JULY IS HOT!

     The beginning of July was the start of a week of vacation and many of those days were spent enjoying camp.  Just before my time off ended, three families converged and spent several days in a row cooking at camp.  Yes, we cooked food, but the reference was a literal one to the fact that we "cooked" at camp!  With the days being so hot and muggy, naturally we were destined to relocate off the top of our mountain and into the cooler air and waters of the valley below.  Everyone who was brave enough to dip into the spring fed water of the city center's creek was treated to a complete and instant drop in body temperature.  You know that feeling when it is so hot outside that you wish for a cool pool to jump into, but it is almost painful to finally take the plunge?  Once we transitioned past the horrible shock of just how hot we were and how cold the water was, it actually was quite enjoyable!  That initial shock was something else though!  


     The kids and I discovered a new activity beyond catching crayfish, tossing the football, chasing minnows, wrestling, throwing rocks at buoys and marveling at all the dragon flies.  Nick and I noticed a group congregating under a nearby bridge upstream from the beach.  They were having a lot of fun riding the current down a chute carved into the rapids of some fairly shallow water.  Once we got the hang of how to position our bodies and arms so as to not grind over the gravel and bump the rocks, cruising the funneled stream of water and gliding at a rapid pace for a fifty foot stretch was really fun.  The concrete archway of the bridge above also forced the acceleration of what little breeze we had and did an excellent job of keeping us quite cool.   At the end of the "water slide" the depth transitioned to who knows how deep.  I tried a couple times to descend down and test the depth.  The water surface cleared the end of my fingertips on outstretched arms without my toes hitting bottom.  To be honest, I didn't really have the courage to try to really dive deep.  The temperature change and murkiness was too spooky for me!


     Back at camp, as is always the case, we ate like Kings & Queens.  Although it remained quite hot until late into the evening,  I manned the helm of the new BBQ grill.  Which, by the way, cooks extremely well...or was that because we started at nearly 100 degrees without the propane on?!  In any case, we ate and drank to our hearts were filled with content.   The spread that Jennifer packed and prepared will continue to go unmatched for eternity!  Much of the food and left overs stayed fresh because of the use of my neighbor's fridge.  A G_d-send considering the environment!  Floatman provided bags of jello shots which made a half dozen rounds and yet supplies still weren't exhausted.  Some of us partied to the point of passing out, but I don't really remember who the guilty person(s) were at this point!


     Everything about the 3 day camp out was great and flew by too fast.  If we could have been spared from the excessive heat, it would have been perfect!

     Fast forward to the following weekend, this past weekend, and we're packed and ready to spend Sunday, Monday and part of Tuesday as a family this time at camp.  Sunday evening was spent star gazing and what a treat we were blessed to behold.  Jen and I witnessed many shooting stars, some were surprising long and bright streaks across the midnight sky.  Tired from the drive and setting up camp, I was content on relaxing by the fire.  That is until the flashes in the sky and rumblings across the next ridge over began.  In the distance we began to hear the faint sound of wind rustling leaves, however...it was actually the sound of rain pouring down upon the forest vegetation.  We scrambled to store the folding chairs into the shed to keep them dry.  We had made it into the camper just in time because as we closed the door behind us, it rained something fierce.  The droplets fell so hard that you couldn't make them out anymore, it just sound like water pouring across camp and it was LOUD!  When we awoke the next day, there was a little puddling here and there, but for the most part with the property being so dry to begin with...the flood was sucked up and gone!  


     Monday was a beautiful day, again spent at the local beach and at night, when it was cooler, at camp.  I busied myself with a new project and readied the area closest to the downhill side of the shed for the eventual construction of trout camp's shower house / restroom facility.   The video I've included will show you the how, what and where.  Keep in mind, because I didn't make mention, that the elevated base of the shower will be quite a bit larger than the square piece of OSB that is included in the footage I shot.    Monday night, Jen turned in at 12:30AM and I headed over to my neighbor's campfire.  Let's just say, we burned a lot of wood, emptied a case of beer between the four of us and my head didn't hit the pillow in our camper until 4AM!  This made getting up and retrieving a water sample on a new spring by 9AM almost impossible.  I guess we'll find out next time whether the water is good enough to drink or not!?  Tuesday turned out to be unbearably hot by 11am and it was scheduled to get even hotter by mid day.  Instead of sticking around, we headed into town to grab a bite to eat and then zoomed home so that we could hit our city pool in the evening.  


     Overall, we had a great time.  The family is beginning to realize what jobs work for who and thus the burden of setting up and breaking down camp has been greatly reduced.  We've got it reduced to a little over and hour and I'm sure as time goes by it'll only get quicker.  


     I'm hoping the next couple posts will detail the construction of the shower house.  I'm also hoping to get in some footage of some excursions to scenic areas in the area.  It is tough though because I never want to hold the camera and film when I could be enjoying the moment and be involved with the activity happening on the other side of the lens...