First camp out this season

Friday afternoon saw us away from our hot, steamy and fly-ridden apartment to traveling on highway 1 at 70 km/h. Vacation traffic was super painful.

But we definitely enjoyed a relaxing and hilarious weekend up at Cultus lake. By chance, our group selected that place again as we were there almost exactly one year ago!

There really is something being out in nature. I just LOVE provincial campgrounds because they're almost always nestled amidst big ol' trees. The trees shade and protect. Their canopy really makes you feel like you're sheltered. Someone (can anyone tell me who) once described a forest as a natural cathedral. One can't help but see and experience God in these natural places. Creation praises God. And it certainly does its job well! It needs no words to do it. I wish I had a forest...

And because it does its job so well, it knits us a little closer to what we should be. Brad remarked that even though he didn't sleep many hours and the ones he managed were not altogether comfortable, he woke up shortly after sunrise feeling relaxed and refreshed despite the lack. Hmm... so that's what living in the open is like; that's what living really is like!

Teaser pics. The rest of the pictures are linked on the right under picture collections. Oh, and I jacked these from my sister. That's why they're ginormous...

We brought 3 tents: a 5 person (as shown), a 7 person, and an 8 person. We had this wonderful plan worked out that M&M would sleep in their own tent (as shown above), Brad+me & helen would sleep in the tent with the room divider, and the boys in another. The tent with the divider didn't have poles packed. Soooo... we had to squeeze all the boys into the 7 person tent, and the girls enjoyed a roomy and fancy tent (above).

I was wondering if I was going to give everyone salmonella poisoning. I discovered that my raw marinating chicken was spitting sauce over everything. Salmonella is my arch-nemesis, my nightmare, my paranoia.

A lovely evening. Again, one can sense the spirituality in this scene. It bears His mark.

And the lovely dusk gave way to a perfect, sunny, beach morning! That beautiful sun to my left still leaves its sting!... ouchie!

Night time drop-in visitors! Literally, they fall from the trees. This was the second one that landed on my sister. I saved it from certain fiery death. Look: it only has legs on the front and back. That's why it has to curve it's body to inch along. Fascinating!

Check out the rest of our chillaxing weekend by following the picture collections' link!!

And now, for sleep...

g'nite!