A Deviation from the Plan

It was time for our annual Lake Weekend. .

We usually go south to a large lake in northern Oklahoma. .

but, to make sure we weren't missing out on anything. .

we deviated from our normal path and went north. .to northern Kansas. .

to spend the weekend at Wilson Lake instead.

It was a loooooong way. .

taking us nearly 4 hours by the time we stopped to eat lunch and get the rest of our supplies. .

It was enough car time to develop a profound need to move around. .

in whatever form that took on. .

It was cool and cloudy when we got there Friday. .and breezy, making it seem cooler than it was. So, after getting our camp set up, relaxing in a big camp chair seemed to be the thing to do!

 

We were glad for a nice paved road for Devin and Cami's scooters. .

but the big bonus was the hill angling down toward our camp. .

that just screamed at everyone. .kids and adults alike. .to try and take it on!

The temperatures couldn't have been better for sitting around enjoying friends and nature. .but they weren't really good for watersports. .although most of the crew engaged in waterplay anyway! Not this old woman. .I deemed it WAY too cold. .besides. .the majority of the weekend was spent with my sweatshirt on. .and there is just something wrong about putting a lifejacket on OVER a sweatshirt. .am I right?

It was cloudy and cool Friday. .rained Friday night. .

remained rainy and cool ALL day Saturday. .

AND Sunday morning. .until late morning Sunday. .

then the sun finally appeared and it got WARM. .

just in time for the folks with kiddos to start the long trip home.

Saturday afternoon between the sprinkles, Jeremy took us on a little boat trip around the gorgeous lake. There are phenomenal outcrops of rock around the perimeter, and into the bordering pasture land.

The land is quite hilly there. .and dry. .so we were glad that they received some much needed rain while we were there! There was so much pasture land that appeared untouched and uninhabited. .not at all like a crazy busy camping place. .

The lake was quiet. .and that was a charming feature.

                                    

we weren't sure if the quietness caused by lack of campers was because school has started most places. .

or whether it was the rainy forecast. .

or if it is just a quiet place all of the time. .

but we enjoyed the peaceful atmosphere immensely.

As always. .we had GREAT food!!

But the biggest bummer of the trip resulted in a road trip to a neighboring town to buy a gas grill after our charcoal cooking got us busted. We KNEW there was a burn ban and that no campfires would be allowed. We did NOT know that charcoal was also NOT allowable there. .and at 11:15 (when our coals were half done and we had 15 mouths that would be ready to inhale food shortly) we were requested to pour water over the non-flaming embers before the food had even STARTED to cook. .and as the reality of HOW to feed the troops set in. .so did the panic!! The fact that everything was still wet from the rain, and cold from the moist wind was even more aggravating at that point! Lane and I made the trip to Russell to ALCO, a small department store, for a backup plan.

This was NOT the face I was making when we got back to camp Saturday. .
in fact. .I was still so livid. .
that immediately after returning to camp, I left and took a very brisk walk on one of the trails to reconnect with God and get my attitude corrected.

By the time we got back from Russell over an hour later. .The others had made it back from skiing. .restarted the coals in a dutch oven (so they would be covered while they smoldered) and resumed the process of making D-E-L-I-C-I-O-U-S dutch oven pizzas. And for the rest of the weekend, we cooked on our new little, rickety gas grill. .Not an easy feat when feeding that many people!

While some of the crew played in the water. .others of us sat, visited, read, napped, and played on the shore! I finished the book I was reading. .Courageous. .an excellent fiction story!! And Cami made some new friends on Sunday. .from across the state. .that happened to know some of Jeremy's extended family!! A small world or WHAT???

It is always a lot of work to load up. .

and even more work to UNLOAD. .wash. .and repack our tubs to be ready for the next trip!!

But it is worth it to enjoy a weekend reconnecting with friends, family, nature, and simplistic living!

Before I go, I wanted to share a new combo that we came up with this weekend for dessert! A couple years ago, I shared how to make a dutch oven cobbler. .here's a link to the specifics to follow for the recipe. This can also be made in a large baking dish and baked in the oven, though I have never tried that, so I can't give you cook times. .but in a dutch oven that bakes LIKE an oven, it takes around 30 minutes. Bake the recipe in the link above. .using strawberry cake mix, 2 cans of strawberry pie filling and a Mountain Dew poured over the top. .DELISH!

So, Bye for now. .

Hope you enjoyed the excursion via photo!!

Blessings for you week. .

and thanks for stopping in!