Camping

I just returned from a 26 hour camping trip (including a four hour round trip drive) at Sterling Reservoir with friends, 18 month old toddler, and big ol' baby belly. At the same time I was packing the last snack cup into the car and hitting the highway, Sam was on a plane to Pittsburgh for a week-long business seminar.

Step One: Con friends into setting up tent for you (thanks Scotty & Max!).

Step Two: Introduce toddler to joys of sleeping outdoors with nothing but a thin layer of nylon between you and the elements. Ryan now has full comprehension and exact pronunciation of the word "tent".

Heck yes I bring a battery operated fan... we all need the white noise to sleep.

Step Three: Head for the water. There were all kinds of toads (we called them frogs, because that what Ryan knows - we'll differentiate species later) and I pretended that boat wakes washing ashore were really ocean waves, just like Anini Beach. It was a thin fantasy - Anini doesn't smell like diesel fuel and dead fish.

Step Four: Practice oar skills. Gotta be ready to guide a cat' through Skull soon.

After an evening of hanging out with friends and missing bedtime by a good three hours (not like we could follow the bath-book-bedtime routine anyway), Ryan slept like a log all night long. I wish I could say the same, but 1/2 inch thick air mattresses do not support a pregnant belly too well. The next morning Kevin took us and the Wedlakes out for a very mellow cruise on the motorboat. Ryan was instantly annoyed by the lifejacket (can't say I blame him!).

I can't tell if he's terrified and waiting for it all to be over or falling asleep here. He did squawk pretty ferociously when the spray hit us, though (can't say I blame him for that, either - it was COLD!).

Once ashore and the offending life jacket removed, all is right with the universe.