Camping down by the creek

This past Friday we finally made it down to the creek for an overnight camping adventure. Jake has been wanting to do this for quite some time, but weather and sports and life kept getting in the way. So on the spur of the moment Friday afternoon (with a forecast of good weather) Jake set up camp and we had a wonderful evening. Our neighbors who own the pastures out back have this wonderful setup along the creek with a fire pit, picnic table, adirondack chairs, and even a little sandy beach. They were generous in allowing us to use everything, and they even set up the firewood for us. We had a great night.

The campsite (viewed from our back deck):

The beach, fire pit, and picnic table:

The tent (canoe not ours):

There was even a deer in the meadow:

The kids caught fireflies:

The fire pit where we roasted marshmallows for some delicious s'mores:

We even had sparklers:

And the stars were beautiful and plentiful:

One of my favorite things was watching the fireflies. After dusk they lit up the meadow and it was gorgeous. But as the night wore on, they started to light up the whole mountainside... it literally looked as if the mountain was twinkling... it was amazing.

We didn't get the kids to bed until nearly ten o'clock, and then Jake and I played a round of Scrabble by lantern light (a game which I actually won, a rarity). It was a near perfect experience, except that when we went to bed Will started to stir, and ended up screaming/crying for about 45 minutes. I finally resorted to walking up to the house and Will and I ended up sleeping in our nice, comfortable, beds... while Jake and the older ones stayed outside in the tent. Hmmm... maybe it was a perfect night after all!