You Know You're Camping When.....

So the past week, we've spent "camping". How do you know when you're truly "camping"? We've always considered it camping when we head up to the mountains, find a likely spot with ATV trails nearby and spend a few days there. Sometimes with running water in a campground, and sometimes "dry" camping where we pack in our own water. We used to tent-camp, but after a few years, the Curse of the Camping Huffakers became brutally apparent.

We've talked about hiring out our services to drought-suffering areas, because whenever we go camping, it RAINS. Not just some of the camping trips..... it rains EVERY time we go. This is one of the big reasons we bought the camp trailer in the first place -- it's easier than getting soaked in a tent! So, for a fee, the Camping Huffakers will come and camp wherever dry lands need a good soaking!

We took Alyssa & Darcie to softball camp this week, and to save a bit on a hotel room, (since we've been doing hotels all summer for tournaments) -- we camped. We went to the Lake Coeur d'Alene RV Resort . So it's got full hook-ups (including cable in some spots), a pool, laundry, playground, internet, etc. Not our typical camping scenario, but it worked in this situation.

We really prefer camping WITHOUT a neighbor within 15 feet of our door, especially ones that drink beer for breakfast and share the cigarette smoke (why is it non-smokers are ALWAYS downwind from smokers?). Oh, and once, I took Em for a walk around the campground and went by a huge class-A motor home that had a flat screen TV mounted on the outside, with the owners sitting outside, watching the evening news. I guess that's camping for some people!

BUT -- I know I'm camping when I stand in my shower, look out the roof vent and see nothing but pine trees and blue sky. (And it's even better if I can look out the camper door from my bed and see nothing but pine trees and rushing river!!) Hello, Aquarius!!

The NIC Softball Camp was great (the same one we took them to last year), and we loved watching our girls play hard and learn even more about the game. Both went to the pitcher's heat camp, and learned more and perfected their pitching. They name an All-Star team from the older girls, and Alyssa once again made that team. She pitched 3 innings in the All-Star game, and also played 1st base, R-field and L-field. (Last year, they rotated pitchers more, and she only got to pitch one inning, so this was great!) Darcie was in the younger group, but also pitched, played 1st base, and outfield. (This is more playing time than she got the previous year, so we were happy about that!) And at the end of camp, Alyssa was named "Pitcher of the Camp" for the older girls, and got a t-shirt saying it!! Woo Hoo! The downside, was I didn't get still pictures, only video. (Couldn't find the camera, grrrrr!)

And the Curse of the Camping Huffakers continued...... it rained. But this was more than just a shower, it was a full-blown, sit-you-up-in-bed & rock your socks thunderstorm at 1:00 am, with the works.... and I'm laying in bed, thinking, "It's a thunderstorm. I'm in a camper, in an RV park, that is in the mountains, up a canyon, and at any moment, a flash flood could come down and wipe out the lot of us. I wonder if the log cabin uphill from me would protect me, or take me out all the faster?"

We also slipped in a quick afternoon trip to Silverwood Theme Park, and Todd and I were reminded what it's like to do an amusement park with a baby stroller! Hello, wake-up call! But Cameron, Alyssa & Darcie enjoyed it, so it's all good.

And finally, with all the travel we've been doing, Emma spends a lot of carseat time. When she gets a break from being strapped in, one of her favorite things to do is to turn around and look forward while the seat is still rear-facing.... and she looks like a puppy, or a hood ornament!

We sure love her!

Lazing Away a Summer Afternoon

Cameron came home today from one of his highlights of the summer.... the Scout High Adventure raft trip. Four days on the river with Class II, III, IV, and V rapids.... it was a lot of fun. He was only partially sunburned, which, for Cameron, is pretty darn good.

In prep for this, he was getting all his gear together & decided to take his hammock with him. It's lightweight, because it's parachute nylon, and it has its own connected stuff bag. Cam decided to set it up in the yard to determine the best knots to use with it, so he tried it out while he had it up:



He also demonstrated how he can wrap up in it (it can actually sleep two), and turn completely over without falling out!

It was actually a good thing he had the chance to set it up at home, because there were not any good opportunities to set it up while on the High Adventure. Apparently the beaches didn't have appropriate tree locations.

And while I was outside for pictures, I caught a pair of "0ur"cottontails, who were out by the batting cage --- no fear. None whatsoever.

I hope they aren't thinking this is their permanent home, not with our garden looking more awesome than ever, and veggies getting ready for harvest! (Which, I'm sure, is precisely why they ARE here!)

Sleep. Any time. Any place. Any position?

Emma is a real trooper to go to all these softball tournaments with a minimal amount of complaining. But she does seem to prefer her own bed over all the different porta-cribs in hotel rooms. She sleeps whenever she feels like it during the day, and this picture is from our return trip from last weekend's tourney in Selah (Yakima), Washington. She had been snoozing in the carseat, roused a bit and then resettled in this really uncomfortable-looking position:

She was completely bent over in half. A moment later, she corrected it and settled back into a more normal lounging position.

What would it be like to nap whenever you feel like it, any place and to even be comfortable while folded in half! No wonder we wax poetic when thinking about childhood!!

Not quite Jack Kennedy

Ok, I readily admit that Todd's office needs to be remodeled. Todd would agree, if you asked him. At the bare minimum, it needs new paint and carpet. (Especially since I LOVE the results of our color-block painting of the showroom at Welenco) A full office re-do would be worthy of an HGTV makeover show.

But even when we do remodel the office, I really want him to keep his desk. I don't know how old it is, but it looks like it may date from the '40's or '50's. It's all-wood, nothing special. It has a high-gloss varnish -- where it's not worn off! To say it's "aged" would be a kind way to describe the wear on this desk. A piece of glass has been custom cut for the top. But to me, it's a piece of history, in a good way. It will be a great look. I actually wish we could repair his old wooden office chair, too. It's history as well, but its hardware may be beyond help. Todd had these same office pieces ages ago when he worked at Welenco as the shipping manager. When he moved to sales, he turned down the desk in that office, and brought his old desk with him. (I'll have to ask, but it's possible that this office furniture had been left in the old building from when it had previously been the McMonigle Chevrolet dealership in the 50's-60's.)

There's another desk that has some history, and you've seen the famous picture of a father working there, with his child playing at his feet. Let me remind you:

Well, yesterday I spent some time at Welenco re-writing an article for an advertising section in the newspaper. As usual, Emma went with me. She did pretty well, and when I saw her playing at Todd's feet, I had to get this shot:

Our desk will never be as famous, and it certainly isn't as fancy. As usual, I didn't have my camera with me, so I used our old digital camera, and was in such a hurry to try to catch the shot, that I ended up with several that were "good" shots that were blurry because the flash never went off.

Emma came away with dust in her hair and filthy dirty hands and knees - she's crawling extremely well now. I'm not sure what it is about a stove store (I seriously suspect it's the shop out back though), but it's never truly clean unless the carpets were professionally done in the last week. Otherwise the floors seem to have soot or paint or both all over them. A far cry from the White House, but it's home to us.

Where's a camera when you need one?

First of all, it's good to be home! We love traveling to our softball tournaments, (this last weekend was State, in Nampa for Alyssa and in Meridian for Darcie) but it also makes us appreciate home all the more. Dorothy had her finger on it when she clicked those ruby slippers together.

As we got close to Lewiston, we could see Mother Nature gearing up for a storm, with a stunning contrast between the golden wheat fields and the steely blue-gray sky. And of course, my camera was buried!

Later as he was grilling burgers and dogs for dinner, Todd called us out to watch the light show. It hadn't yet started raining, but the western sky was a treat, with flash lightning and some huge bolts. We all sat out on the trampoline and watched until the rain came. Cameron pulled the camera out for this, and we thought, "great - we'll have some cool shots of the lightning!"

Um, not.

In the middle of a lightning storm, with darkness rapidly falling is probably not the best time to search through the camera settings to get what you need! We got one (and only one) usable shot, which is a lesson to me to stop using the auto settings on the camera and start learning what it can really do. So here is our one-and-only lightning shot, which doesn't truly do it justice. Live and learn, I guess.

Signing off to go bake some cookies for my nephew and do all the mom things that make life rich. Smile, it's a great day!

A Score and Four

It was just over 24 years ago that Todd and I were married for eternity, which might sound like a long time to some, but it's just the beginning of all the time we'd like to spend together. We were pretty young (ok, so *I* was pretty young) then, but looking back now, it really doesn't seem all that long ago.

Now, a score and four years later, with five amazing children and a little more experience under our belts, we are loving life and finding joy in our journey. I invite you to read along as I share some of the life and times of these Huffakers!

love,

Marilyn