A couple weekends ago, The Brother and Uncle B took Little E on her first overnight, sleep-in-a-tent, pee-in-an-outhouse camping trip:
home away from home!
Little E rocked the experience. They hiked…
walking in a (june) wonderland
Set fires:
looks like a very scenic spot!
And made s’mores!
everyone's favourite camping dessert!
Aunti does not camp.
I did give it the old college try about seven or eight summers ago, now. We went up to Haliburton Forest for what was supposed to be a four night stay. I lasted two nights then begged to come home before we called it a success! and returned home. It’s just not my cup of tea to sleep on the ground, listening to bugs and bears and creatures of the night. I do enjoy a day hike where you can catch some sun, feel a light breeze on your face, admire flowers and ripples on lake water…then come home like civilized people do, to tv, a shower, and air conditioning. Now, that’s a nice day!
I have super-fond memories of our family vacations, when we were little. Quite often, we went and stayed at my grandparents’ trailer (later cottage) in Goderich.
Some years, we rented a cottage, most often on the shores of Lake Huron. My favourite cottage, ever, was in Point Clark, the summer I was five:
i still remember it was an A-frame cottage...
...and i adored these open stairs; i used to do "gymnastics" on them, hanging by my arms or legs, off the back of them!
Other cottage stays, over the years, included rentals in Port Elgin, Barry’s Bay, Tobermory – good times, each of them!
The summer I was twelve, we went out East on a road trip for a couple of weeks:
as you can see, we were in prince edward island, here; this trip was the first time i ever took my own snapshots and made my own photo album
Then the summer I was fourteen, we flew out West:
in british columbia, somewhere (?) - i shoulda made detailed notes!
[Each of these trips deserves more in-depth coverage; I see “Way Back Playback” blog posts dedicated to those trips, at a future date!].
The summers when we didn’t have “anything major” going on, we’d do day trips: to Toronto (Wonderland, the Zoo, a Blue Jays game), Niagara (Marineland), Goderich (the beach), Grand Bend (the beach)…all very fun (and you can come home at the end of the day!).
day trip to dundern castle, hamilton, the summer i was twelve
Anyway, I explain all this just to show that camping was not a part of our summer vacations. And I honestly don’t feel like we were deprived…it just wasn’t my parents’ *thing* to camp. Oh, and I never did overnight summer camp, either (or even day camps). As a reserved and rather shy little girl, the thought of staying for a week or two in a cabin with tons of other kids did not appeal to me, at all!
So, how’s this for a wild ‘n” crazy thought: a multi-generation, overnight camping trip (nudge, nudge, family members)…if Little E can have an enjoyable New Experience, I bet there’s hope for Aunti!
What types of family vacations do you remember, from childhood? I have the most fond memories of Goderich.
the summer i was six, up at the lighthouse, in goderich
I learned to blow a bubble in Goderich! I totally remember I was chewing grape Bubble Yum gum and we were sitting out on the pier, in the Goderich harbour.
How about you? Do you enjoy camping? B is a hardcore pro. Self-supported hiking trips are his thing. Right now, he is eight days into a six week hike of the almost-500 mile Colorado Trail. Thus far, he’s already experienced water shortages, hot temps, and snow eight feet deep. Yikes!
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