My SIL has a house in the woods in Berkley Springs WV. A un-air conditioned house! It was hot during the day but it did cool down at night. The community has a pool so we went there during the day on Saturdays.
I don’t like trying to sleep in the heat and I don’t like all the bugs and I don’t like to camp (give me a Four Seasons Hotel at the beach anytime). So we don’t go there to often. This was one of those humor the wife trips – which isn’t a bad thing. It’s just that Sam is one of 9 kids so they went camping a lot for vacations. And since I’m an only child (well I do have a brother and sister) we vacationed at beaches in nice houses or condominiums that had AIR CONDITIONING. The house did have electricity and indoor plumbing so it wasn’t like we were really roughing it but it was close enough for this spoiled suburb-boy.
I think everyone actually had an ok time. Well a few of the teens grumbled about the lack of cell-phone service, no Internet and no TV. But other than that they survived.
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The little boys (6, 8, 10) had a blast because I brought 3 BB guns which they never get to use at home. The gun-nazi won’t let them. They went through 4,000 BB’s! And nobody shot their eye out. When we first got there and got the guns out, Dominic (6) says “let’s throw the bullets in the campfire and see what happens”. Um, Dominic, they aren’t bullets and if they were its probably not a good idea to throw them in the fire, at least when your mom is around.
We also roasted marshmallows and made Smores, shot off fireworks, cooked out, some of the boys slept in a tent…I took a nice bed thank you very much, and we played games.
Around 2pm Sunday on the way home, around 90 miles from home the Van broke-down. So there we are sitting on the side of the interstate in the heat with all the kids. Good times! I called AAA and Sam called friends of ours that live about 20 minutes from where we were stuck. They said we could borrow their big van; they have 9 kids (slackers). So after about 45 minutes the tow-truck and the loaner van showed up and we were able to get on the road again. Thank God for fellow large families.
I think the timing chain went on the van, waiting for the garage to call. This is especially fun since we just spent almost $1000 on this vehicle 2 weeks ago…
So on top of the $100 we spent on gas to get there and back, we are going to have a fat repair bill and then tomorrow we get to drive the borrowed van back to our friends and pick up our van.
update - Sam drove back to the scene of the crime and picked up the van, $493, ignition coil and a tune up...
Here are some pictures from the weekend.
Open your eyes and you might actually hit something
Which way did he go?
Nothing is safe around these guys
Got to start them young
Is my marshmallow done yet?
Princess don't work
Family Game Night
Stranded
8 comments:
My wife keeps trying to get me to go camping, and I do it every now and again. I think I am allergic to sleeping in a hot tent myself, but some sacrifices do have to be made.
Cute pictures - I have one of those princesses too. :)
Welcome back!
Don't you wish you could have spent that car money on a nice hotel (just kidding).
Think about the memories ... good or bad, they are now engrained in your mind.
I bet most of us have great memories from our childhood that our parents would shudder at ... wishing to forget.
I really love camping, but after the last time--never again without an air mattress. I could hardly get up off the ground.
BTW, I seriously HATE BB Guns. Guns are guns, and BB guns send the wrong message, IMHO. OK, it's not really mine, I learned it from my Dad. I learned to shoot with a rifle (0.22) when I was 5 years old. Guns are not toys, guns are only good for killing and breaking things. Never point a gun at anything or anyone that you are not willing to see die Right. Now. There is No. Such. Thing. as an unloaded GUN. There, now I have given you my father's wisdom. (My father was born in 1910, and lived his youth on the great plains; joined the Army on Dec 8, 1941 and was disabled by a war wound. Life, death and guns were never fun or toys to him.) We were taught about weapons from a very early age, and my brother and I feel very strongly about them. We're both good shots and no one has yet died from a gun that either of us owns. I know that others have different attitudes, but I've seen too many stories about people dying from "unloaded" weapons to take this lightly.
BTW, I have NO opinion about the bicycling races. Sorry. I'll be observing the US Open Series (tennis) until the actual US Open.
mary margaret needs to chill...
donk, you could be right! I shall try to chill out--I know that my opinions regarding guns are rather extreme, and other parents have the right to raise their children according to their own opinions.
Hey, if you think I'm uptight about this subject, you should have met my Dad (may he rest in peace)! He wouldn't even allow us to point cap pistols at one another. He did allow us to shoot one another with water pistols, but I don't think he really cared for it. Don't know where you live, but I'm in KS where guns are pretty much a part of life--and every year, some idiot gets shot with an "unloaded" gun (frequently his/her own, fired by him/herself--accidentally)!
MM - FWIW i did a gun saftey course with the 3 little boys before I let them shoot. This was their first time being allowed to use them. And I stressed the importance of treating every gun, even one that is safed and unloaded, as if it was ready to fire. they had to point the guns down 'range' at all times and couldn't goof around with them.
every once and awhile i'd have to read them the riot act if they messed up. i think they got the point.
my wife won't let any guns in the house (we call her the Anti-Gun Nazi). the bb guns stay at my moms until we want to use them and my shotgun and rifle are lokced up in my dad's gun cabinet.
Rob, I apologize if I came across as criticizing how you teach your children about guns. I am glad that you are training them before they are allowed to shoot.
I strongly suggest that you teach them that there is no such thing as an unloaded gun--whether their own or others. It just avoids stupid accidents. BTW, our guns--shotguns and rifles--were never locked away. My brother and I learned, at a very early age, that guns were not toys and were not to be touched unless our father (mom did not handle firearms) gave us direct permission. We weren't always the most obedient kids, but we knew that gun rules could never be broken.
Teach your kids (boys and girls) about proper handling of firearms and they will not be killed by them accidentally. Best of luck to you and Sam as you raise your kids. Please pray for me as I try to discern what to do as my youngest leaves home. I think I know what I WANT, but I need prayer as I decide what I SHOULD do. Thanks,
Mary Margaret (sometimes TG)
MM/TG - no apologies needed. I took no offense
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