DadTalk

The Joy of Camping

I have met a lot of people over the years who don’t like to camp. I often hear. “I have to have a roof over and a pillow under my head.” Some simply say, “Yuck.”

I am fortunate that my kids not only think camping is fun, they can’t wait to go again. Sure, it’s a lot of work, but to me, the rewards are worth the hassle.

In the top photo, the kids wrestle on our air mattress in the tent. Our kids play with a dog on the beach trail in the second (on the jump.) In the third, the kids explore a sandstone wall. In the bottom photo, my wife Anne hugs the kids in front of the campfire as the sun sets behind them.

Pelican, Flower and Pressed Sand

While I’ve gotten close to seagulls and pigeons over the year, I couldn’t believe my luck when this pelican allowed me to get within a couple feet of it on the San Clemente Pier. Sadly, I had my slow point and shoot rather than my SLR, but I can’t complain over the results.

Fun at the Beach

While the sun was slow to peek out during our camping trip at San Clemente State Beach, the kids really didn’t mind the grayness once it started to warm up. (The one day it rained on the beach, our shivering kids were NOT happy.)

We played the usual games of being chased by the surf, trying to grab rocks when the tide pulled back and building sand forts. The larger fort, which was decorated with our hard-earned rocks, lasted a long time before the tide came in.

On the last full day, I went on a long walk past Trestles, the famous surf beach. When I came back, Seth had figured out how to find sand crabs. Before long we had a large group of kids playing catch and release.

The Nesting Instinct

My kids are getting very good at keeping themselves busy – probably to avoid being henpecked – when we go camping. While mom slept and the rooster worked on food or some other task, the kids decided to build a bird’s nest.

I was so impressed with the result, I took the last three eggs out of the cooler and took a few photos. I’m also glad the kids are learning how to crack a yolk. (By the way, the kids say the egg came before the chicken.)

Cool Trees to Climb On

Arizona decidedly is not the best place to climb trees. Weak limbs and sharp thorns are not the best combination. The campground we chose has one of the finest collection of wind-swept climbing trees I have ever seen.

The trees also kept the campground cool in the heat and the ground dry in the rain.

Climbing the Walls

Although the ocean is the prime attraction at San Clemente State Beach, gray skies led to more walks and climbing during this trip. Seth and Lael just couldn’t pass up on the slot canyons, sandstone formations and treacherous stairs leading up to private residences.

Beach Camping With the Family

Well, I’m still married. That’s what I tell friends when they ask how went our big camping trip at San Clemente State Beach. You see, it’s the first time my wife ever slept outdoors in a tent with me (and the kids.)

Of course, I worked hard to make sure everything was in my favor:

• Running toilets
• Reasonably warm showers
• Big, new tent
• Cozy king-sized sleeping bag
• Ocean view
• Nearby city
• Lots and lots of good camp food
• Chocolate for all
• Lots and lots of marshmallows
• Lots to do

Perhaps my biggest failing? I forgot the wine. But, that’s why we had the city nearby. Trader Joe’s was about 3 miles away. Wine problem solved.

Actually, the biggest threat was two and a half days of nighttime rain. My wife was ready to bag it at one point, but I said, “It will clear up.”

Fortunately, it did and we ended the trip with two gorgeous days.

There are too many photos to show at once, so I’m going to spread them out over a couple days.

Hope you like.

Pumpkin Fun

As a volunteer at Lael’s school, I get to experience centers, which are various art, project and reading stations for the kids. As you can see by the pictures, the theme this day was Halloween.

My Kids Are a Sorry Bunch

Presents evolve as your kids age. For us, 7 seemed to be the magic birthday where Seth was more than ready for board games.

Seth was already into Battleship, Backgammon and Monopoly, but we were decidedly lacking other traditional games at home. So one of Seth’s birthday presents was Sorry!

While we knew Seth would love the game, we were surprised at how much Lael got into it. She’d set up the board, calling out, “Daddy! Seth! I’m ready to play Sorry!” Oh, and she decided which colors we’d each get.

Keep in mind, Lael is not quite 4 and doesn’t fully understand the game. Lael can actually count to 20, but there is some funky wrist motion going on when she moves her piece: a 3 card might result in 15 spaces and a 12 card might result in 2 spaces.

Of course, the real reason Lael loves the game is to force us to spend more time with her. Smart girl.

Space Birthday Party

My son, who is now 7, is pretty big on birthday themes. This year was all about space, as you can see by the birthday cake.

We held the party at our community park, which comes complete with water sprinklers, pool, open field, gym toys and park benches.

For the first time since we started throwing birthday parties, little parenting was needed. The kids ran from the sprinklers to the playground equipment to the field, where they launched Stomp Rockets.

After grilled hot dogs and chips, the kids did some arts and crafts arranged by my wife. The entire birthday was a pleasure from start to finish.