Sunday, May 9, 2010

Camping

We went camping this weekend.

The timing wasn't all that great for me since I have a bazillion things to do what with having only two weeks until the semester is OVER. (*dances around room*)

But hubster's best friend and his wife and baby were going. And hubster's brother and his family were going. So, I didn't want to be the party pooper and say, "Sorry, Honey. Can't go. Too much work." And I couldn't send him off with the kids while I stayed home because today was the Boy's b-day! So we went. And I only graded three essays.

Nevertheless. It was beautiful. We stayed at an undeveloped camping area (i.e., you must have a bucket and a shovel to camp there, and there is a sign that tells you so) in the Los Padres National Forest, near Fort Hunter Liggett. We even got stuck behind a military convoy on the way in (which made for a funny sight, I'm sure, since we were bringing up the rear of the convoy with our two 23-year-old VW Vanagons).

We camped right next to a beautiful river/stream, and the whole area was just stunning, with beautiful live oak trees and a lot of meadows full of lupin. The kids could ride bikes around our area on dirt roads (we surprised the Boy with a new bike), and the Boy spent hours, hours finding all kinds of creatures. Within the first 10 minutes he found a scorpion (and proceeded to find many more). Then he found beautiful caterpillars. A frog. One crazy, huge water beetle thing with some kind of eggs stuck on its back. A lizard. Cocoons. Ladybuy larvae. And I can't remember what else.

Shortly after our arrival, the kids starting playing in the stream, and I set up a chair on the water's edge. Hubs brought me a gin and tonic, and what do you know, there was wild mint growing all around the river bank. It tasted fantastic in my drink.

It was a great weekend, and we topped it off with dinner to celebrate the boy's b-day and Mother's Day for my mother and me.

Now, we just just have to wait to see if anyone comes down with poison oak. Please, God. No.

edit:// You know that wild mint that I mentioned? Well, I just found this on the Fort Hunter Liggett Wikipedia page: "The entire world population of the rare Santa Lucia mint (Pogogyne clareana) occurs on Fort Hunter Liggett grounds." Apparently, the mint that I picked for my G & T is rare and threatened (mostly by erosion and miltary activity, and now, apparently by my desire to put mint in my drink). Sorry, natural world.

3 comments:

This Ro(a)mantic Life said...

That mint sounds like a treat! (I'm sure the natural world wouldn't begrudge you a taste.) I'm so glad the weekend was beautiful.

And the fact that the Boy can identify ladybug larvae just impresses me to no end. Crossing fingers about the poison oak for you ...

Gaga said...

That boy can identify most stages of most insects and identify plants I can't. I call on him to tell me what's what. Amazing.

loveskidlit said...

Sounds idyllic, save for the bucket and shovel! Well done, GEW family. And your G and T is rare and threatened too, so hey.