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Because we had already taken a nice vacation to Utah in the spring, and because we both had church camps in June, we didn't have much money or time leftover for another big family vacation. So we opted for a week at the beach. One of Maryland's state parks is right on the beach. Turns out we've been here before, but we didn't have the best experience. And I guess last time we weren't at the state park, rather the national seashore. But it doesn't make that much of a difference. It's all the same coast.
Anyway, this park is very sought-after. There are a lot of sites, but not a lot with electric hook-ups (something I now require for summer camping). The process to get reservations is very difficult and the odds are definitely against you. However, last July I, with backup provided by Chuck and my sister, was able to snag a site with a hook-up. Victory! We left Tuesday morning (traffic over the Bay Bridge was a breeze) and headed straight for the beach. That evening the park hosted a tie dye shirt party and we thought, what the heck. We all made shirts, fairly unsuccessfully, but definitely enjoying ourselves. Well 3/4ths of us enjoyed ourselves.
Wednesday we went to Chincoteague to explore the little town and see the lighthouse. We also stopped at NASA's Wallops Island. It was HOT. And BUGGY. I'm pretty sure I had a 5 millimeter-thick coating of sunscreen + bug spray on at all times. But we did get some delicious ice cream. That night the park showed an outdoor movie, so after an evening beach walk, we went to see the movie (the one with Mowgli in it?). The boys liked that for sure, while Chuck and I felt weird being the only adults there. (Where were all the parents?)
Thursday was Ollie's birthday. He woke up to some pig decorations (his giggling! melted my mama heart!) and a breakfast of previously-made pig pancakes. Then it was off to the beach! After a good chunk of time spent playing in sand and water, we cleaned off and headed to Ocean City. The big attraction for the boys was the Ripley's Believe It or Not museum. This is something we would not have done, had it not been a birthday and had the boys not spent hours reading these books (they love them). So they enjoyed that. The adults enjoyed the air conditioning. After that we just walked the boardwalk, shopped in silly stores, and ate some pizza. I think Ollie had a good day.
Friday was my birthday. Unlike last year's big one, this was one I just didn't care about. I did go for a run on the beach, followed up with some yoga also on the beach. The boys gave me some cards and a small present and then it was off to the beach. That afternoon, we did a small hike on the national seashore part of the island before deciding the bugs were too much and we headed back to the Scamp. We played our new game of "Pass the BIG Pigs" and did some campfire-wood-sack races.
Saturday morning we headed home after a morning walk on the beach. We had excellent, if not hot, weather, but it's the beach in summer. The ocean was warm enough for swimming and the boys certainly enjoyed getting out in it. And of course, the digging. Always the digging.
We are always excited when we get to camp with friends. And when the adults are friends AND the kids are friends, well, magic happens. We went camping at the same park we visited in the spring, but this time there wasn't snow and there were friends: Rhett's friend, Alejandro, and his family. Chuck and I enjoy Ale's parents as much as Rhett enjoys Ale, so it was a win-win.
The park has about, oh, two hikes. We did one in March and the other goes straight up a mountain. Given it was July, well, we opted not to hike. Thankfully we had a beach and spent most of our time there. The kids had a great time playing in the water and on the water. We rented boats and Rhett and Ale took one. Ollie and I were in another, but Ollie lasted only 15 minutes before demanding to be let out. Sigh. So I took him back and traded in the double for a single kayak and HOLY CRAP. Single kayaks are the easiest things to maneuver! This fact, and watching Rhett paddle with no adults really got me thinking about whether we should invest in our own kayaks...but more on that later.
We also did some fishing. It frustrated Rhett completely that he caught nothing and Ollie caught a couple. Sorry dude.
Oh, the boys also loved the hammocks.
And this. I have no memory of buying this, except that as of September 1 (about six weeks after camping), the lollipop has not been finished.
Unless the governor changes his mind, this is the final spring break that is six school-days long. (Next year it's only four.) Given the length, we split it up into three parts: camping, relaxing at home, NYC (for me and Rhett, at least).
Because of Sunday responsibilities, we couldn't start camping on Saturday. We couldn't even start camping right after church due to meetings. So at 4 p.m. Sunday afternoon, we finally headed out for Rocky Gap State Park. It was only a two-hour drive, which meant we arrived at 6. I was nervous that we wouldn't find a spot (Shenandoah and the Smokies have really soured me on first-come, first-served policies), but I shouldn't have been: there was only one other camper in the 278-site campground. Ha. So we got the best campsite in the entire campground and were completely happy. A quick fire was lit and soon enough we were roasting hot dogs and marshmallows.
Some of us had nine marshmallows.
In the morning we hiked around the lake, a total of 5.3 miles. It was an easy (if not muddy and snowy in places) but long way to spend the cold time.
By the time we got back to our campsite, we were all ready to sit and relax. So we did! We lit a fire and hung around it for the rest of the afternoon and evening. I have a few burn holes in my pants, sweatshirt, and hat as evidence of the fire. We also had a game of pine cone baseball. Oh, and plenty of tree climbing happened.
Tuesday morning we took a short nature walk and then headed home to five loads of smoke-stained laundry! Only one more state park to go!
Note #1 about off-season camping: For some dumb reason, our spring break was the week before Easter this year, and therefore earlier than most other counties in Maryland. Dumb. It meant that most of Maryland's state parks were not camping-ready until the end of the week. But, we got lucky in that one of the two (!) parks that we've yet to visit was the only one with year-round camping. What they failed to make clear is that during the "off-season," there are few amenities. Yes, we had electricity, so that was good. But the bathrooms in each camp loop? Closed! I had to drive to the (closed) camp store and use the (NOT LIT) bathrooms. The first night, I didn't bring any lights and it was pretty much the scariest thing that ever happened to me, so I drove back and made Chuck come with me. After that I got smarter.
Note #2 about off-season camping: Because Mother Nature must be sleeping or very angry, spring has yet to come. It was COLD. But it's exactly why I love having the Scamp! There's no way I would have camped with two boys in that weather (down to the 30s at night). Each night we cooked dinner on the fire, but then retreated to the Scamp for reading and sleeping. In the mornings before the sun warmed the earth, we ate breakfast and got ready inside the warm Scamp. Hiking in 40-degree temps was fine because we were prepared (jackets, hats, and gloves!). But I'm so grateful to be inside with a heater. Even if it means we're cheating or just plain babies.
Although we've had four snow days, not one included actual snow. But finally, in meteorological spring, we got real snow! And on Rhett's birthday! It was very exciting.
Our first trip out for sledding was late morning. For some reason, they didn't last too long. And we didn't take pictures because it was still snowing fairly hard. But it was still fun. Man, I love the snow tube.
After lunch, we watched a movie: Coco. Then it was time to go back outside. I worked on the shoveling (the snowblower we inherited didn't work!), and the boys headed to the backyard to use the brick molds we got two years ago but haven't had enough snow to use yet. Both boys were quickly distracted by the backyard neighbors, so they disappeared to play there. Ollie came back a little while later and helped Chuck finish the shelter they started. It collapsed before our bedtime. And the next morning, Ollie went out in footed-pjs and snow boots to jump on the ruins. Kids!
He wanted an action shot of him shoveling. Which wasn't actual shoveling, but just moving snow from one spot on the brick to another.
After Rhett finished at the neighbor's house, I convinced him to take one more sledding trip. I'd love to send the boys by themselves, but man, there are just so many trees! I'm terrified they're going to hit one and then be paralyzed. So I go. But man, they have fun.
For me, March snow is the best snow. I'm fairly confident that by Saturday it will all be gone! Perfect!
