Camping Chronicles

Yes, we camped for three days in the dirt.  It was dirty.  But there was a gorgeous creek.  It was freezing… well, not actually freezing with ice chunks and all, but REALLY cold.  There was sunshine the whole time… except for the clouds, which we welcomed with glad hearts… a break from the heat of the day.  This may sound a bit like whining, but we actually had a great time laughing and laughing and laughing. 

Three camp chairs, of antiquated status, were put to rest as the bearer of weight went crashing to the dusty ground.  It was comical all three times… and I was even one of them.  Currently, I’m sitting on the front of my chair for the time being.  A bit of a bruised backside.

A highlight, or lowlight as the case may be, was my son losing his retainer.  He plucked the clear plastic guard from his upper jaw right in front of my eyeballs… he was standing in between the fire pit and the picnic table.  He had a banana in the other hand.  The scene was burned into my brain. But what he did next with the clear plastic retainer remained a mystery.  He didn’t let me know that it was missing until nighttime.  Yes, we lit lanterns and donned flashlights searching for the plastic gem… to no avail.  I dreaded the phone call to let his ortho-paying father in on the news.

The next day, he and I carefully dug through the entire trash bag… removing each and every piece to a new trash bag. It was disgusting.  Really.  Half way through the bag, he told me, “If it is in here, I’m not sure I’m going to want to put it back in my mouth… ever.” We also tore apart the boy’s tent… piece by smelly piece. Nada.

An hour later, I was envisioning his teeth moving back to their previous locations… and knew we would need to get a new retainer Thursday morning right after we arrived home.  I didn’t have the ortho phone number in my cell, so I put on my brave face and called my husband.  He was not impressed with my tale of woe.   As it happened, he was in a different state, waiting for his passengers to fly home… and the ortho number was not in his phone either.  As we made small talk I was slowly wandering around one end of the campground AND I FOUND IT!  Yes, that clear plastic gem was lying in the weeds next to the clothesline.  I screamed and yelled in my joy.  Rick didn’t understand a word I said on the phone.  Eventually we all rejoiced.  The retainer was “washed” (term used completely loosely) and installed back in its rightful place…. however a bit more snug than usual after the 12 hour absence.

See, camping went jes fine.

Classic Elderly Gentlemen

My daughter and I were out about town and, oh, did we have some good laughs brought on by some GREAT old men. 

We were entering Walgreens when we noticed a line at the register of four or five people… including a heavily tattooed young woman and an elderly gentleman.  The man either needed hearing aids or simply had a booming voice… which could be heard throughout the store as he commented to the young woman, “Darlin’, you’ll grow to regret them tattoos!”  Larisa and I both burst out laughing as we made our way out of sight.  I’m sure his comment and volume made that young woman’s day!  Classic!

An hour later, we were eating In-N-Out burgers in the parking lot and a silver old-school mini van pulls in towing a light green fishing boat.  The small type of vessel that holds four people on a good day, and three elderly fishermen on a sunny day like today.  Sitting in the middle of the boat was a while plastic lawn chair…. for back support, I’m guessing??  The men slowly climbed out of the van…. VERY slowly.  These men were in their 80s at least.  The tallest of the bunch exited the van and we had the pleasure of viewing his outdoor adventure attire:  camouflage pants and a white t-shirt that said “Shut Up and Fish!” on the back.  Another burst of laughter without forewarning.  Classic!

Wilderness Survival

All photos courtesy of Barny Mo.

Yes, we camped in the great outdoors again.  That’s twice in 30 days and we have another adventure on the calendar for July. It’s almost time to start filming a reality wilderness show. Two days before our departure time my throat started getting hot and scratchy.  Not good.  Echinacea became my new best friend.  I figured I could be sick at home with no one to take care of me or sick in the woods with my family and friends.  Last time we camped at Lake Pleasant I was by myself with the kids for three full days before Rick showed up.  I would not have done that with a hot and scratchy throat.  But alas, Rickey was coming on the SAME day as me, albeit, nine hours later than the boys and I.

It’s the first time EVER that I went to bed in my tent wearing my wool socks and flannel jammies before the mandatory campground quiet time commenced.  Sadly for my non-camping times, but happily for camping moments, my air mattress is more comfortable than my bed at home.  Earplugs were inserted and a blissful night was had in the fresh creek-side air.  Mornings come early outside and breakfast was consumed by 7:00 am.  By 7:30 am I was headed back to the tent for nap #1.  Nap #2 was after lunch.  Despite my throat, continual sneezing and nose blowing, we did have a relaxing time.

Wet Beaver Creek was recently stocked with 9-12 inch rainbow trout… that were delicious!  The boys fished and fished… caught trout and crawdads… rode their bikes… hiked….. gathered fire wood…. swam…laughed and laughed…. and ate.  Then they did it all over again for two more days after that!

Austin invented an ingenious way to keep the soles of his water shoes from bunching up at his toes.  Duct tape is the BEST!

One of my favorite moments of the trip was when all the kids climbed into the back of a truck for a quick trip up the creek for a better swimming hole.

But Keeve was asked if he wanted to ride in the trailer behind the truck all by himself….. not knowing that the trailer had been unhooked from the truck.  The look on his face was priceless when the truck pulled away and there he sat with all of us cracking up.  He took it like a sport and laughed with us.  Good times.

More tomorrow with my report for the National Camping Association on Chuck, the Nazi camp host.

Damping… Camping in the Rain

 

I made that up myself.  The creativity must stem from four straight days of fresh air stimulation.  A friend called on Tuesday and asked if we wanted to go camping for the rest of the week at a lake that is only 22 miles from our house.   “YES!”  And thus brings you up to date on our week right until last night when we dumped loads and loads of campfire-smelling articles into piles in our garage.  They are still there.

Funny thing was, I checked the weather report for the week on Wednesday morning AFTER I had shopped and packed and hauled and directed.  It reported “Major thunderstorm warning!  Avoid outdoor activity!  Stay indoors!  Unplug electrical appliances!”  Does anyone really do that?

So off we went to the lake.  All seems pretty normal, well, for homeschoolers who spontaneously school at unpredictable locations.  Why not the lake?  I read somewhere that camping is nature’s way of promoting the hotel industry.  HA!  That’s true for my mother, my sister, my sister-in-law and many others, but not for me.  Camping promotes wonder and awe at God’s creation…… wonder in the dark inside a flimsy nylon tent that is your only protection from those strange noises…. and awe that Lewis and Clark did this for a living (minus the nylon tent)!  I truly feel at home in front of the Coleman stove with recently caught and be-headed fish in the cast iron frying pan.  My kids have never caught fish while camping.  So I didn’t leave openings in the meal plan for freshly drawn bass.  After my sons snagged seven scaly specimens the first day, I casually mentioned to my friend that I had never cleaned fish or lit a Coleman propane stove before.  Proudly, I can check those off my bucket list now.

The thunderstorms didn’t materialize… however it did rain three times for 27 seconds each time.  We had a daily wind gust that blew anything and everything not tied down toward the lake.  The clouds made me wish, more than once, that I had a folded copy of the Cloud Formations poster that my husband memorized in flight school.  Cumulonimbus…. uh….. stratus….. cirrus…..

Wildflowers bring joy to my heart.  God made them especially for nature lovers like me.  Pink, yellow, purple, orange… LOVE IT!

This was my first vacation ever where I actually read through every book and magazine I brought and still had a day and a half left over.  I didn’t stress about it…. I just stared at the lake.  The kids stayed busy kayaking, swimming, fishing, riding their bikes, gathering wood, building fires, playing games and laughing.  I never once heard, “Mom, there’s nothing to do!”  What an awesome week!

Weather Report from AZ

We were getting a bit concerned here in Phoenix last week when the Spring Break temperatures passed 90*F.  Yikes.  Those are not March numbers!  I tried not to think ahead to the summer of sweltering days and stuffy nights.  All five of us got sunburned in one area or another while fishing at the river.  We all put on sunscreen… but obviously not very effectively. I have distinct red triangles on the tops of my feet.  Larisa was wearing water shoes, so she is only burnt in little circles around her ankles.  Keeve put on sunscreen and then changed shirts to one with a larger neck hole… so he has a crimson necklace.  Austin’s shoulders and neck got kissed by the sun.  And I’m not sure Rick ever used sunscreen, but his skin tans so quickly, he never turned red… before the lovely bronze color emerged.

Good news appeared outside this morning on our thermometer… 55*F… oh, thank you, Jesus.  It’s actually chilly in our house.  While I read to the boys, one curled up in a blanket and the other went and changed from shorts to pants.  Yes, it’s sunny, and yes, summer is still going to burn our bare feet, but for today… it’s a lovely March crisp day outside.  It’s 1:00 now and we’ve only made it to 65*F.  Perfect outside activity weather.  LOVE THIS!

Spring Break Shakedown

OK, I just need to start by saying that I will NEVER sleep on the dirt again, as long as I have all my faculties and am conscious of where I am lying.   We left for camping yesterday.  We came home from camping today.  The timing couldn’t have been better for my aching bones.  Thankfully it was only an hour from home and the campsite was lovely.  I probably woke up 20 times last night… and every time I did I would think, “OH good!  That means I actually fell asleep for a little bit.”  I’m even a positive thinking when half conscious. 

The first time I opened my eyes and could see past my hand, I was out of that tent and off to the river to catch lunch.  Austin was right behind me and we made so much noise getting dressed, that Larisa came too.  Did we catch fish?  No.  We did catch other things.  And we know there were plenty of hungry fish in the Verde River because they taunted and teased us all day long by jumping out of the river to show us that they were there.  They even jumped within 6 feet of where I was standing… casting and reeling… casting and reeling. And in case you are planning a fishing excursion to the Verde River at Needle Rock Campground, the fish do not eat the following things on hooks:  power bait in green or pink, marshmallows, corn, bacon, potatoes, scrambled eggs, ramen noodles (hard or soft), and by the way, the little piece of red fabric tied to the lure didn’t seem to help either.

We did eat fabulous food for camping:  steak shish-kabobs with rice, jiffy pop (told you!), breakfast hash, Chinese Chicken salad and of course smores.  As usual, we came up with a famous Crosby lines from our trip. (This is a family custom, so we will always have these inside jokes about our trips together.)  This trip’s line was Keeve’s answer to “When do you want to go home?”  It was discussed that we would leave at about 6:30 or 8:30 pm after another campfire dinner and family time around the burning wood.  The kids were asked at 2:00 when they wanted to go home, meaning, 6:30 or 8:30…. Keeve’s answer:  “How ’bout 30 minutes.”  He did have fun, but was stuffed up the whole trip and then got a rash on his legs from his wet bathing suit.  :o(  Poor boy.

You want pictures????  Of course you do!

What in the world is the last picture?  You ask?  It’s the place where the midnight prowler scared the beegeebeez out of us.  We were sitting around the fire singing songs (Not Kumbaya either).  Cool songs like Islands in the Stream and some Kutless songs.  Anyway, I made everyone stop singing because I could hear something walking in the bushes.  At first my dear family mocked me and called me names like Chicken Little, Scaredy Cat and Lilly Livered.  But when the Coleman lantern lit up the weeds and they all saw them move, everyone except Rick and I was up on the picnic table in 2 seconds flat.  Rick and I chucked large rocks at the moving weeds and eventually it stopped.  But we took this picture for proof!  See how it’s all smashed down!  Proof!

My 100th Post at My Sister’s Jar

Lake Tahoe

Being the blogster that I am now, following blog etiquette, here are my 100 Things You Never Needed to Know About Me. (I tried to come up with information that would even be new to those nearest and dearest to me.)

1.  I have no Mexican dental work in my mouth. (Yeah!  We made it home safely and Rick is thrilled with his Mexican crown.)

2.  Even though I took two years of Spanish, my Spanish is extremely limited.

3.  I can count to 10 in five languages. (completely useless)

4.  I currently own 3 Spanish language learning systems… and use one regularly.

5.  I read Only When I Laugh in the past two days and was aghast when I discovered my grandfather’s name and story about him included.

6.  I consider reading therapeutic.

7.  I can sing the theme songs for the Brady Bunch, Beverly Hillbillies, and Gilligan’s Island.

8.  I don’t watch TV at home at all.  (We don’t even have it hooked up.)

9.  I loathe dusting.

10.  I abhor cleaning horizontal blinds…. which cover every window in the house.

11.  Watercolor painting is of high interest and relaxation to me.

12.  I’ve never had a manicure.

13.  I consider pedicures an Arizona necessity to avoid cracked heals.

14.  I have traveled to England.

15.  I have traveled to India…. curry lamb or curry chicken.

16.  I spent a summer in Kathmandu, Nepal… cooking for a missions team of 36.

17.  My dream vacation is to cruise the Mediterranean with extended stays in Greece.

18.  I have a list of 100 things I would like to do in my life.

19.  On my list of 100 things I would like to do in my life, only 68 are filled in.

20.  My eye color is green with gold polk-a-dots… but that doesn’t fit in the little space on my driver’s license.

21.  I have a birth mark on my left upper arm that looks like upside down bunny foo foo.

22.  Miss Potter is my favorite movie of all time. 

23.  I have watched Miss Potter at least 15 times.

24  I bought Miss Potter at Walmart the day it came out on DVD, having never seen it before.

25.  I have only owned Miss Potter for only 11 months.

26.  I have a pair of little white rhinestone-studded leather sandals on my computer desk for Zaza.

27.  I have four children, but Zaza is not home yet.  She’s waiting for us in Colombia, so she can be adopted.

28.  I met my husband on the first day of Orientation Week at Trinity Western University in BC.

29.  I was not real impressed when I met my future husband on the first day of O Week at TWU.

30.  I attended Rick’s High School Graduation with him.  (In Alberta they don’t have the ceremony until the results are back from their provincial exams…. in Sept.)

31.  I have over 100 guppies… but not for long.  VBS is next week when I give almost all of them away.

32.  I have two chickens named Olivia and either TJ or Sidney.

33.  I used to have three chickens, but we had two Rhode Island Reds and we don’t know which one died.

34.  I am not really a dog person.

35.  I have a Rat Terrier named Trixie.

36.  I am definitely NOT a cat person.

37.  I am drawn to royal blue.

38.  The colors of the sea are my favorites.

39.  When not loving blues and greens, I love hot pink.

40.  I have an Elvis bathroom in my home.

41.  I no longer have Elvis pictures that keep showing up on the walls in my bedroom.

42.  I love my husband.

43.  My husband loves me and Elvis.

44.  I painted the walls and ceiling in the Elvis bathroom red.

45.  I have a bathroom that looks like it belongs in either Graceland or a brothel.

46.  I have never been to Graceland, but I have been to Mississippi. 

47.  I lived in the lower mainland of BC for four years and never went to Vancouver Island.  (We were starving college students.)

48.  I have five male cousins.  That’s it.

49.  I grew up in West Coast suburbia in an Anglo Saxon, conservative Christian, Regan-loving-Republican, wooden spoon-spanking, fun loving home with a dad, mom, sister and brother.

50.  My teenage life of crime and mayhem consists of TPing and cruising the El Camino Real.

51.  I got a ticket for parking in a handicap spot.  $50 in 1984!

52.  I used to model for White Stag in Jantzen Beach, Oregon…. when I was five.

53.  I bought my very own purple Schwinn bicycle with a glittery purple banana seat with my paychecks from modeling.

54.  I take any opportunity to go fishing.

55.  I was flown into a fishing lodge at Margaret Lake, Alberta and fished with the chiefs of the surrounding Native reserves.

56.  I caught 6 or 7 large pike at Margaret Lake.

57.  I was the only one who caught any fish when I fished with the Indian Chiefs.

58.  My husband gave away all but one of my fish that I caught at Margaret Lake.

59.  I was left sitting on a gas drum at a dirt airstrip on a remote Native Reserve, Fox Lake, one summer evening.

60.  My husband tells me that he will never again leave me sitting alone on a gas drum on any remote Indian reserve.

61.  I have been to a tree stand designed to attract bear.

62.  I don’t appreciate tree stands.

63.  I have been a Christian for 37 years.

64.  I accepted Jesus as my savior by my bedside with my mom.

65.  I believe all US teenagers would benefit from going on a missions trip to a third world country.

66. I can usually sing a song about any word that my kids come up with.

67.  I have straight hair that is the envy of the 14 year old girls at our church who use straighteners daily.

68.  I teach my kids at home… we plan to homeschool through college.  (heh heh heh).

69.  I LOVE summer break.

70.  I had plastic surgery on my upper lip to repair a scar.

71.  I never had braces.

72.  My mouth is full of porcelain crowns… made in the USA.

73.  I have eaten chocolate covered ants… crunchy and chocolatey all in one.

74.  I have eaten ox tail soup… it was good if I kept my eyes closed.

75.  I could never be on survivor. 

76.  I’m wimpy.  Strange things make me gag… like stinky shoes, or a hair in the sink while I’m brushing my teeth.

77.  Believe it or not, I ran faster than my kids in a timed race at a rest stop three years ago (and won $5) I feel a rematch coming on.

78.  I don’t bet.

79.  I will never have a tattoo, or dreadlocks or piercings other than ONE hole in each ear.

80. I will never go bungy jumping, or sky diving, or cliff diving.  Remember, I’m wimpy.

81.  I’m not a thrill seeker, unless you include finding a sweet antique on sale from an un-educated garage sale giver.

82.  I collect Precious Moments nativity pieces.

83.  I am addicted to Diet Pepsi.  A half filled chilled can sits in front of me.

84.  I’m eyeing the corner of the backyard for a raised bed vegetable garden.

85.  I’m completely overwhelmed by the thought of digging and running the plumbing to the corner of the backyard for the raised bed vegetable garden.

86.  Sunflowers make me happy.

87.  I use my dictionary and thesaurus regularly.

88.  I am a card-carrying Coupon $ense gal who cut her grocery bill by 50% in 4 months.  Wooo Hooo.

89.  I taught Special Education, which prepared me for marriage and mothering in many ways.

90.  I’m the mother of the fastest 10 year old hockey skater in the nation.  And proud of it.

91.  I’m sad that my daughter doesn’t wear ruffles and lace anymore.

92.  I’m excited to bring Zaza home and introduce her to ruffles and lace.

93.  I’m still looking for the perfect bedding for Zaza’s yellow room and purple bed.

94.  I absolutely LOVE going to Lake Tahoe every summer.  It’s the BEST!  47 days until we go to Tahoe.

95.  I think God did a great job with the creation deal… lakes, trees, birds, flowers, pinecones, especially flowers, rivers…

96.  Scrapbooking is my game.  Tonight is scrap night at Darla’s house.  I’m there.

97.  I have my original wedding band from 21 years ago.

98.  I have my original husband from 21 years ago.  While in Mexico this week, a street vendor asked me what I was looking for.  I said, “My husband.”  He said, “Jus’ get a new one.”  No way.  21 years of training!  Hello!!!!

99.  I wish I lived somewhere that was always between 70 and 85 degrees, with a stream close by, a large English garden, a green house, vegetable garden and towering trees surrounding my Victorian home in the country.

100.  Roadtrips make my travel-loving heart pound in glory.

www.LindaCrosby.com

?#2 from My Sister’s Jar – Manly Attributes

What attributes do you possess that are unique to you as a woman/man?

So the question is really asking, “What manly traits do I have that most women don’t have?”  Sheesh – say what you mean, for Pete’s sake.

Well, I love to fish.  I know a few other gals that do too – but not many.  There’s just something about standing on the bank of a river and casting over and over and over again.  It’s soothing…. serene…. catatonic.

The first time Rick took me fishing was in Hope, BC where we used to camp.  The first day I fished for probably 8 or 9 hours… and I even caught 1 or 2 fish!  Of course, I won’t touch the slimy beasts – so I scream for Rick to come and de-hook the prize… so I could catch another… bigger… better… supper.

Math.  I love math… hence my sudoku addiction.  Math and numbers are straight up.  There’s no “almost right” answer.  It’s right or wrong.  It’s exact and I could figure it out.

Navigation.  Say “road trip” and I salivate.  A trip to AAA to get free maps is far superior to a trip to Victoria’s Secret… much to Rick’s dismay.  I usually navigate our road trips, a trait I inherited young.  I remember requesting the AAA trip-tik books, as a kid; following the yellow line from page to page…. delicious!