gulls picking at a crab. When she went to sniff the crab, she was surprised to find that it was still alive (and wiggling ever so slightly -- poor thing!). Kali thought that this was a wonderful toy and so she picked it up and tossed it into the air repeatedly. She would tire of it and go to explore the rest of the beach, but whenever the sea gulls tried to come back she would chase them off and toss the crab a few more times. (What a goof!)
Also, my parents came camping with us and had brought their dogs: Lira (a lhasa opso) is known for stealing toys and treats from other dogs. . . Well, our dogs had bones to chew on and so Lira tried to steal the bone from Kali. . . . Kali jumped up, growled at her, and threw her big malamute body between Lira and the bone. (No agression, just protecting her "treasure.") We laughed as Kali kept burying her treats at the campground and then unburrying it and moving it whenever anyone came near. . . . Seriously, she's a goofy dog! Great entertainment!
* SMORES: Camping isn't camping without smores. I got a kick out of Joel and my mom comparing techniques to create the perfect smores. The kids, Dad, and I all just hold the marshmellows over the fire and call it good, but Mom & Joel have to move the logs around to get the embers just right and then toast them ever so precisely. It was very funny! (And, there were the obligatory comments about how I'd burnt the hot dogs . . . cracked me up!)
* The Beach. . . The beach is one of my favorite places in the whole wide world. The waves are so life-giving and spiritually refreshing and the windy beach is soothing. I LOVE IT!! And, God blessed us: Our second (and last) day there, we had a beautiful, sunny day with about 70 degree weather. There was a slight wind and it was perfect! The kids built sand castles together, Oliver (our jack russell) chased sea gulls, and we had a fun time.
Seems like a majority of my shots at the beach are "butt shots" -- Faith gets so busy playing she just doesn't want to pose for me. I don't push the poses because it's so good to see them having so much fun.
Joy
Elijah and Oliver. . . Do you see Elijah's wet pants? ;>)
Elijah and Oliver. . . Do you see Elijah's wet pants? ;>)* Walks through the campground: Mom & Dad didn't get a spot next to us and so we spent quite a bit of time trekking from one spot to the next. Even the trek to the beach was about .5 a mile: Funny thing is that Elijah wanted to complain about the walk but Isaac had just come back from a camping trip with his best friend, Jacob, where they had done a 10 mile hike and so Isaac told Elijah "this is nothing!" ;>)
* Faith packed for herself. . . Again, we are two full-time employees and parents. . . I made the mistake of letting Faith pack for herself. What does this mean? She packed slippers and costumes to wear -- no shoes and nothing warm. So, Saturday morning Grandma watched the kids while Joel & I made a run to Walmart for some clothes for Faith. Fortunately their summer attire was on sale and so we were able to buy sandals for $1 (Praise God!). Needless to say, I learned that Faith isn't quite ready to pack for herself!
Anyhow, those are some of the memories. . . Here's a few more pictures just for fun :>)
The kids watched "High School Musical 2" on the car ride over and then again in the yurt. . . Technology addicts!
Isaac didn't want his picture taken which led to all sorts of brotherly-fun and wrestling! :>)
Oliver was constantly getting himself tangled up. . . crazy-making dog!
Special memories. . .
Faith's favorite memory: "It's something that you get wet and it's water. . . I gave you a clue!" . . . Playing in the ocean!
* Faith packed for herself. . . Again, we are two full-time employees and parents. . . I made the mistake of letting Faith pack for herself. What does this mean? She packed slippers and costumes to wear -- no shoes and nothing warm. So, Saturday morning Grandma watched the kids while Joel & I made a run to Walmart for some clothes for Faith. Fortunately their summer attire was on sale and so we were able to buy sandals for $1 (Praise God!). Needless to say, I learned that Faith isn't quite ready to pack for herself!
Anyhow, those are some of the memories. . . Here's a few more pictures just for fun :>)
The kids watched "High School Musical 2" on the car ride over and then again in the yurt. . . Technology addicts!
Isaac didn't want his picture taken which led to all sorts of brotherly-fun and wrestling! :>)
Oliver was constantly getting himself tangled up. . . crazy-making dog!
Special memories. . .
Isaac's favorite memory: Getting to see Grandma and Grandpa.
Elijah's favorite memory: Getting play with the dogs and having smores and "the best part was spending it with my family."Faith's favorite memory: "It's something that you get wet and it's water. . . I gave you a clue!" . . . Playing in the ocean!
LOVE these kids!!
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