Camping in a Yurt - Arrival - June 28

This summer, we decided that our big family trip would be to Pymatuning State Park during the last week of June.  We had been here three years ago, back when Jude was only 1 and Tamlin was 4.5years old. Like the previous visit, we rented a yurt (#73 this time) and stayed nearly a week.  These yurts are awesome; they have two sets of bunk-beds, a sink, mini-fridge, 2 burner stove, heater, running water, and electricity.  Additionally, they sit up on a deck that has picnic tables and awnings. It is just like a mini-home...without the cumbersome need to pack a tent and all the rest of the primitive camping gear.  The deck is uber useful for playing, eating outside, staying dry in the rain, and keeping us all up off the slightly soggy ground.    The kiddos loved the idea of sleeping in bunk beds, especially transformer beds that have futons on the bottom.

This time around, we were able to get a friends of ours to camp with us.  Scott is a friend of ours from way back in our college days.  His wife and him have two boys that are within months of the same age as our little ones.  They stayed in another of three yurts.  Additionally, our friends Tom and Rhonda stayed in their pop-up camper within the same campground.  It was a hoot to spend some down times just sitting around, swapping stories, and drinking adult beverages while the kids all played.  

Well, we, of course, didn't start actually packing to go to the yurt until the day before departure...and didn't finish packing the car until about an hour before we left :-)  On the upside, the only things I missed were minor, such as forgetting plastic baggies and forks.  We got to our destination around 4:30...but the yurts were locked!  And the camp store, where it said to check in, was closed!  Brian and I had brief moments of panic...but we divided and conquered.  Brian walked back over to the store to try to find someone and I tried the phone number attached to my confirmation email.  In the end, I reached a ranger but he was in Southern Ohio!   He barely had an inkling were Pymatuning Park was!  Apartenly the non-emergency ranger phone number was to location specific.  Brian had better luck and contacted the camp host, which had the keys to the yurts.   Yeah!

After unpacking the car and setting up the air, we had time to play with friends, explore the campground, and let everyone begin to relax.  With the kids being a little older, we brought their scooters to play with in the campground.  They were a huge hit with all the kids!  They both especially liked zooming down the ramp from the deck to the road.




Later, we built our first fire and had our first grilled brawts, and made S'mores!
(Tamlin 6.5 years and Jude 4 years)

 

It was a chilly night, but our little yurt  room stayed toasty with the heater going.  The night was peaceful and we all slept pretty well...waking up to the light and birds in the morning.
 
My how my boys have changed (and not changed) in three years!
Tamlin 4.5 years and Jude 13months

A chilly summer

I can't believe that it is the beginning of July, and the temperatures have been a little cooler than normal, which means we haven't been swimming in the lake nearly as much as last year.  The chilly temps do not stop us from going to the beach as often as we can, we just aren't getting as wet.   Even the boys are sometimes reluctant to jump into the water. On this excursion to our neighborhood beach, we only got our toes wet, mostly from our walk out along the breakwall.  We found some sea glass, cool sticks, and some inner peace before we decided to head on home.

Garden is Growing!

 We came from camping to find our garden thriving (mostly).  The tomatos plants are huge, have many flowers, and even a few fruit ripening.  The leeks are growing well and the beans have flowers.  The potato plants are still growing, but no flowers quite yet.  The pepper plants are struggling a little; I think the soil has been too wet for them.  Our radishes are fairing the poorest...some bug or slug is eating the leaves of the poor guys.  Luckily, we planted quite a few, so we still were able to harvest some radishes. 

The best news is that the blueberries are ripening and the birds did NOT get to them!   Yeah!  Blueberries for us!  Our first little harvest yielded about ten berries, but we shared their goodness among all four of us.

Next week we'll head down the road and pick massive amount of blueberries at the local farm.
Yum!

Fourth of July

 Happy Fourth of July!

We spent a quiet day, still recovering from our camping trip from last week.  I hadn't wanted to even fire up the grill...so I admit, I ordered pizza. I'm hanging my head in shame, but in my defense, Brian was at work so I was fending on my own.  The kids thought it was great.  

After dinner, around dusk, we got out the sparklers and poppers. I wasn't sure the kiddos would stay awake, so I had them in jammies.  Yes, Jude is our little fashion-statement of miss-matchiness. 

The boys had fun snapping the poppers around the driveway or stepping on them. 

 

The sparklers are always a hit.  Tam was pretending to be a ninja with cool sparkler ninja-moves.  Jude was content with just swirling the sparklers around in like a mad-man.

 

 Last year, we had headed to Huron to see the fireworks and listen to jazz music. This year, I didn't want to fight crowds, so we stayed closed to home and just went around the corner to our neighborhood beach.  We weren't disapponted!  There were a few dozen people down at the beach, many families hanging out together.  Members of a local house shot off about 50+ good size fireworks out over the water.  Then,  we had some smaller fireworks shot on the other side of the beach.  Once full dark settled, we were able to see 5, 6, 8!  groups of fireworks being shot further away along the coastline.  We could hear the sounds and see the bursts of lights brighten the air.  I thought this was so awesome...being surrounded by fireworks without them being overly loud.  Very Cool to be a part of so many celebrations...all wooping it up for our great country's freedom birthday. 

We lasted until Jude curled up in my lap and told me he was sleepy.  The fireworks were still going at a couple of the points, but we headed home to our comfy beds.

America.
Great Country.

Old Family Photos

 Dad broke his leg, badly.  He's had a pin or two stuck into it and is currently in rehab. Because of this, Shelly and I have had to go into his house to help with clean-up while he is out.
We discovered a box of old photos in one of the upstairs bedrooms.  Shelly and I have been passing many of these on to our cousin Rhonda.  She has been figuring out who the individuals are and sharing her finds with the rest of the clan.  Here are some of my favorite gems...



Dad!
Back in his Navy days

Grandma Elsie and Grandpa Glen...Dad's parents.

 Grandpa Glen and Grandma Elsie in downtown Ashtabula.

Marriage for Everyone!

 Our Country is great...I'm glad our Supreme Court listened to the majority of the people...Equality for ALL! 

Love is love and All love is equal.

"WASHINGTON, June 26 (Reuters) - The Supreme Court ruled on Friday that the U.S. Constitution provides same-sex couples the right to marry, handing a historic triumph to the American gay rights movement.The court ruled 5-4 that the Constitution's guarantees of due process and equal protection under the law mean that states cannot ban same-sex marriages. With the landmark ruling, gay marriage becomes legal in all 50 states."

President Barack Obama, appearing in the White House Rose Garden, hailed the ruling as a milestone in American justice that arrived "like a thunderbolt."
"This ruling is a victory for America," said Obama, the first sitting president to support gay marriage. "This decision affirms what millions of Americans already believe in their hearts. When all Americans are treated as equal, we are all more free."
-From MSN's website

I-35W bridge in the Twin Cities of Minnesota.
I love it :-)