6/15/2009

North Shore

"Who needs Colorado?", I said as we hiked along a river's waterfall. Andy admitted he was thinking the same, but reprimanded me for saying those blasphemous words out loud. Sorry former homeland.
No, there were not mountains...but some cliffs and pine air, water falls, lakes, rivers and more lakes and rivers, seagulls, mines, lighthouses, ships.

I will admit, my cheerfulness was tested the first day or two by rain and chill. I fought many thoughts of "what is the point of this? Survival? Ugg." Andy said I faked it really well, though. Good thing he can't read my mind.
This sort of existence forces me to adjust from "ekkkk, we are so dirty" to:
  • Who cares if there is sand in my bed?
  • Who cares if Caden mistakes dog poop for a rock to add to his collection?
  • Who cares if he also mistakes fish bate (i.e.: out-all-night chicken) for lunch?
  • Who cares if we put a worm on the hook and then our hand in the chip bag?
  • Who cares if the shower is a cold mist?
  • Who cares if we hug a tree or sit on a rock to pee regularly?
Camping is all about letting go and becoming one with nature.
The sooner I embrace the fact the freer I am to calm enjoyment.

Some Quotes:
"Does she speak spanish Mommy?" "No sweetie, that's a MN accent"
"How does a mommy worm carry her baby?"
"Do worms curl up when they sleep?"
"Naaa, lets just go to the circus instead." (upon hearing suggestions of hiking, canoing, fishing, etc.)
"Maybe we should just find a real fisherman to catch a fish for us Dad."
"My favorite part of our trip was playing with those girls at the campground." (with whom he talk to for 5 min.)

As the weather gradually got better, we enjoyed the land to the fullest. It's amazing how children occupy themselves with rocks, sticks, birds, water, sand, leaves, bark, fire, bugs, etc. It's so fun to watch.

It was a great opportunity to put my new camera to use. I don't have it all figured out yet, so tips are definitely welcome. For starters, lesson #1: don't leave your battery charger at home. My favorite days of the trip we didn't capture. So so dumb.

Thanks, Lake Superior
We love each other more because of you (ya know, family time).
See ya next time!



local fish & chips

hiking







down to the lake to fish

site seeing

Any coffee house = luxury often sought

8 comments:

Anonymous said...

My grandparents often remind me of how much I complained about hiking when they took us on yearly summer trips. :) But I looked back on them with fond memories!!!

Sara said...

I can't stop chuckling over those quotes.
You are a great photographer, Jenica! Those photos are absolutely beautiful!
I want to go there now.
I can definitely relate to the "ekk we are so dirty" thought.
Everytime we come back from a trip like that, I think "wow, my house actually *is* pretty clean."
I get back to "this place is disgustingly dirty" soon enough.

jenica said...

I know exactly what you mean Sara! In fact, I was thinking maybe we are living too clean (we really don't compared to most ppl.)and spend too much energy on keeping things just so, it seems pointless sometimes (Andy wasn't buying it)... but yeah, I'm pretty much back to "man my floors are gross".

Caleb and Anna said...

Your pictures are great! very artistic. Looks like you all had a good time bonding with nature! -anna

Rachel C said...

Looks like a great trip, great pics!

Nate Madden said...

What a beautiful place to visit...
Your pics are great! I'd still have to see it to say that it beats the Colorado Rockies. :)
Glad you guys had a wonderful time!

~ Rory ~ said...

I love your pictures Jenica! Looks like you guys had a wonderful time together away from all the regular craziness of life. Nothing like camping to adjust our desires of cleanliness! :o) I think I would be have been saying all the same things!

Em said...

Jenica, I've really been struggling to enjoy camping, too. I just hate being dirty. Its so much work and somewhat boring. We are going to try it some more this summer, but I hope our experiences get better. I really enjoyed this update about your vacation.