We spent the weekend camping in Hocking Hills, Ohio and weren't really sure how the kids would like it. But, we grew up on camping and camped a fair amount while dating and thought the kids were getting old enough to enjoy it. Well, we were right! Here they are looking at the stars, lanterns in hand, after a spirited game of firefly hunting.
And wet wood and rain deterred the actual campfire until the second night, so we tried S'mores on the camp stove. Not a terrible substitute, but definitely not the real thing. Jackie loved his!
And, Jack loved kickin' back in these big campfire chairs. 
So, we rented a boat for the lake, Nora fell between slats in the dock and bruised her leg pretty bad, but was a trooper. We spent an hour in the tent during a wicked thunderstorm, then went splashing in muddy puddles. Geoff told spooooky stories as Eleanor requested; Jack got scared, then into it. Wendy discovered that a "green campsite" is a good idea in theory, but a horrible sleeping situation when the ground cover is mulch and the air mattress has a hole.
It was a great success for a first go at camping as a family. We hope the kids grow up to love the outdoors and take advantage of the great national, state, and metro parks we have here in Ohio. And, something to look forward to....a woman stopped me in the bathroom and said, "We took our kids when they were their (Jack & Nora's) age. They don't remember it, so now we are back with them as teenagers doing it all again. It is even more fun!"
That is hard to imagine, but good to know.
So, what's in store next? It's ComFest Weekend!
So, we rented a boat for the lake, Nora fell between slats in the dock and bruised her leg pretty bad, but was a trooper. We spent an hour in the tent during a wicked thunderstorm, then went splashing in muddy puddles. Geoff told spooooky stories as Eleanor requested; Jack got scared, then into it. Wendy discovered that a "green campsite" is a good idea in theory, but a horrible sleeping situation when the ground cover is mulch and the air mattress has a hole.It was a great success for a first go at camping as a family. We hope the kids grow up to love the outdoors and take advantage of the great national, state, and metro parks we have here in Ohio. And, something to look forward to....a woman stopped me in the bathroom and said, "We took our kids when they were their (Jack & Nora's) age. They don't remember it, so now we are back with them as teenagers doing it all again. It is even more fun!"
That is hard to imagine, but good to know.
So, what's in store next? It's ComFest Weekend!
