Showing posts with label camping. Show all posts
Showing posts with label camping. Show all posts

Tuesday, September 27

To camp or not to camp..

That is the question.

So, Michael's workplace (as a further example of WTF are they DOING) realized Person X was back from paternity leave in time to cover this weekend.
YAY! Camping!
Of course the weather forecast changed..the camping gods like to mess with my head.
  Instead of 65 and sunny both days, we have 50-53 during the day and mid 30s at night.. and a 30% chance of showers.
Now, we camped 2 weeks ago with a 30% chance and nothin'. Cloudy and chilly but gorgeous.
Last year's Camp Hell was a 30% chance of rain.  We nearly drowned IN the tent.

Does it make me an Outdoor Pansy Ass if I don't want to get rained on and freeze my buns off?
I tease one of my friends about being an Outdoor Pansy Ass..she hates Outside unless it's a certain temp/humidity/cloud coverage.
Heathypooh, I love you..but you know you're an OPA.


No Pig again today..but the deer were out in force.  I missed both the big buck and the little fellow I posted a few days ago.
I did grab a quick shot of Mom and Triplets.


*sniffle*  No more spots!

Saturday, September 24

Annoyances..mild to moderate

We took three of the dogs for a ride last night.
While we were stopped at our little local store (deer checking station, beer, lotto, local deer jerky..you know, kick ass redneck store!) some jackass peered into the car and said, "Is that a Llewellin? Does he hunt?"
Nope, he's a family dog.
"Wow. What a waste", he says.


Poor Voo..he suffers so.
Rather than get jackass blood all over my car, I just raised my eyebrow and stared at him.
"Uh..nothing wrong with a good family dog, but it's a shame if he's from good lines.."
*stare*
"Well, none of my business"..and he fled.

WHY do people feel it's appropriate to give their completely freaking moronic opinion to complete strangers?
Plus, Voodoo points tomato horn worms and Japanese beetles for me.  This is far more useful to me than pointing pheasants.  I don't have a lot of pheasants or quail rampaging in the garden.
"But you have bird feeders.. and lots of turkeys I can point!"
-----
We're supposed to have gorgeous weather this coming weekend..yayyy camping!!
Wait.  No camping?! Maybe? Depends on Michael's coworkers (not including his work BFF) and head of HR getting their shit together ..for once?
Oh, God..we're screwed.
----
I felt something crawling in my hair and extracted a stinkbug.  A stinkbug that sprayed me.
I took great pleasure in stomping his stankass.
It took three shampoos before I couldn't smell stinkbug.
To be fair, it's not a horrible smell..but Moderately Unpleasant bug doesn't roll off the tongue.
 FYI: Asking Michael to "smell the back of my head and see if I still stink" got amusing results.


Stinkbugs are everywhere in our area (and the freakin' east coast).  Open the door for a few minutes and they swarm in.  They love to hunker down in annoying places like rolls of paper towels, the hood of your jacket or even better- your sock drawer.
"I swear, that stink isn't my feet."

Monday, September 19

Quote from this weekend...

When we first started working toward a more self-sustaining life (and then camping as our vacation instead of hotels), we often received the Thoreau quote in emails from friends and family.
It became kind of a joke between us, to recite that quote when we were camping in a monsoon or doing some God-awful gardening job.
This weekend as we tried to warm up after a brisk 36 degree, 1am bathroom trip, Michael begins to quote:
"I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach..and OMG what is crawling in my pants?!?! GETOUTOFTHEWAY! MOVEMOVEMOVE!".

and that, my friends, is what *going to the woods* will teach you..spiders also think fleece pants are toasty warm!

Sunday, September 18

Tent math..

We get a lot of comments on the size of our tent..
My tent math:
Add 2 adults and 2 dogs, multiply Michael's height of 74 inches and the amount of days we'll be trapped in the tent because of rain, divide by the hours of whining I'll do if I can't fit a queen size air mattress..and you get a 7-8 person tent.  With a screen room attached. ;)
We have slept in tents meant for 2 people.  Not only no, but hell no.
We were squashed and annoyed.
Camping should be enjoyable.  Even if it's 36 degrees and windy as hell.
This is why I packed flannel sheets, the double sleeping bag and a down comforter.

Guess who forgot her shiny new filter?




 Voodoo, cracked out bird dog, did SO WELL with the terrifying carp and All The Birds.


"Hey, let's walk down and see the gulls!" I said.  Foolishly.



 ...and then I said "RUN!".
The gulls were not playing around- "Bread, or die!".
Feeding gulls is not fun for me.  I don't enjoy feeding birds that happily rip off your fingers.
Even the carp didn't mess with them.


My mom didn't see Pig the whole time we were gone.
As we pulled in the lane yesterday, I spotted an angry lump sitting at the bottom of the front steps.

Fearing she would go all seagull on our asses, I tossed a carob brownie her way and we ran for the house.





Saturday, September 17

Entirely deserving of their own post...

The carp.
We camped at Pymatuning State Park in Ohio, but this place is just a few miles away.
Do not ask me how two reasonably intelligent adults had so much fun watching carp fight over bread.
A dollar loaf of stale bread equals good times.












Granted, it was pretty creepy when we realized the carp were following us along the walkway...staring...mouths gaping...
Zombies!
Forget braaaaains...
breaaaaad!

Run away, run away!

And that was before we got assaulted by seagulls!

We lived!

Good stuff:
Great campsite 30 ft from the backwaters of the lake:


A great blue heron hung out with us for several days..and a green heron popped in yesterday morning:



Our dogs were quiet and well-behaved:


Last night, all hell broke lose!
We never camp on weekends.  Now I remember why.
FOUR loose dogs wandering around.  Apparently, leash laws only apply to..us?
  I think ALL kids should get to go camping..don't get me wrong..but with that comes teaching respect for other campers.
Stop the damned screaming.  Stop running into other campsites.
I would have gotten my head handed to me for screaming for no good reason.
Had I run into someone's campsite (screaming), I would have gotten strapped to the roof rack.

Or fed to the fish!

Wednesday, September 14

Packing up

for the camping trip.
I am always astounded at the amount of stuff you haul into the woods.
"We're getting away from it all..living simply for a few days!" you say, as you stuff everything you own into duffle bags.
Spare bulb for the refrigerator?  Might need one!
Remote control belonging to a tv that broke in 1993?  You might need that.
If you think I'm kidding, look up camping checklists online.
I thought I was bad.

The weather looks great..40 at night and low 60s during the day.  With any luck, our campsite will be on the lake.  If not, there are some gorgeous sites deep in the big woods.
Win, either way!

My fierce protector from Freakass Neighbors.

228 combined pounds of Got Your Back.
You have to appreciate good dogs :)
 I don't have good dogs.  My dogs have been barking for 3 days.  Neighbor (nice one) is getting a new roof and my hell hounds don't approve of the noises.  They spent most of yesterday watching the woods for invading Roofers.




Pig only cared about leftover watermelon.
Which, of course, she carried out of the field to eat in the front yard.
Sigh.

Thursday, September 1

I love...

ok, bear with me here. I'm feeling particularly hostile this fine evening, so instead of ranting..


I love:  (envision sunshine, rainbows and puppies, instead of my current sneer)

Beaver Creek state park, in East Liverpool Ohio.
Amazing views, excellent camping, challenging trails.
Close to home!

These dog collars.
They last forever, don't mat or discolor their coats and come in outstanding colors.  You can call and order the Soft Slip in quick release safety collars.  They are fantastic!

Hmm...what else, what else!?
I'm still bitchy!

OH!

I love THIS organization.
Hardcore people..in hardcore sports..against dog fighting.  Rock on.

Ack, what else!?  FOOD.  Food makes me happy and full of love.

"You love BLTs.  Except you wouldn't give me any.  I just got the L part.  Jackass."
I had the best BLT today..simply perfect.  Crisp bacon, cool lettuce and a sun-warm tomato.  I could go for another five one right now!

Homemade tortillas.  I love homemade tortillas.
(do you see where everything comes back to food with me?!)
And when they go stale, corn tortillas are perfect for tossing to groundhogs.
(ok, food and groundhogs)

And, if you have mad skill like me, you can do this!

"Did you seriously just toss something on my head?"

"I will effing CUT YOU"

"Oh!  You can eat these!"


"Hell, try to get me again!"


I think I need out of the house a little more often.  I'm losin' it here, folks.
The lettuce yesterday gave me Evil Ideas today...and now we have Tortilla Hat.
If she acted scared, I wouldn't have done it...so don't get all "omg poor humiliated baby" on me or I'm shoving a groundhog down your pants.  
"No one..is leaving..the PIG"
Gardening.  I really do love to garden.  Right this moment since I'm NOT gardening.
I pulled up a Parisian carrot today..I LOVE!
Serious gardeners should look away now.....
They are so adorable..teeny little orangey orbs!

My melons are busting out (HA! T, that was for you!) of their thigh-high stocking slings.  I need to replace the stockings tomorrow.

Michael has worked a hellish shift this week..he leaves early, while I'm working, and by the time he gets home, I'm ready to pass out.  It sucks.
He's off this weekend and I can't WAIT to have some downtime with him.

I'm far less bitchy..still somewhat, as it is a permanent condition..but I don't feel like Riverdancing on someones kidneys now! :)
Yay!

Saturday, August 27

Home..

and no worse the wear...except for my knee and ankle (thanks, Voo).


"OMG you take forever to wake up.  Let's go hiking!"

Our tent attracted wildlife...happily, nothing with fangs or claws.


A bit of our hikes....



Random woman, hiking: Awww are you making that poor little baby dog carry his own water??
That's so mean! *simpers*
Me: No. He's carrying poop.
Random woman stares..starts to walk away...
Me: Why should I have to carry it!?  I picked it up and double bagged it..biodegradable bags, no less.

Ah well...





Some hiker out there has a good sense of humor!



Hey, Universe, look over there!
We're trying for another quickie trip next weekend.  Fingers crossed!