Family Camp at MLR

Summer camp has always been magical for me. I started out at my all-time favorite camp Mar-Lu-Ridge in 1981 when I was just 9 years old. I went every June for seven summers to "Ark" camp during the first week of the season. I loved it. I loved it so much that I went back in 1991 as a counselor and stayed on through some pretty tough times for the camp until 1998 when I transferred from staff member to the board of directors. I did that for four years and ever since have given every bit of volunteer hours and charity dollars that I can conjure up. This summer they brought back Family Camp. I signed us up as soon as I could. It lived up to my expectations and the food and staff went way beyond them. What a magical time.

Scavenger Hunt! Cousin Ella just figured out a clue!

The famous beautiful view

the best staff on Earth

relaxing out front on the deck (Sylv is sporting my t-shirt from MLR circa 1983)

Miss Julia teaching Sylv to play "Take Me Out to the Ball Game" (Sylv's shirt MLR circa 1982)

Grandma and the girls at "Shock Rock" at the Powerlines - that's the Middletown Valley below - absolutely beautiful - always

Potted Growth

I've never had much of a green thumb; however, I've always relished my memories of helping in the garden when I lived on my grandparents' farm. Earlier this spring, the girls convinced me to pick up a few plants at the market, so we are giving it all a go together. The girls water the plants most mornings while I'm at work, and already we're seeing some fruits of our labor.
This is some kind of pepper - not too hot, I'm sure. I'm a bit worried about him as there appears to be some mildew around the crook of the stem. We definitely can cut back on the watering, I think. These are some lovely roma tomatoes! Can't wait for them to mature!
The Gerber Daisies came from my lovely Daisy troop as a thank you gift - they are beautiful, just like my girls!And the basil . . . the girls looooove how this plant smells!

What's Going On?

This photo posting has no other purpose but to make you smile . . .

We found the first stink bug in the house yesterday of the "fall" season -- surely autumn is afoot. School has started, there are yellow leaves across the ridge, and it was a mere 59 degrees this morning. But it's still dry and the afternoons get very warm. Summer hasn't gone far yet.

So, we have one more weekend before Labor Day weekend - that perennial end of summer. I'm spending a few moments thinking about how best to spend this last bastion of summertime. Of course, yard-sale-ing comes to mind. But I found out very quickly last weekend that an almost 7-year-old and 4 and a half-year-old are not kind shoppers at yard sales . . . only if I can go alone will that happen again. There's the Washington County Rural Heritage Museum's Spud Fest (at the Ag Center) at 11 a.m. I could see the girls getting into digging up some potatoes! And homemade chips sound yummy! A definite possibility. The Lucketts Fair in a nearby part of Virginia is also a real possibility. We've been before -- lots of vendors, great bluegrass, and good food. But if it's too hot, the yee ones will holler . . . we'll see how the thermometer bodes. If we don't make it tomorrow, there's always Sunday too. The last days of the Jefferson County Fair are this weekend; we've never been, so I'm not sure what we'd be missing not to go . . . I love a good fair, but nothing lives up to the fair I grew up knowing. I can taste those Hoffman milkshakes now . . . There's no way in heck that we'll be going out east to the Maryland State Fair -- I've only been once -- it is big and awesome, but it is way too far away for these tykes this weekend. Williamsport Days are this weekend -- definitely a possibility for some good yard-sale-ing -- just the thought of all those former students . . .
I would love to see Poor Ellen Smith at Beans in the Belfry tomorrow night, but that will never happen because instead we are going to have a very fine meal at the Potomac Valley Fire Department's Steak Feed!

I don't know why anyone would have read this far, but if you have, I really appreciate it! :)