Happy Trees!

I grew up watching how-to shows on PBS during the summer. We watched a lot of Bob Alexander and then Bob Ross painting shows, along with Yan Can Cook and a number of others. James and Audrey carry on the tradition, sprawled on the couch echoing Ross's running commentary about "Happy Trees" which live here or there.

We just got back from a two-day camping trip with Bob Ross-esque views:

We camped for two nights up in the Gifford Pinchot national forest with family friends and took a two hour white water rafting trip on the White Salmon River. Beautiful, beautiful place. No rafting pics to post because of the hydophobic nature of digital cameras (I've wiped out two this year, and I'm not allowed any more.) The part of the park we were in boasted an ice cave, natural bridges and huckleberries (which were just starting to ripen at the lower elevations.) This is one of the natural bridges:

There were very few pictures taken in camp due to the fact that it seemed like I was busy the entire time we were there. I do not typically cook breakfast, lunch and dinner at home---but for some reason I found myself cooking three meals a day at camp. It left me with a renewed feeling of gratitude that I was not born a pioneer woman. I had entertained fantasies of a leisurely trip with lots of time for this:

There just didn't turn out to be much time for handwork or reading, and here's the supplies for the filet bookmark I was planning to make, still in their wrappings back home. I won't complain too much though, the views were spectacular, the rafting was fun and without unfortunate incident, and we returned tired and sore, and almost on time for the soccer practice we were supposed to be running yesterday afternoon.

In preparation for the trip I had washed and vacuumed the family mini van. Next time I will skip this step, as the dirt roads in the national forest rendered it futile. Here's a parting shot of James-rendered dust graffiti:

And if you look inside you can make out some of the camping supplies that I now need to unload and put away. Fun.