This is Why We Go Camping

We went camping up in the Poconos this weekend.  It's our favorite area to camp in - lots of little family-friendly campgrounds, a variety of things to do, and usually cool and pleasant.

JC stayed home, by himself, for the first time.  He had plans with friends, and also? Doesn't particularly fit in the trailer anymore.  There are 4 bunks in the "bunkhouse".  He is too heavy for the top bunks and too long for the bottom bunks.  And he declined our offer of a private tent.  However, he did have the excitement of a severe thunderstorm the evening after we left.  Torrential rain, high winds, and the next-door neighbors lost a major tree.  Fun times!  We came home to a large branch balancing on the power lines, but John was able to cut it off.

 Back to the trip. We drove through the rain and had a completely dry weekend. Made pancakes and bacon,went to a local flea market, hung out at the pool some, and did a fair amount of this.

We acquired a new accessory for our trailer - a Jiffy Pop extended handle!  Allows you to safely use your Jiffy Pop with a campfire.  Worked great.

And my favorite part of the whole weekend?  Rachel decided that William should read Peter and the Starcatchers, by Dave Barry (yes, THAT Dave Barry) and Ridley Pearson.  It's a pretty rip-snorting adventure, perfect for adventure-minded kids, but William was resistant.  So she offered to read it to him.  This was around the campfire Saturday evening.  They had started that morning in the car on the way to the flea market, and every moment in the car since.  And a session in the afternoon.  Not too long after this picture, Rachel decided her throat was getting sore, so I read for a while.

And now that William is finishing the book by himself, John and I may have to borrow it so WE can finish.