So many reasons why I love camping.

I always find it hard to explain to people why I like camping so much. It is hard to explain why I would choose, so often, to leave the comforts of my home and the beautiful town that I live in (where people from all around the world choose to come for their holidays) to go out into the woods. Why I happily make do with outhouses, sometimes no running water, bugs, no shower, etc. and what it is that gets me to do this so many times each year. It is true that I love to hike, that my guys all love to bike, and that we all love nature, but still, it does sometimes seem like a lot of work...what with all that packing and unpacking. Every time we are driving home from one trip we are always eagerly planning the next though so there must be something to it. Anyway, thought I would show some of the things that I love about camping rather than try to explain.

(best thing about camping - s'mores - and yes, you lead a sorry, sad existence if you've not had s'mores)

(my actual favourite thing about camping is hiking)

(free ferry rides to gorgeous hot springs are good too)

And just so you know the strange ways in which my mind works....we were sitting around a campfire one night and I heard someone playing some Tammy Wynette music, it occurred to me that very soon there will come a time when I just won't hear that kind of music at a campsite any longer. There will likely always be someone who will play Elvis (sorry Samantha but it's true) or Johnny Cash or one of the more classic old-timers but I think that it may be coming close to the end of the line for hearing Tammy Wynette music at campgrounds. KWIM? After Tammy's songs were done the same person started playing Kenny Rogers ( don't even try to convince me that you don't at least know You Picked a Fine Time to Leave Me, Lucille - I won't believe you) and I started feeling a little less sad because I think Kenny fans will still be kicking around the campgrounds for awhile.

This is a pic I couldn't resist taking of a garbage gobbler ( that is what we used to call them when I was little). These used to be all around our province at roadside pull offs to house garbage cans, somewhere my mom has a pic of my brother and I with our faces peering out through the mouth so I had to stop and take one of my boys in the same pose. Of course we had to think of some other poses too.And this tree I just think is the sweetest. Can you see his face? He looks so sweet to me, the marks are just old logging marks where men would put a board in so that they could stand on the board to cut higher but the way they are on this guy gave him a great face. When you look at him from the side you can see that he also has a nose shape, it was very cool.