Camping fun!
So we went to La Bodega and then camping for my (early) birthday-- mostly it was just an excuse to go out with friends, drink, and play with fire. Two downsides to camping in early May:
1) Very cold
2) Very cold
Otherwise, it was really quite nice-- the campground was very quiet, we had a happy hour (two) beforehand full of delicious tapas and sangria and mostly participatory conversation. Then we headed up to the park, started a fire, and filled in the hours until bedtime with conversation, beer, meat cooked on sticks, fire-toasted french bread, and s'mores. Breakfast this morning found us all a bit chilly (some, unfortunately more than others!) from the 40*-ish weather during the night. I made scrambled eggs with ham, brie, and parmesan cheese, and coffee, and we had that with more cake, fruit, and leftover bread toasted with the leftover cheese. Yum. I think everyone had a pretty good time, aside from the cold. And a concern about toilets without plumbing that was shared by several of the people in our group. Wallace Park is a beautifully maintained park (if small), and most likely I will make another trip back at some point. The campsites were spacious, with nice dining set-ups, although there was an unfortunately large amount of poison ivy growing at ground level (fortunately no large, scary vines of it). Had a little spat with a Kharma-sized racoon that ended with me opting to sleep on the concrete pad that was supporting the picnic table.
Things I made:
Rainbow cake with citrus mousse filling and whipped frosting
Peppermint mocha cheesecake with gingersnap crust, Zebra Style
Fresh vanilla marshmallows and chocolate ganache for the yummiest s'mores around
Yes, I have leftovers.
A few pics to pique your interest-- more can be found on my Flickr Page:
1) Very cold
2) Very cold
Otherwise, it was really quite nice-- the campground was very quiet, we had a happy hour (two) beforehand full of delicious tapas and sangria and mostly participatory conversation. Then we headed up to the park, started a fire, and filled in the hours until bedtime with conversation, beer, meat cooked on sticks, fire-toasted french bread, and s'mores. Breakfast this morning found us all a bit chilly (some, unfortunately more than others!) from the 40*-ish weather during the night. I made scrambled eggs with ham, brie, and parmesan cheese, and coffee, and we had that with more cake, fruit, and leftover bread toasted with the leftover cheese. Yum. I think everyone had a pretty good time, aside from the cold. And a concern about toilets without plumbing that was shared by several of the people in our group. Wallace Park is a beautifully maintained park (if small), and most likely I will make another trip back at some point. The campsites were spacious, with nice dining set-ups, although there was an unfortunately large amount of poison ivy growing at ground level (fortunately no large, scary vines of it). Had a little spat with a Kharma-sized racoon that ended with me opting to sleep on the concrete pad that was supporting the picnic table.
Things I made:
Rainbow cake with citrus mousse filling and whipped frosting
Peppermint mocha cheesecake with gingersnap crust, Zebra Style
Fresh vanilla marshmallows and chocolate ganache for the yummiest s'mores around
Yes, I have leftovers.
A few pics to pique your interest-- more can be found on my Flickr Page: