Back from the Arctic: The Highlights

Okay. So, we aren't really back from the Arctic....for a while there....I really did think we were at the Arctic this weekend. Must have been body memories.

We went camping this weekend. You knew that. What you didn't know was that I survived. Barely. Even though, overall, we had a good time, and good memories were made, and a whole new slew of stories were hatched, there were times that I was downright miserable. It was one of those camping experiences that I said I never wanted to be a part of. And yet....I was. Darn it! I was, and am, thankful for kids' ability to be oblivious to some circumstances and carry on like nothing is wrong. Making lemonade out of lemons.

This last weekend was opening day for bow hunting season. The last couple of years, the kids and I have tagged along and gone camping while Tim is out hunting. Part of me dreads it, but I usually end up having a good time. The kids enjoy going, too. Especially when their cousins are around. Circumstances were such that we didn't see a whole lot of cousins. Oh well...my kids still managed to have fun. I survived....though there were times I had fun, too.

The campground that we stay at has a lot of fun things for the kids to do. We camped in the same spot as last year....right next to the playground. I love that they kids can get up in the morning and jump right into playing. They love it. The bad thing about that, though, is that it is impossible to get one certain boy to stop playing long enough to eat. I learned to just give Luke stuff he could eat on the run. Once we figured that out, he ate quite a bit!!

The other bonus of our camp spot is the proximity to a pond....that supposedly contains fish. Thanks to Great Uncle David for the fishing poles....and to Uncle Ken for the tackle and experience...and to Uncle Tony for the Powerbait....my kids spent hours at that pond doing their darnedest to catch one of those fish. I should probably thank myself in there, too. I can't tell you how many times I untangled fishing lines....retied on hooks and weights...removed seaweed...and replaced bait. Thankfully, I never had to remove a fish...thought I was more than prepared to do so. I must also thank a couple of Strangers that came at opportune moments to save me from a pickle....or replaced some weights that we had lost. I called them my angels.




Luke got pretty good at casting. Caden did a pretty good job teaching how. He was quite proud of himself for remembering everything that Uncle Ken had taught him. He loved that we would defer to him with our questions. I chose this picture of Luke casting because if you click on it and look in the upper left hand corner...you will see that the hook is covered in seaweed. The pond was FULL of it...and we always lost the bait. Luke and his optimism preferred to fish without bait....because he was catching Seaweed Pokemon. Notice his "Big" catch in the second picture.




Here is a picture of Caden being the expert. He eventually decided that putting on the Powerbait wasn't such a bad idea. I love this picture because it captures them in one of those rare, precious, completely agreeable moments.

The seaweed was so bad that the boys even took to practicing their casting in the grass. Believe it or not...they had more success in the grass than in the pond. Did I mention that the seaweed was bad? Ugh.


After a while...Daria took to a different kind of fishing. The pond was good for something. It was full of tadpoles. The little picture may not show them...but if you click to make it bigger....you'll see them. There were hundreds.


I was amazed at Daria's fearlessness. She picked them up without even a shiver. We had a couple of tadpoles as pets in a bucket at the campsite for a couple of days. They got tipped over the last night...and with a cry...Daria scooped them up and ran them to the pond. Thank goodness they lived. I can't imagine the drama if they hadn't. Here she is trying to scoop up some more tadpoles.

Tim spent a lot of time hunting this year. We didn't see him basically at all on Saturday. They headed out to go hunting at 3:30 in the morning. (ugh) They didn't come back into camp until some time after 8:00 p.m. Sunday, they hunted in the morning, and then spent the rest of the day in camp. That was nice to be together that day. We drove to a nearby lake called Lake Penland. We attempted to fish there as well.

At least some of us did.


I really don't think we had the right gear for fishing. We quickly lost both hooks and weights on the rocks at the bottom of the lake. Caden was so upset. He really loves to fish and had hoped to finally catch one at this lake. It didn't help any that we watched another kid reel in a really nice fish not too far from us. Guess that tells me that I need to invest in some better fishing gear....and learn how to use it!!

After we lost the tackle, we decided to hike around the lake a little. Caden had a hard time finding much joy in that activity. He was still mourning the loss of his gear. Oh well. He did snap out of it long enough to take a picture with this really cool looking tree.
Even with all these fun memories, the biggest impression I have of our camping experience was how stinkin' cold it was. In past years, when things have been a little tough for the Mom, I have put on a smile and done my best to make the best of it. There were a couple of time this last weekend, that I was so miserable that I just cried. I don't think the kids knew....so that is good.

We arrived Friday afternoon to a wonderful afternoon. It was so warm and comfortable. I was really hoping that it would be a good sign for the rest of the weekend. I had seen the temperatures for the Portland area and I knew it was going to be cool. Tim tried to convince me that Eastern Oregon is always warmer. Still....I prepared for cool temperatures. It is a good thing that I did. Even so, I don't feel like I prepared enough.

Saturday started off cloudy and cold. I so did not want to get out of my sleeping bag. I snuggled in my sleeping bag, waiting for a glimmer of the sun. It never came, and my bladder finally drove me from the warmth of my sleeping bag. I quickly pulled out several layers of long-sleeve shirts and fleecies for the kids and I. Somewhere around mid afternoon, the sky cleared and the sun came out. I did manage to get down to one layer of fleece at one point. For a very brief amount of time. I was optimistic again that Sunday would be warmer. We went to bed with a clear sky. I took that as a good sign.

Boy, was I wrong. If I thought that Saturday was cold, Sunday was a freezer. I didn't even want to eat breakfast that morning, because everything seemed too cold. I put twice the amount of layers on the kids and I and I still was so cold. I hated to be envious of my sister in law as she would load her three kids up and haul them to her mom's trailer to keep them warm. I felt like this homeless waif, pleading with her eyes, as she left. I was so pathetic. I was so cold.

Around 11:00 a.m., I had walked up to the bathrooms. As I was leaving, I heard the camphost announce that it was 42 degrees. Still. No wonder I was so cold and my fingers felt like popsicles. I kept looking to the sky....praying for an opening in the clouds to let the sun come in. No such luck. For the most part, the kids were pretty good sports about the cold. I wasn't. Inwardly, I was that homeless waif. Pathetic. And cold. By the end of the day, my shoulders began to ache from scrunching them up. I kept telling myself to relax them...but soon they would creep up again. I think you see my shoulders...and my pathetic look in this picture. Humbling.

If you notice in the background of that picture, you will see that it is pouring. And I mean pouring. Around 7:00 that night....it poured for about 15-20 minutes. And hailed. Tim kept emptying out the top of the tarp over the tent and I would watch it cascade down the sides of the tent. I was so hoping that it wasn't soaking the things inside.

Thankfully, my brother in law had a little propane heater that he loaned to us. Since the fire restrictions are so strict up there, no fires were allowed. I cursed being a Good Little Girl and sticking to the rules. I wanted a fire so badly. We made do with that little heater though the output needed to be several times higher. I tried to be thankful. (Can you tell that Sunday was a dark day for me? Pathetic. And cold.)






I hate to admit it....but Sunday night just about broke me. I was extremely tempted to load my kids up and head for home. The slightest excuse would have sent me there. If I had been Samantha...I would have twinkled my nose and been home...soaking in my hot bath. As we crawled into bed that night, I was so relieved. And yet I dreaded it as well. I knew it was going to be cold. I was praying that it would be a short night...rather than a long night.

We turned the heater on in the tent for a little while that night as we climbed into bed. That was nice, though it took me forever to warm up. 12+ hours of being out in 40 degree weather chills a body out. When Tim left to go hunting, he asked me if I wanted it on. Being nervous about it in the tent, I said no. I so regretted that decision.

Overall, I think we were fairly warm that night. For the most part, I felt warm that morning....but my toes were cold. When Luke climbed in with me, I felt his toes and they felt a little cool, too. I did notice that the condensation was frozen in these perfect little drops on the inside of the tent. Then I noticed that even my breath was leaving frost marks on my sleeping bag. Talk about not wanting to get out of bed! Unfortunately, my bladder forced me out a lot sooner than I wanted!! I was cheered by the fact that I saw a little sunshine on the tent. Yee haw! So, I climbed out to make a trek to the bathroom intending to come crawling back into my sleeping bag. When I got outside, I was pleased to feel the warmth of the sun. It was still cold...but that sun felt so good!!! I was praising Jesus for the sunshine...that's for sure!!

While the kids stayed in their sleeping bags, I pulled out the camera to catch some pictures of the cold. I will only post one....but it proves how cold it was! I think Tim said that at 4:30 in the morning...it had been 28 degrees. He thinks it probably got a little cooler after that.

As the sun cheered my spirit, I had to laugh at my cold weather gear. When I packed, I didn't expect things to get quite so cold. So, my cold weather gear for the weekend was layer after layer of fleece, sweatshirts, vests, etc. I tried to take a picture of myself...but I only got the top half. Embarrassing picture...but kind of funny, too.

But...if you thought I was funny, Daria was downright hilarious.


Even though I spent a lot of time complaining about the cold and the rain, I think we had a good time. In another year or so, I will look back and laugh. Already I am finding some humor in it. I can handle tough things. My attitude just needs to agree with that fact!

In closing, here are a couple of pictures of the cousins on the last day.