The Ward Father-Son Campout nearly blew us away!

Ever since we were not able to make the ward Father-Son campout last year, Jacob has been anticipating this year's campout.  We drove up to Camp Post with a friend and his 4 sons and, though late, were still the first ones there.  Others soon followed, though not as many as I had expected, and we made our way to the campsite.  When we got there, what we found was an abundance of life that I don't normally see in Texas, including a snake.  One of the other brothers caught it so that the children could have a closer look.  Jacob was NOT shy.  I, personally, was content to take the picture.

We set up the tents and none too soon.  It immediately began to rain.  About 45 minutes of rain and high winds, and it stopped.  Afterward there was a beautiful double rainbow to remind us of God's majesty.

In typical "guy" fashion, we ended up with pizza and chips for dinner.  Junk food of champions.  But it was a good bunch and some good conversation.  The kids had fun talking together and I got to know some of the dads that I didn't usually get to associate with much outside of church.

During dinner, our entertainment was one of the better lightning storms I have ever seen.  Got a little bit of it on video to share, but by this time, the battery on my phone was running out, so it's not very long.

Dessert was, of course, smores which is ALWAYS a kid-favorite.  Even with all the rain, both what we had already had and everything that was to come, the fire stayed going

The rest of the night, was an adventure.  Starting at about 11:00 PM, the wind picked up and it started raining.  Our tent might as well have been a sail.  The rain flap was about vertical and, as those of you who have spent any time camping in "modern" tents know, the ceiling of the actual tent is not solid, but mesh (to let out the body heat because the nylon of the tent would trap it and make the inside a suffocating, humid, bucket of suck.  Mesh, however, has no problem letting rain in, so we started to get wet.  I spent some time, half in the tent, half out, trying to tie down the rain tarp so that it didn't blow up as high as it was.  It took a bit, but I was moderately successful.  At that point, the ground was saturated enough that the stakes of the tent started coming up, collapsing portions of the tent on our gear.  Naturally, when that happens, the gear soaks water through the tent so it got all wet too.

The wind got even stronger, and as nice as those tents are, the fiberglass poles that bend and dome so well, do not stand up well to Mother Nature when she gets serious about blowing something down.  So in an effort to allow Jacob to hopefully get some sleep, I stayed up and attempted to keep those poles bent the way they were intended: in a dome OVER us.  I was mostly successful.  This lasted until about 4:00AM, when the wind finally died down, and the rain slowed down enough that I did not have to fight the tent anymore.  I managed to get about an hour of sleep (maybe a little less), until the wind and the rain picked up again at about 5:00AM.  This lasted another hour and a half or two hours where, once again, I did battle with the tent and Mother Nature.  Things finally calmed down around 7:00 in the morning.

Despite the lack of cooperation of the weather, and much of our gear getting soaked, Jacob seemed to have a really good time spending moments with me and with some of his friends that were there.  And that was really why I went: to spend time with my son, even if we did it in a man-made water container.

He seems happy enough in the picture below.  Of course, that could just be the look of a boy wolfing down a smore.  Either way, I'll take it and call it a success.

Perhaps one day, we'll be able to go camping without a "weather-related incident" causing havoc (tornado alley, I'm looking at YOU).  Until then, I guess I'll take whatever I can get.  The kids are growing up fast.  Both Sarah and I are trying to make as many memories as we can and are capable of with them.  They'll be on their own soon enough, and when they are, I want them to be able to remember fondly how their parents loved them and wanted to spend time with them, even in the rain.

- Josh                     

More Camping Fun

Just a few more pictures from our AWESOME camping adventure!

Josh really loves his "Camping Hat". I keep wanting to say "G'day mate"

 This was Meagans first time swimming in something other than a swimming pool. She commented that it was a lot harder because of the wind and movement of the water. I thought she did very well.

 Jacob didn't want to risk it and played it safe and kept his life jacket on.

 I love watching little kids and seeing the excitement they have when the can explore and learn on their own.

 I am not sure why but I always thought that buffalo came out looking how they look at adults.....I was wrong :D

 If you haven't figured out by now I have some silly, crazy, fun loving kids.

 Jacob is so funny. He really have some character in him. Always a joy to listen to and watch.

 Sibling......Love?

 

Another great view of where we were.

   - Sarah     

Camping in Caprock Canyon

So for our first "big" vacation (actual getting away) in a couple of years, we decided on camping and went to Caprock Canyons State Park.  Once again, we opted to take some "family" along for company, and what a great time we had.  The entire area is covered in red rock and we saw trees.  Yes, ACTUAL TREES...IN TEXAS.  No, we are not hallucinating.  See?

We arrived around 9 AM and spent the next couple of hours setting up camp.  One of the first things we discovered was that apparently, Caprock Canyons State Park, apart from being the home of the last free-roaming bison herd, it is also a wildlife refuge for the common housefly.  Who knew?  They seem to be doing well, as about 1,000,000 of them joined us for the whole duration of the camping trip.  The weather, in typical Texas form, was mildly warm (about 100 degrees both days).  Fortunately there was a lake nearby where the kids could cool down.  Below, you will find a picture of the lake's fishing dock.  As you can see, there is a "slight" difference between the water level and the dock level.  We might be in a drought that has lasted for several years or so...

So as they ventured into the lake they discovered several things.  Jacob discovered that there are all kinds of rocks everywhere and most of the ones under the water are smooth.  Meagan discovered that there is a BIG difference between swimming in a pool and swimming in a lake - one is fairly calm, the other has current.  She really had to work at it to maintain her location.

Of course, the day wouldn't be complete without the opportunity to swim with her buddy, Cheyenne.  She wouldn't go out into the water with anyone but Meagan.

Jacob, on the other hand, was perfectly content to stay in the shallows looking for cool rocks...and occasionally trying to skip them.

And because it can't be called camping otherwise, we had Hobo Dinners for our first evening's meal.  They were great.

If you zoom in REALLY close, you can probably count at least 1000 flies in this picture...  It didn't seem to matter whether they could get to any actual food or not.  They KNEW we had it, and the second we slipped up, they were going to take it.  Somehow, though, we managed to keep our good humor even with all the annoying buzzing going on.

The second day, we decided to drive the "scenic" route through the canyon.  You know, for being in the "desert" of Texas, there were some incredibly scenic vistas.  We stopped at one and took family pictures.

Looking out at actual greenery and skyline that was not "flat" (changes in the horizon like there are actual mountains)

Well lookie here!  An actual mountain.

A closer shot of that same mountain...

And did we mention actual Tatonka (buffalo)?  Kevin Costner would feel right at home.

A shot of (most of) the campsite.  Our friends' tent is off to the left of the camera.  Lots of people in one "small" space, but somehow we managed to get along and even like each other still after the experience.

2 and a half days of camping leaves one tired, dirty, and with a LOT of laundry.  But as fun and peaceful as being out in nature for extended periods is, the shower that you take after you return home in a REAL bathroom is a gift from the Almighty.

- Josh & Sarah