Camping Fun Summer 2009

We have been on two camping trips so far this summer. Two weeks ago we went with friends of ours from high school and college and their family (Dan and I met at their wedding...we were best man and maid of honor) and this time we went with two other homeschooling families who have been our friends for years since moving to NY- about 9 now! The first trip I bragged about all the pictures I'd bring home and guess what...I didn't have the memory card in the camera! We won't talk about the odd set of circumstances that brought that to bear, but I made sure to bring it this past weekend (only to lose all the beach pictures because I didn't switch out of the fancy settings Dan used...We have a Canon Digital Rebel so it takes some know how which I have very little of as Dan will be quick to point out). We went to our most favorite camping state park on Lake Ontario. Here are the results.

Friday looked like it would rain so we drove in to the next town and visited Fort Ontario. Bonus...weekday admission is free! This is the officers' home- a duplex basically which housed two families. They have it furnished as it would have been in 1868.

The flag had been lowered to half mast as we were arriving as a result of a fallen NY soldier in Iraq.

We walked on lots of walls and down into lots of casemates and Dan was waiting with his camera at every turn. That's me...fleece in August and all. And camping hair.

When we were finished with the War of 1812 and the future roles of Fort Ontario, we ate at a fish fry place right on the lake! Great recommendation by our friends, but I'm going to share something that no Upstate New Yorker should probably ever say. I hate fried seafood! I really hate fried fish. There I said it. I'm a Marylander through and through and I prefer a lot of Old Bay and broiled seafood. I'm just sayin'.

Our last night there we had quite a campfire. This is the smoke-ilater 5000. It had a fuse and everything. It's purpose is to be a fire starter in lieu of kindling. It had a design flaw though and totally smoked out the the campground! I'm looking forward to the 2.1 version in three weeks. Dan you need to visit Walmart again and pick up the stuff that makes your fire turn colors. We know it's totally worth it now! Note: Dan is not the creator of the smoke-ilater 5000. We were simply observers.

Dessert that night was homemade ice cream and blueberry crumble in the dutch oven.

Mmmmmm....next time I say we use up the blueberries the first night before they sit in the cooler for three days. Yes. That's what I'm saying.

The kids worked on the ice cream in the LLBean ice cream balls. It's a little too close to its milk origins for my taste, but I wish it could be super thick ice cream. I had a dab with the crumble.

We went on this trip with two other homeschooling families and E10 had a great time with his game playing friends. They roped one dad into playing Risk. I don't know how he made it this far without playing. Dads if you are reading...go out and play Risk if you've never played! That should be on the bucket list.

We have one more scheduled trip this year on the east coast of Lake Ontario very close to the Thousand Islands region of NY. We plan to try out a new park and visit some others right in the Thousand Islands. Next year the plan is to stay there for one trip and drive to Malone, NY boyhood home of Almanzo Wilder- Laura Ingalls Wilder's husband and the subject of her book Farmer Boy.