Class At The Lake

 I was sure that the last time we packed up and went home from the lake it was going to be a final goodbye to summer swimming and late nights in front of the campfire but the warm weather beckoned us to come out and play again and who were we to say no *grin*.

 The forecast was for non stop sun so we quickly packed all our clothing and as much food as we could find in the fridge and raced out to the lake in hopes of finding a spot right on the beach. I think a few of the older campers were a little confused though to see our three children tumble out of the backseat when we hit the campsite. 

Public school had already started a week before but the freedom of homeschooling blesses us with the opportunities to travel whenever and wherever the wind may blow us :) That's not to say that we weren't doing any learning while we were away though! Our oldest son is in grade 8 this fall so we packed along his core subjects and the two of us worked on his lessons as the water lapped towards our toes and the wind ruffled our hair.

 Being surrounded by nature gave us ample opportunity to study science through observation and discussion as we explored the parts of dragonflies found floating in the lake....

studied the quirky habits of the squirrels all around us as we watched them chatter, play, and gather seeds they stuffed into the hollow holes they had made in the cedar trees.

 We made a little art in the form of posters notifying the squirrels just where to find the tasty pinecones we had collected for them...

 and collected specimens that the children begged to bring home. I'm not sure that a crayfish would make a very good pet though and had to gracefully decline the invitation to add him to our family LOL.

 Since I wouldn't allow Mr. Crayfish to come home with us he was turned into a scary sea monster that needed guarding by the hoards of playmobil men that seem to travel with us everywhere. That was until he escaped :)

 The days were so warm that the children spent most of their days in the lake swimming and playing and even Hubby braved the water and joined in with the splashing and jumping off of the swim dock.

 We discovered a trail to the most amazing hidden lagoon while exploring to. A perfect spot for swimming and jumping in off the rocks.

 And the water was the most amazing color of green as it sparkled in the warm sunlight :)

 A perfect week of both school work and play.

 Hugs,

Rosina

Summer Days

 The lazy days of summer are winding down and I'm looking forward to transitioning back into our regular rhythm and picking up our school books again :)

We have packed our days full of camping, exploring, playing and enjoying the special moments that summer provides with nights spent on the beach in our cozy camper, collecting buckets full of shells and other treasures that I know we'll find a use for somehow, watching little ones fall asleep in front of the campfire and become brave little swimmers at the lake, trips to the aquarium and special dinosaur exhibits, watching our baby calves grow and making wishes on every dandelion gone to seed in sight.

I think we made good use of our days *grin*.

Hugs,

Rosina

Summer Beach Bums

So where have we been hiding?

Why at the beach of course with nature as our personal playground :)

We've been to a couple of different lakes but I just love being near the ocean and I definitely wasn't disappointed when we found a spot right along the beach.

 

 We enjoyed sunshine and welcomed the cloudy days to recover from the heat..

played with giant bull kelp...

swam in the ocean while tug boats, barges and fishing boats chugged by...

 

scrounged under the rocks at low tide catching crabs and seeing who was brave enough to hold the big ones that threatened to pink our fingers...

dug for clams...

 

watched the cruise ships float by each evening and slept so deeply after each day of play to the lapping sound of the ocean with the rise and fall of the tides :)

Oh how we are counting the days until Hubby comes home from work again and we can do it all over again *grin*.

How is your summer going? What makes you smile during the summer months?

Hugs,

Rosina

Once Was Not Enough!

Well we're at it again!
Right after I shared with you photos of our trip to Loveland Bay we ran out the door to do some more camping *grin*. We made the quick pit stop home to do some laundry, shower, download the photos and off we went to another forestry campground :)

This time we made our way out to Pye Lake. It's another hidden spot about thirty minutes off road. This stretch on the logging road out to the lake winds along a rock cliff and a very steep drop off into the lake waaay below. To make it a little on the scary side it is barely wide enough for two vehicles to pass side by side let alone two truck and trailers like ours.

Unfortunately for us we met someone on it on our way home and as I looked out the passenger window and couldn't see the shoulder of the road below I was wishing desperately that I was on the rocky side rather than the cliff side *grin*.



When we arrived at the lake we couldn't believe our luck! The best spot right in front of the beach was open and there was only one other camper there. We thought for sure it was going to be busier with the long weekend going on :)

The good weather was still with us and the sun was shining good and hot so the kids got to head down to the beach for some fun.

I love this spot. There is a really nice sandy beach and it is shallow for a long way so you can wander out into the lake and not worry about any drop offs unlike some of the other spots we camp at. It definitely puts any mama worries to rest!

K found the water guns in the toy bag and a full on water fight began :)

They must have played in the water for most of the afternoon which was lucky for them as the weather turned the next day and we got a mix of cloud, wind and rainy drizzle. Not enough to make us want to go home but enough to keep them out of the water for the rest of our trip.

It has been like a mini holiday!

One whole week camping, hanging out with friends, playing in the lakes and yummy barbecued dinners, breakfasts & lunches *grin*. I don't know what day summer officially starts but I think it's happening here :)

Hugs,
Rosina

First Camping Trip of the Season

We finally got to go on our very first camping trip of the year :)
One of my good friends that we get together with quite a bit also homeschools so we thought it would be great if we could arrange to go camping together just before the long weekend this week.

So Hubby asked for a few days off about a month ago and on Monday we packed up, hooked on our travel trailer and hit the back roads. One of the perks to homeschooling is camping during the week! Gotta love getting a great campsite while everyone else is working or in school *grin*.

It must have been just about dinner time by the time we made it out to our destination, Loveland Bay. The sun was starting to set behind the mountains and we took a few laps around the campground trying to decide which spots would be the best for us. Originally we thought one of the double sites would be great but by the time we pulled our trailer in beside one of the picnic tables we realized that our friend's trailer and awning would then be right behind the backside of ours and they wouldn't have access to their picnic table because of how they have those sites set up with the tables around the perimeter. So out we pulled again and settled on two single sites side by side :) We had never been here before and since we had never camped with them before we wanted to make sure that we got a spot that they would be able to enjoy just as much as us. Plus we went a day before they were due to arrive so we had to make all of the decisions on our own :)

The kids were so excited when they could finally bail out of the truck and the first place they raced off to was the water. The wind was blowing and it was cloudy so they looked on from the water's edge hoping that maybe the next day it would be nice enough to venture in!

Oh was it nice to sit around the blazing campfire when the sun went down. Normally we head north for our first trip and it is so cold that you nearly want to sit on the fire to keep warm so this was a nice change... chilly but enjoyable with the toasty warmth :)

To our surprise the next morning was sunny and every morning after that!!

This was the view that greeted my each morning as I dragged my chair to the beach where I could sip my coffee and read a book :)

When the other children arrived on Tuesday the fun really began for the kids and the boys started making a raft.

Even though the water was chilly no one could keep out. Check out the socks! LOL

There were a few trial versions of the raft and finally they had one that they could both stand on and it didn't sink or fall apart *grin*.

Of course every raft has to have a flag so an old pair of skivvies were found and proudly hoisted up on the stick LOL. Oh my goodness was it funny to watch them!

Our friends had brought along a canoe and the youngest two couldn't get enough of it. Her husband was so great about it and took them around the lake quite a few times and I think we're definitely going to have to get one :)



It was a great week with good friends, good food and good times :) We're definitely going to have to do this again!

Happy Weekend!
Rosina