Campout

1 I decided to unplug a bit with the boys and build a campsite in "ferndale" on our property. It is in a little clearing with the most perfect patches of sunlight.	2 The boys loved it! Such silliness ensues when a tent goes up. Lots of bashing each other with rolled up sleeping bags.	3 Now for the fire! I found an OLD shovel head when I was clearing, so I used that for a fire pit. I figured I could use the handle to move the fire later should I need to. I put rocks around it that I found while clearing. I had a 100 sq ft area cleared with my machete, and leveled, within about an hour. That was hard work! But so worth it.	4 Getting hair-thin kindling to get the fire started from some fir that was downed on our property. The tree had fallen long ago and we thought it was dry. Not so much! Starting a fire with a dull axe and wet wood...that is some fun right there! Whew...
5 Watching fingers carefully!	6 Now for the SPAM! Yeah!	7 Not sure what is going on here!	8 Fending off intruders!
9 Nice shot.	10 This is real silliness now!	11	12 Love this one! See what everyone is doing? Gramma on her...you-know-what!
13 Daddy home from work to see what is going on!	14 These are the HUGEST marshmallows I have EVER seen! They are really messy...	15 Poor mom! It was the most perfect marshmallow!	16 I thought putting stumps on their side would be really innovative - you can roll toward the fire if you get cold, or away from the fire if it gets too warm. Wel...you can imagine...people were rolling in unintended directions at unintended times!
17 Reading the REAL journals of Lewis and Clark, who persisted through many hardships along their journey to the West Coast. Certainly wet wood and a dull axe would have been a minor complaint for them!	18 Daddy!	19 Ben's first glimpse of the new day.	20 He adored being outside and slept like a rock. I, on the other hand, stood watch all night listening for critters. There are a good deal of creatures in our woods because there is acre upon acre - hundreds - of deep woods behind us. I can see animal trails through the woods. Only deer, raccoons, opossums, and coyotes, then owls and chipmunks and stuff. But still - they make a lot of noise at night! Especially when they have a kill...
21 Sam's first glimpse. This is a family tradition - take a picture when you first wake up. Isn't that cruel?	22 The view from inside the tent. I was able to see the Big Dipper straight up from my tent in the middle of the night!	23	24 Eagle waking up from his first night camping!
25 Slept with my trusty machete by the tent door, just in case. Dad - I know you are wondering - the machete is really very dull. No one would get hurt on it like this, plus I placed it there when everyone was in bed already, not horsing around.	26 Ben had pitch on his legs, and his feet were filthy! Signs of a great time :)	27 Now for morning silly faces!	28
29 I love this look! Mary, what do you think?	30	31	32
33 I love you, boys!	34	35	36 PopTart snacks in the morning!
37 Here is my fire pit :)