January "camping"

Thanks once again to global warming and homeschooling/sabbatical we were able to have another great outdoor excursion. The kids and I wanted to go camping because it was 70 degrees! But it has been rainy and was supposed to rain more (which leads to a muddy, messy tent, and much hassle upon the return home), and with safety concerns, I was hesitant to go camping. So, we decided to check out the often-admired "camping cabins." Much to Eleanor's frustration, I'm too cheap and old school to ever consider them during the normal season. But given the rain, the likely desolation of the campground, and my need to get back to work as soon as we got home, we got a cabin.

It was great! Who knew that Hueston Woods had so much to offer? The campground has over 500(!) sites, but we were the only ones there when we went to bed! In the morning we discovered one other camper had come to the campground.

We had a great time. Nature and kids are a great mix. Even though I consider those "nature deficit" books faddish, I do see the how much my kids enjoy nature and how great it is for them. They find things to do, want jobs to do at the site, play and work together, and lose their self-consciousness. Calvin mentioned mesmerizing and relaxing effect of the campfire and the stream. Eleanor seemed to forget briefly that she's grown up. And of course, I love building the fire! It's really nice to be able to get away. Now that we know that it's there, we hope that we can return.