Monday, August 27, 2012

The Last Bit of Vacation


We returned from our trip to Alberta Wednesday evening. Thursday I did laundry and tended to the urgent in the garden. Friday we packed up and went camping with Little Miss A and her parents. Two nights in a forest campground just steps from the beach. 

The rest of the family came out on Saturday for the day. One of them brought a most welcome accessory. On Friday night our air mattress leaked. Tim pumped it up before we went to bed and it slowly, slowly leaked air until it was almost flat by 1 AM, at which time the sweet man pumped it up again, with a foot pump. In the dark. In the cold. I just lay there feeling the mattress inflate. Our Saturday night sleep was much improved by the mattress borrowed from Little Miss S's parents. 


Our camping set up is simple. A tent, an air mattress (with sheets and blankets, not sleeping bags, which I detest.) A campfire to sit around and use to heat water and cook bannock on a stick and smores. A camp stove for pancakes and bacon. 

We don't do much on our camping trips. Books are packed and hardly read. We saunter to the beach and stroll along the sand, looking at the scenery. We talk. Or not.



 We take turns supervising and amusing Little Miss A. I forgot what camping with a toddler is like. No toys needed. There is the forest for playing "me hide, Nana hide - Boo," the sand for "dig, dig," a playground with a slide, logs on the beach to pretend walking on a balance beam, and rocks to place in holes in the driftwood scattered along the shore. I thought she was adorable in this hat - reminds me of Paddington Bear. 

For a weekend of doing very little, we came home tired. But tired in a good way - the tired that come from being in the outdoors, from relaxing and laughing. Today, it's back to normal. Tim's gone to work, I'm tidying up the house, hoping to get to the garden. Plans for fall have made their way into my mind - scrubbing cupboard doors, painting projects, garden clean up. 



I'm not quite ready to let go of summer, are you?

Linking late to Mosaic Monday, hosted by Mary at the Little Red House.

23 comments:

  1. She does look adorable in that hat...those are just the kind of rocks that Alicia has that have crocheting around them...

    Sounds and looks like a marvelous weekend...he blew up the mattress with you on it? Bless his heart!

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  2. Wonderful photos from your Holiday and the last Summer days. Beautiful catched !

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  3. Your family camping trip must have been wonderful. I'm guessing you may have been on the west coat of the island judging by the rocks, but wherever you were it brings back childhood memories of camping close to the sea. Lovely to see your two sweeties smiling in the sunshine!

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  4. I just love the idea of camping, just not the camping part. However it looks like you had a magical spot of your stay, you even had running water or at least a beautiful lake! Hope you had a wonderful time, your pictures are great, Laura

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  5. Jean et Elise sont partis camper toute la semaine dernière, et là on savoure la dernière semaine de vacances. Moi non plus je ne suis pas prête pour la fin des vacances... demain je dois faire un tour au lycée. Pfff...
    Tes photos sont superbes et tes petites-filles, vraiment mignonnes !
    Pour les photos : j'aime ce style de vie dans la nature et minimaliste au possible. J'ai adoré mes vacances pour ça : partir avec un sac, le minimum vital et laisser derrière soi le superflu !

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  6. Summer's over?
    Really?

    What happened?

    Your camping trip was a glorious occasion, how lovely to be able to do that with a lovely family.

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  7. That looks like such fun. We always loved camping when we were younger! We'll hang on to summer a little longer here in Florida!

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  8. Had a very nice visit poking around a few of your posts. Lovely campsite. Time seeing the wee ones discover and explore our world is the best.

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  9. Looks like and sounds as if you had a memorable time!...:)JP

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  10. Yes I'm not ready for summer to be done either. Your garden produce is beautiful, by the way. My list of to do projects is growing and I'm anxious to finish some other work so I can start on them. The camping looks wonderful ---good for you to go off doing that when you just returned from vacation. I know your family appreciated it!

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  11. Lovely, lovely post Lorrie...and beautiful pictures. Just looking at the view from the shore and seeing the water brushing the shore relaxed me! I can only imagine what it was like to actually experience it. Thank you so much for sharing that, it made my afternoon.
    Love,
    Tracey
    x0x
    P.S. Little Miss A is a dolly!

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  12. Looks like a good time for all. Yippee for an air mattress replacement!

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  13. It looks like you had a wonderful extended vacation. Lorrie! I would like summer to last longer but truthfully I won't be sorry to see the high humidity go away when autumn weather arrives.

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  14. Camping with a toddler....what brave grandmother you are! I too am hoping for a few more weeks of summer on the Island. A sunny September would be a nice treat.

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  15. I remember camping with a toddler - lovely, lazy days and a very dirty baby at the end of each one!
    I'm not ready to let go of summer yet either - but it was certainly cold up here this morning.

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  16. What a wonderful vacation! Can you believe that fall is just a few weeks away!

    blessings,
    karianne

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  17. beautiful photos, it looks like it was a great time you spent together! oh, and that open fire, the food is different when cooked there :)

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  18. Oh, this is real wild countryside - Europe's countryside is beautiful, yes, but a bit manicured so to speak. An a real stove for bacon and pancakes. What could be wilder!

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  19. Gosh, it sounds like such a nice time.

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  20. This must have been such an enjoyable time and the little darling with the hat on, melts my heart, so sweet.

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  21. It sounds like the perfect vacation for refreshing one's perspective - real R&R! The Little Miss is truly sweet and darling.

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  22. Catching up with your vacation was fun and especially having your beautiful Grand daughter joining you.

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