This was not a banner year for camping, but we did make it out once in July for a glorious weekend at Cooper Lake. The Rusts snagged a perfect lakefront site for us and we settled right in. I love the sound of Juliette snapping tent clips onto poles.
Jules spent her first-ever night in a tent here at Owhi a few years ago and it rained and rained and rained, so we were thrilled to return in swimsuit weather.
Like, really thrilled.
And it felt so good to be back on the paddle board after a largely land-bound summer.
Juliette is in the midst of a bout of severe doggy-fever and spent much of the weekend coaxing Biscuit onto her lap.
Someone get this kid a puppy already!
Sunset paddle with my first mate. NOTHING BETTER.
My heart aches a little looking back at these photos from just a few weeks ago…I’m sorely missing the evening campfire, the satisfying snuggle-in at the end of day, the reading by headlamp while sandwiched between my two favorite people.
We enjoyed our requisite 3-course leisurely breakfast on Saturday morning and then Juliette and I set out on the paddle board to follow J and the boys to the other end of the lake.
We rowed ourselves into a bed of fallen floating trees and hopped out to test our balance beam skills.
This is the point where I would have turned back, but crazy Uncle J kept on going, teetering across logs that mostly floated. But just mostly.
“Let’s go tell Daddy what we found!”
Back at camp we spread out on our lakefront property to paddle and play.
We drove over to the river in the afternoon to take a half-dip in the freezing cold water. Or maybe a quarter-dip? It was frigid.
Though you’d never know it from looking at the way this kid kicked back.
Jordan asked if he could borrow our big floatie to ride the rapids, which I thought was a terrible idea, but curiosity got the best of me and we told him to go for it.
Hang on, buddy!
Nailed it.
Jason couldn’t resist doing some dare-deviling of his own.
And then we went “home” to eat and lounge.
And snuggle.
(Yes, that’s 20 flaming marshmallows on the end of Jordan’s skewer.)
We squeezed in one more long paddle on Sunday morning – I suspected this would be our only camping trip of the year and we were going to make it count.
Juliette and I made a quick paddling detour to rescue Jordan’s kite, which had dipped into the water, and then poof. The tent was down and the paddle board was deflated and the car was packed and we were city-bound. This summer was too damn short on time in the woods. TOO SHORT. But we’ll always have Owhi 2020.
