We're dorsum from our trip to Mayfield Lake this past times week. Before I larn on, I desire to give cheers the many of y'all who conduct maintain left such sugariness comments on the Blogiversary post. As I've mentioned before, I recollect of weblog posts equally letters to friends, in addition to hence it's wonderful to listen from hence many of you. Thank you. And if y'all missed that post, hurry on dorsum to that link I've given y'all because today's the terminal twenty-four lx minutes stream to larn inward on the draw.
Okay, hence dorsum to our footling va-cay...our capacity for boredom is null brusque of astonishing. We pretty much planted our butts inward 1 chair or some other in addition to didn't movement for most of the past times v days. Yeah...lay-zee. That's what nosotros were. And no shame near it either. Honestly, it's appalling, but at that spot y'all go. I blame it on the cats.
We had a real dainty site amongst a sentiment of the lake. Because it was situated at the terminate of a point, it was a large site, in addition to real private.
It was overcast when nosotros arrived.
We were expecting ameliorate conditions ahead, but fifty-fifty equally the Sun was setting, at that spot was all the same meaning cloud cover.
Not to worry because the side past times side twenty-four lx minutes stream was vivid in addition to sunny, in addition to it stayed that way until nosotros left. It was quite warm equally well...always a gift inward the Pacific Northwest, fifty-fifty inward July.
Our site was specially dainty because of the tree cover, which had us inward the shade for most of the day.
The kitties were freaked upon arrival, only equally they were terminal year. (You tin give notice read their weblog post near terminal year's trip right here.) It's likewise bad, but the entirely rubber way to move amongst them inward the truck camper is to crate them upwards in addition to conduct maintain them ride on the bed. Because the truck camper slides unopen together tightly similar a puzzle, it's non rubber to allow them to wander around within spell we're getting laid upwards to larn downward the road. Their noses were understandably out of articulation when nosotros permit them out on the other side.
Also, nosotros pose Sadie's neckband dorsum on her. It has her microchip number, in addition to a telephone pose out to telephone yell upwards should she brand a pause for her onetime life inward the wild. She did actually good this trip. In fact, they both did. Once they got over their initial panic at foreign surroundings, they settled downward in addition to gave us no problem the ease of the week.
Smitty considered belongings a grudge for the residuum of the trip, in addition to he gave me the evil optic from the bed during the get-go evening.
Getting the boat launched turned into something of a challenge. This RV common allows us to rent a slip, which is real nice. Also, they volition launch the boat using their tractor. It worked nifty terminal year, but the tractor was out of committee this fourth dimension around, in addition to hence nosotros had to launch from the populace launch. And this doesn't audio hence bad except that it meant I had to drive the truck amongst the boat trailer attached in addition to the camper loaded on. I haven't driven the semi-new dually truck before, in addition to it would conduct maintain been preferable to conduct maintain my maiden voyage sans camper in addition to boat trailer. Nevertheless, I persisted, in addition to nosotros got 'er done.
Mike drove us to the populace launch, in addition to and then backed the boat into the water. Then, I moved into the driver's spot spell he backed the boat off the trailer. Then he drove the boat across the lake to the RV common spell I drove the truck in addition to boat trailer around on the road. When nosotros met upwards on the other side, he took over again. Phew! No dents. And in addition to then nosotros headed dorsum downward to the dock secure the boat a footling better, in addition to called it a day.
Of course, I took pictures of every blooming thing...and every berry affair too. I recollect I said inward my post from terminal year that these are currants. In fact, they are red huckleberries, or vaccinium parvifolium, if y'all must know their snotty botanical name. They're quite bitterly tart, but they are edible.
These are thimbleberries, or rubus parviflorus. They're a lot similar a raspberry, except that they conduct maintain near a zillion footling seeds inside.
As for the ease of these...I don't know, but y'all in all probability do.
This hither below though...this is in all probability the most beautiful clematis I've ever seen.
And in addition to then at that spot was this footling purply thing.
Oh yes...and picket your footstep because y'all could larn out out here.
So for the get-go nighttime of dinner, I cooked, but later that, Mike was itching to larn out his novel portable Traeger grill. This is an engineer's dream. It has buttons to force in addition to a digital readout in addition to a probe, in addition to I don't know what all, but he was inward hog sky amongst this..."pig" beingness the operative discussion at that spot because that's how nosotros ate.
It started out innocently plenty amongst these grilled Fava beans from our CSA share.
But in addition to then nosotros descended into the pit of dessert, um, hell (not really, but I'm trying to audio equally if individual forced us, fifty-fifty though nosotros did it voluntarily). I discovered this recipe for 6-Minute Berry Cobbler Mugs in the Washington Post. And since nosotros were inward Washington, it entirely makes sense, right? Oh. My. Gosh. Well. Nothing would practise except to halt on the way out of town to selection upwards some blueberries, in addition to nosotros hopped on those correct away later dinner. I had the dry out ingredients mixed up, in addition to hence I only had to form of stir them inward amongst the berries in addition to stick them inward the microwave...camping, y'all know...and they were hence good.
Something was missing though....hmmmmmm...what could it be? Maybe some vanilla H2O ice cream because nosotros only happened to conduct maintain some inward the freezer...yeah...camping, y'all know.
And in addition to then nosotros ate 'em. Here's the sentiment from where I sat.
The side past times side morning, Smitty was laid upwards to larn out for a walk. He doesn't commonly enquire hence soon, in addition to hence nosotros were a footling surprised past times that. He was a footling tentative at first.
But shortly, he was a truthful cat on a mission.
And he's a pretty handsome hunka truthful cat manmeat, if y'all enquire me. (I imagine Molly volition agree.)
He did pretty good for his get-go walkabout. With the warm weather, both kitties were looking similar tiger butter a proficient business office of each day.
They perked upwards inward the flush later the Sun went down.
Dontcha recollect I'm cute?
What near me? Dontcha recollect I'm cute too?
All they actually involve on a trip similar this are their kitty treats, their catio, in addition to their potty box, in addition to they practise only fine. At 1 point, I noticed Sadie lying on the ledge inward front end of their catio window, in addition to hence I pose a quilt at that spot for her to prevarication on.
It made a soft identify for Smitty to ease his tail too.
I left the cubby inward a higher identify the bed opened upwards for them, but nosotros were several days into the trip earlier they decided to purpose it. Eventually, I took the quilt out.
It seemed equally though only that footling fleck of padding made it a tight squelch for Smitty. He liked it ameliorate without.
The morn of the 2d day, nosotros headed out on the lake. You tin give notice encounter the dock where nosotros tied upwards the boat a footling inward a higher identify the optic of the epitome below.
Because nosotros were at that spot mid-week, nosotros by in addition to large had the lake to ourselves, in addition to it was lovely.
We headed out to the middle in addition to only bobbed in addition to jumped off in addition to swam a little...just plenty to rest cool. The Sun was brutal, but the lake was perfect.
As nosotros headed dorsum in, nosotros could barely encounter our camper through the trees there.
The side past times side day, nosotros headed upwards the Cowlitz River, which is only 1 of the ii rivers that stream into the lake. We saw the H2O temperature inward the lake equally high equally 79°F, but equally nosotros headed upwards the river, nosotros saw it equally mutual frigidity equally 58°F. It's non surprising since this river is runoff from Mt. Rainier.
The river started getting shallow, in addition to hence nosotros turned around when nosotros saw where the highway crossed over. You tin give notice encounter the tall span inward the epitome below.
And nosotros weren't finished amongst our oink-fest, because I'd baked a Blue-Cherry Pie for Two from some pie filling I made terminal year. When we're camping, I stick amongst Pillsbury crusts, in addition to this 1 was pieced together to shape what I laughingly called a lattice top.
It looked fifty-fifty worse later nosotros ate it.
Oh yes, in addition to I took this film to demo y'all 1 of my favorite camping ground scenes. This is the skylight over our bed. I dear looking upwards at that spot in addition to seeing trees. At night, when at that spot aren't trees obscuring the view, I tin give notice encounter stars.
We spent some fourth dimension on the lake each day, in addition to I managed a footling embroidery most days. When I'd taken it this far, I decided to movement the hoop.
Now I've started stitching the daisies on the correct side.
When I finished upwards amongst it yesterday, it looked similar this:
I'll conduct maintain some fourth dimension to larn dorsum to it this morning.
When nosotros got home, nosotros had a real thirsty garden. The hanging petunias were fried, in addition to hence I watered correct away. I'm non certain the petunias volition recover. In my wanderings, I noticed 1 of the sunflowers had bloomed. This is the 1 that scared me past times uprooting itself a span of weeks ago. It's no worse for wear, in addition to the bees are loving it. It's near shoulder high in addition to large equally a dinner plate.
This morn there's plenty of unpacking to do. Around noon, I'm heading out to encounter my orthotist. Yes, I conduct maintain an orthotist who makes custom orthotics for me. That's how old I am. Pitiful, isn't it? Anyway...I've worn them through to the difficult substance at the bottom, in addition to hence they involve resoling. When that's done, I'll brand a quick trip to the grocery shop to selection upwards something for tonight's dinner. Tomorrow is our CSA pick-up day, in addition to hence I'll salvage the heavy grocery shop lifting until I encounter what's inward our share. If I tin give notice larn dorsum to sewing today, it's fourth dimension to start on the July OMG, which is to quilt in addition to bind the Working for Peanuts quilt. I conduct maintain some ideas near this one. If non today, in addition to then tomorrow.
So, hey...I'm glad to encounter y'all again! I missed y'all guys!