This past weekend we headed the wilderness, well okay someplace natural, and went camping at Horne Lake. Horne Lake is only about an hour north of Nanaimo, and has some interesting caves nearby to explore. We shared a lakeside campsite with Vanessa, Rob and Zoe.
For this special first time camping with Jake we bought a new family tent, the Family Funhouse from MEC. It is 10 x 10 feet, and is tall enough that even Dad can stand up in it. It has a screened in vestibule and lots of big windows and doors for ventilation. We brought along Jake's playpen, and he was snug as a bug in a rug.
In fact Jake napped and slept well while camping, it must have been all of that fresh air. He did have his usual early morning wake up, and since we had just returned from Ontario these ones might have been a bit earlier than usual. Mom and Dad got up at 5 a.m., packed Jake in the stroller and went for a walk in the dark to help the other campers enjoy more slumber. We watched the sun come up and decided that it was a lovely family camping tradition. Its one that we look forward to forcing Jake to share with us when he is a teenager and wishes he could sleep in as long as he wanted. Good times to come Little Dude.
Dad had done all of the meal planning and packing for us. He had some wonderful food, including Creme Brule coffee for Mom and 'smores to share with others. The second night he cooked a salmon on the fire, and served it with new potatoes. Delicious. Jake had pureed medley. Someday Little Dude you'll get your 'smores.
Despite the rain, Jake was in constant good humour. He loved camping, with so much to see. He kept warm with his fuzzy, feeted pants and hoodie.
And he enjoyed sitting around the campfire soaking up the ambiance. He had great playtimes outside on the tarp and in the tent on the sleeping bags.
All in all it could be called a success, and it was a time to relax and unwind. It is going to be so great to be able to share camping experiences with Jake in the future as he becomes more mobile, and finally when he is able to join us kayaking and eventually out paddle us old farts. Looking forward to it Jake!
