This year's big extended family camping trip was in August (instead of July). It was an adventure taking my husband, the kids AND two dogs. Trigger did really well and was off leash in camp. He managed a place-stay, despite all the distractions. Sam struggled, but he did better than Trigger could have his first year, so there's hope. And it helped that there were three other dogs at the family campout, so I wasn't the black sheep bringing mine. (Five dogs!, Granddad would have had a coronary). We did a bit of hiking and a lot of visiting. Several of us camped the whole time, others came for a night or two, or just for the day. And all I'll say is... "it was the best of times, it was the worst of times." I love being in the mountains, I love being with my extended family - I think they're awesome - but family drama is exhausting. It's sad when the people who should love us unconditionally don't and unfortunately it's our family we tend to be less patient with, more likely to blow up at and less likely to be thick skinned with. And when you put too many of us strong willed women together, for too long.... well, the chance of fireworks increases exponentially. Hopefully my generation will be able to convince Grandma to go ahead and risk having her daughters all together again someday.
Here are a few pics:
Starting out on Salamander Flats.
Nini and Noah playing in the dirt.
Patient puppy.
No water below the falls this year. (Two years ago it was a river)
The burning of the last Jack log. (The last log from my granddad's wood-cutting trips)
The 'last Jack log', that is so cute! What a neat moment to share together!
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