Back at camp, again. We embarked on our third camp trip of the season last month, this time at Kachess Lake. We settled into our sweet little site on a Friday afternoon and then bee-lined for the lake, ’cause it was HOT.
The lake was perfect for paddling, with knee-deep waters for quite a ways out. Plus, those mountain views…
I strapped the kids into their life jackets and we ventured beyond the shallow waters, so Juliette could go for a real dip.
These may be some of my favorite snaps of the summer – the adoration these two feel for each other is real. Most of the time.
We kept putting off heading back to camp for dinner – it was still so hot and the water was still so good.
Finally, though, we toweled off. Dinner time.
Juliette loves helping with meal prep when we camp and I’m more than happy to delegate. Slice those peppers and cook that rice, girl…
Campfire hangs…
I tell you, even a walk to the bathroom or the water spigot can be sweet when we camp. Nothing is easy, but most of it is beautiful.
G’night.
And good morning! Happy Saturday, Bud.
It was nice to have a camping trip with no rain, but ugh…the dust. This boy was dirtier than dirt after a morning of playing with his cars on the ground.
I mean…
At some point I recommended he play on the picnic table rather than the ground, but too late, Mama. The damage was done.
These two, meanwhile, stayed cool and clean in their shady little nook.
Alright, Bud. Time for a dip!
We spent the rest of the morning on the water, bouncing between paddle board and inner tubes. Isaac really liked draping his body over our mermaid floatie and kicking his legs for all it was worth. I liked the feeling of washed feet!
Watermelon, water, kiddos. Love, love, love.
We ventured out of the shallows for a little bit to do some exploring. Gosh, that turquoise water.
We came back to shore and Shane rigged up a new sort of watercraft.
More floating…
And then it was naptime – we all needed a sun-break. Our tent was a sauna, so we hopped in the car and sought refuge from peak heat at the air conditioned Dru Bru a few miles away; Isaac fell asleep just as we were parking and I gently scooped him out his car seat, found a comfy booth inside, and he dozed with his head on my chest while I drank my Saison and ate French fries. He’s a big boy, but in that moment, he was very much my baby.
It was back to the lake as soon as we returned to camp, droplets of sweat gathering on our backs as grabbed our towels and floaties. We found the lake to be particularly mucky where we settled and I wondered if I was really down for a dip, but then our beloved mermaid inner tube started drifting away and I was all-in, swimming after it like a golden retriever fetching a stick. I did not catch said floatie in the water, but it landed in a little cove where I eventually was able to recover it after a shoreline scramble. The windfall was that I discovered a new stretch of beach backed by the most golden grasslands. I hustled back to the family, grabbed our things, and we resettled at this gorgeous spot.
The sun was setting and temps were finally cooling – Juliette stretched out on the blanket with her book, Isaac attacked imaginary monsters with a big stick, and Shane and I sipped our Moscow Mules. Respite, in so many ways. Our moment of zen was short-lived, as Isaac needed to make a run for the bathroom, but on our hustle to the outhouse we came across two spotted baby deer, which felt worth stepping away from my canned cocktail.
I love this state we live in. These people I get to explore it with. It takes a lot of work to get out here, a lot of planning and packing and schlepping and asking Isaac to please stop whining, but gosh, it’s worth it.
We broke down camp early on Sunday, eager to get home to our bathtub and our portable AC unit. I took a walk with the kids to scope out next year’s prime sites while Shane did the final loading of the car (thanks again, Shane!).
Requisite goofball pics…
Adios, Kachess. In looking at our calendar, I’m thinking this was our last camp trip of the year, which brings on a bit of melancholy, but also, what a note to end on.
