Last trip of the season
We were finally able to get up to Wagner Lake the weekend before last. It's a fantastic little rustic campground just an hour and a half north of us, with a 26 acre lake that is perfect for swimming (except for this year, which I'll explain in a minute). We all (including my mom) headed up after Keith got off work and found when we got there that our favorite spot, with a wonderful view of the lake, a large field for the girls to play in and only a short walk to the beach, was available. We got camp set up in no time, made a quick dinner of the premade macaroni salad we brought then set out with the girls for a swim (they did the swimming; we wimped out and just watched from the beach) before making a fire and cooking up s'mores.
Saturday was spent mostly napping and playing games in the trailer, as an intense thunderstorm rolled in a little after noon and didn't let up until close to 4:00. We were able to fit in a campfire with the wood we had wisely stored in the back of the vehicle, and Keith told his last installment of "The adventures of Tommy Two-Toes," a story he came up with last summer and continued through this year, all about interesting characters such as Tommy Two-Toes the cat and Slim-whiskered Slim the rat and Cracked-hoof Hank the horse. Oh, and I can't fail to mention Limp Lucy, the parrot who was raised by Peruvian bats and had never learned to sit upright on her perch. There's nothing like a fireside story about Chicago gansters to put your kids to sleep. Keith really is a wonderful storyteller.
We found out Sunday morning, when we took the girls down to the lake again for their promised "last swim" that the swans we had noticed from afar Friday night were a family -- mom, dad and three cygnets. They had taken up temporary residence near the swimming beach and the girls got an up close look at how large the birds really are. The largest adult was taller than Elise! You can imagine, with that much body mass, how much these birds crap. Well, we found out after the girls swam. I had to put into action the trusty remedy of using diluted bleach water to kill the parasites that had burrowed into the girls' skin and had turned into swimmer's itch. As much as I loved seeing the swans, I am more than half-hoping they won't be making their home there again next summer.
Here are some pictures from the trip:
Saturday was spent mostly napping and playing games in the trailer, as an intense thunderstorm rolled in a little after noon and didn't let up until close to 4:00. We were able to fit in a campfire with the wood we had wisely stored in the back of the vehicle, and Keith told his last installment of "The adventures of Tommy Two-Toes," a story he came up with last summer and continued through this year, all about interesting characters such as Tommy Two-Toes the cat and Slim-whiskered Slim the rat and Cracked-hoof Hank the horse. Oh, and I can't fail to mention Limp Lucy, the parrot who was raised by Peruvian bats and had never learned to sit upright on her perch. There's nothing like a fireside story about Chicago gansters to put your kids to sleep. Keith really is a wonderful storyteller.
We found out Sunday morning, when we took the girls down to the lake again for their promised "last swim" that the swans we had noticed from afar Friday night were a family -- mom, dad and three cygnets. They had taken up temporary residence near the swimming beach and the girls got an up close look at how large the birds really are. The largest adult was taller than Elise! You can imagine, with that much body mass, how much these birds crap. Well, we found out after the girls swam. I had to put into action the trusty remedy of using diluted bleach water to kill the parasites that had burrowed into the girls' skin and had turned into swimmer's itch. As much as I loved seeing the swans, I am more than half-hoping they won't be making their home there again next summer.
Here are some pictures from the trip: