Ready for an Adventure

I. Love. Camping. Time at the lake with family and friends. Time to relax. Time to throw schedules out the window. I have no schedule when I'm camping - I think that is one of the biggest reasons I love it so much. If I want to stay up all night reading, I do. If I want to lounge on a floatie all day, I do. If I want to nap in the afternoon, I do.

My camping routine usually includes a bit of all of that. Lots of late night reading. I take a variety of books - some for school and some for pure enjoyment. I am looking forward to reading and reading and reading this week. Even with the late nights, I usually get up pretty early, and Lucy and I go for a long walk around the quiet campgrounds. When I get back to the camper, it's start the coffee and do some reading while waiting on everyone else to wake up. Then it's time to cook breakfast. Pancakes and bacon. Sausage and biscuits. Omelets and toast. Or maybe a little of it all. Believe it or not, a favorite at our breakfast tent is fried weenies.

After breakfast, I usually take Lucy for a swim. She loves it! After about 45 minutes, she is worn out, and I take her back to the camper. She sleeps until I come back for a late lunch. Then we take another walk and usually another swim. I might climb in a hammock or even go to the camper to read/nap before supper. That's the big meal of the day; the one we plan for and talk about all day long. We always have enough to feed friends and neighbors. Everyone pitches in, and the cooking is a huge part of the fun.

This week, I'm camping with a new group. My sister-in-law invited me to her annual all-girl trip. I don't know how much cooking they usually do. I know we are grilling steaks one night, and SIL has a pork loin to cook another night. I've got some yummy dishes planned. This trip will be fun, but I am so looking forward to the next trip with family. We are already discussing what we will cook.

I'm taking my camera and will post pictures of our meals when I get home. If you are a traditionalist about camping, eating granola and drinking spring water - you won't call our camp-cooking camping but you will secretly wish you could eat with us. If you only eat soggy sandwiches and poptarts, you will be amazed and hungry.