We officially kicked off our Idaho summer camping tour with a trip to our family's favorite camping spot outside of Garden Valley. Sitting in a little valley along a rushing (and frigid I might add) mountain creek, we enjoyed a delightful long weekend together taking in the mountain air, sunshine, and unencumbered time.
Usually all of the kids are in the creek regardless of the temperature, but alas! -- our boys are growing up and preferred a good card game or reading BY the creek rather than a dip and play in it this year.
Reading was a top pastime of the weekend. I brought along a biography of Charles Spurgeon along with several books on the topic of visionary daughterhood which I wanted to peruse prior to use with Isabelle in the coming years.
I'm used to taking long walks in this location, but this year we made them a family affair, enjoying songs and stories and stepping off the beaten path for some actual hiking now and again.
Topics covered: what to do if you are in the forest with a bear; what to do if your car goes off the side of the cliff into a river and you can't get out (yes -- we're rather pessimistic aren't we??), Calvinism vs. Arminianism; Creationism vs. the false evolutionary theories taught in government schools; favorite stories and lines from Winnie the Pooh (the classic British version); and the fine art of walking down steep hills :-)
Although our hikes were never very long due to tired little legs, we still averaged a couple of miles each time. This was a highlight for me -- particularly in the early morning hours when the vegetation was covered in dew and the mountain air was still crisp enough to warrant a light jacket.
The old familiar field guide with the dog eared pages was resurrected from the field guide basket at home as Isabelle and I enjoyed naming the wild flowers and butterflies we found along the way.
This will go down as one of my favorite pictures and favorite memories ever. We were trying to do a round of "Row, row, row your boat" with Joe and Josiah (our non-singers) trying to keep both the tune and the rhythm -- a virtual impossibility! We managed through 3 rounds before bursting into giggles at the men's inability. They get an "A" for effort though!
The horseshoe set we've carried around for years finally got a chance to see the light of day. This was a fun distraction -- always available for practice in those moments of nothingness where time seems to stand still ....
My young man -- still part boy had many opportunities to grow in character over the weekend, including the disappointment of having the family who was to camp with us (and a huge load of fun to be with -- they have 9 children ages 19 to 6 months!) needed to exit early after only a few hours in the mountains due to illness.
What could have been a negative, God used for His good and our family really was blessed by our solitude after all. Relationships were strengthened and the time to grow by just sitting and talking and living alongside eachother in real life became a treasure as we shared hours side by side. Not pictured were the two nights by the campfire playing charades, reading the children's version of "Pilgrim's Progress" and answering questions. A few of the questions asked:
"If you were able to eat dinner with anyone in the world past or present, who would it be?"
My favorite answer: Jesus
"If you could go anywhere in the world right now for 24 hours, where would you go?"
My favorite answer: Home :-)
"If you could ride just one horse right now, what breed and color would it be?"
I'll let you guess who's question that was.
Isabelle gets the record for withstanding the freezing temperatures of the creek for hours at a time. Her favorite pastime was catching the tiny minnows swimming at her feet -- of which she probably caught nearly 100 in two days. She, with her imagination, needs little entertainment when near water of any kind. She grows more beautiful each year -- golden hair and blue green eyes, she is our sunshine in so many ways.
We were all sorry to have to pack up and leave, but look forward to more camping throughout the summer. Another treasured memory for years to come .....
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