Camp Wild: Holding On

We’ve reached that point in the summer where we convince ourselves that if we hold on tight to play, we will slow time enough to ease the sting of what’s coming for us. We are fools to believe it, but at least this method gets us into the lake.

Camp Wild: Waterslide and Shortstop

It’s just a super sketchy waterslide with no rules built into a colossal hill right on the side of a highway in Missouri. There’s an awesome grumpy old man in a straw hat running a cash only operation from a makeshift hut, and if you’re shorter than the counter you get to slide for free. We call ahead to see if it’s even running. We drive almost an hour to get there. We play until our legs are too tired to climb back up the hill (or someone gets hurt), and usually still go “just one more time” one or seven more times. We we stop for gas station mile high ice cream cones at Short Stop on the way back.  It’s all very official and Summer can now come to an end

This next pic is my favorite water slide pic of all time. Delaney’s grip determination to hold Sloanie safely is everything! I love her love for my people. 

We were small in numbers with just the Shaws, Willies, and Cadence C, this year, but it was still unforgettable. Long live Camp Wild

Camp Wild Lake Day

We tried to meet up for a spontaneous swim with our Camp Wild friends at the Bella Vista pool today. It’s been so long since any of us have had any in person interaction with friends, that this outing for metfield pool felt like a dream vacation.  Unfortunately, when we arrived, we learned the pool had hit their “social distancing capacity of 60 people” after half of our friends made it in. Kingsdale pool was also at capacity, and the “beach” at lake avalon would only let in 10 people. 

I called Kasey and asked if we could take over her lake. She’s amazing and generously said yes, so we did, and the kids and I (plus some Shaws) met some of the Glovers, Neighbors, and Gulbransens for an afternoon on the lake.  Tia brought these amazing floats that connect together and it was the most relaxed I have ever felt in a lake, ever ever ever. 

Soren knocked on Kasey’s window and told her to take a break and come join us for a float. Can’t say no to that!   I love these wonderful, faithful, encouraging. strong, fun women so much! They are so funny and smart and it gave me life to talk and laugh and play together. I came home with a filled cup. 

The kids also LOVED this afternoon. (See ultra relaxed Sully below)

The teens all took off on SUPs and kayaks and ended up at the dam for awhile. The boys, tweens and kids all  swam and played off the dock and on kayaks. Sloane sat in the raft with me and played with a dollar store squirt gun.  Later, the moms got out and the teens/girls took over the connected circle of rafts. 

Today had summer magic. 

Happy Birthday, Katie! 

Thank you, Kasey! I think a monthly lake play tradition was born, today! 

Camp Wild 2016 Day 2

Today we left baby Sloane with a wonderfully sweet friend who offered to watch her, and the rest of us trekked on over to the Mark Twain National Forest near Roaring River Park in Cassville, Missouri. 

Why?

The Redneck Waterslide! 

What you see here is a giant hill with a cement coated trench dug out of it. $8/hour for totally unsupervised and irresponsible redneck fun. We had a blast. I popped Soren on my lap and off we went...much faster than I anticipated! He held on for dear life and I'm not sure if it was the ride or my screaming that left him terrified but he refused to get near the slide after one run. 

Luckily, Soren is Soren and he was quite content to just kick back halfway up the hill and watch everyone in our group go down a fazillion times. Everyone high fived him on their way back up and he politely declined their offers to take him for a ride. I went down a couple of times with Quincy and Corbin, and then Spren and I took it easy by the top of the slide, watching people take off. Then we went up the bottom for awhile and watched them land. That was hilarious. 

When it was almost time to go, Julie offered Soren a shiny new quarter to give the slide one more chance. Soren countered with a request for two quarters. Sold! We went again, Soren got his prize, then parked himself back on the sidelines again. Happy to just watch! 

We hit up the short stop grill in Garfiekd on the way home for giant ice cream cones. My kids ordered the peewee cones (two sizes smaller than size small and this is what we got. Ice cream the size of their face. I put Soren's into a cup to avoid a mess (hahaha) and he fell asleep holding it on the way home. Adorable...until I hit the brakes and his giant cup went flying through the air and landed all over the floor of the van after raining melted chocolate on everyone. Oh well! The carpet stain will always remind us of good times at camp wild :) 

George Washington Carver National Monument: Camp Wild Encore

We had a field trip today with the camp wild crew to Diamond, Mo to the George Washington Carver National Monument. 

What an inspiring man. Born a slave near the end of the civil war, orphaned by age 2, rose above many adversities to get an education, then used his knowledge to teach, help, and inspire others for the rest of his life. 

We took a 1 mile walk to visit the monument, remains of the cabin where George was born, the Carver house, pond, and cemetery. 

The homestead was dreamy. Sometimes I think I might've enjoyed life at the turn of the 19th century. Simplicity, do it yourself everything, hard work, no tv screens, phone screens, or computer screens screaming for our attention, slower country life...

...And then I remember how much I loathe flies and love my air conditioner. And that winter in Mo is no joke. But it's nice to daydream about wearing an apron all day, baking from scratch, hours in the garden with the children, doing laundry by hand...oh there would be so much less laundry if we all wore the same threadbare clothes every day. And no appointments..well very few. Of course there's till work to be done but there's no place we need to be but together. That is dreamy. That must be what heaven is like. A homestead. But with air conditioning, I hope. ;) 

I digress. 

We saw a turtle and a muskrat in the (mossy, algae covered) pond, and a dozen tiny unmarked headstones in the family cemetery. 

Our park ranger tour guide read a poem that I thought was really touching. 

Well isn't that just a kick in the pants for motivation. This guy was genuine. I can tell. His encouraging words and deeds still kindle a little motivational fire under all who read them. A true inspiration. No wonder they created a monument to celebrate his life and contributions. 

After a picnic that was comfortably sweltering under the shade of some huge gorgeous trees, we went to the science lab (a replica of carver's agriculture lab) and made peanut milk. This was the kids' favorite part! The lab looked like a movie set. Lots of fun. 

Reese, you look old in this picture. 

After the science lab, we explored the museum exhibits, watched a great documentary film about George W Carver's life, then checked out the gift shop before going home. 

3 cheers for camp wild and long live summer with this wild family of mine. 

Camp Wild Thursday

I'm I'm I'm I'm Thursday morning started with a little ore camp wild fun. My friend Jill S braided Reese and Quincy's hair. I'm a hair braiding loser and never style my kids with fancy hair, so this was a real treat for them! They looked so cute. 

We took camp wild up to Joplin on Thursday for some adventure. We toured the Candy House Chocolate Factory. 

We forgot to get a pic before everyone had thrown their hairnets away, but here's part of the group. 

Sadly, there was no chocolate river inside the chocolate factory. Our guide was a good Willy Wonka, though. 

Here are some of the things the children wrote down that they learned at the factory. 

"It smells like sugar in the kitchen." 

"Dark chocolate is healthier than milk chocolate or white chocolate, because it has less sugar." 

"There are 42 cocoa beans inside 1 pod." 

"To make chocolate, they roast the beans, crush them into powder, and add sugar and butter."

"Extra chocolate can be melted  and used over and over again so they don't waste it when they do the molds."

"All the chocolates that get dipped go through a metal detector to make sure the machine parts didn't break off and get metal in them."

At the end of the tour, we received a sample of peanut butter and chocolate tiger fudge. It was THE BEST fudge I have ever tasted. Wow! 

When in Joplin, Culvers for lunch! 

"Welcome to delicious," Soren. 

Katie and I made a spontaneous pit stop at the Jopljn Museum Center before going home. This place was cool, and free! There were several mini museum collections combined under one roof. A China doll collection, a famous people from Missouri collection, an historical living collection. 

The miniature circus was the favorite bevause if the monkey organ and the funhouse mirror.

Little dollhouse 

Big dollhouse ;) 

The other half of the museum was a two story mineral museum. Southern Mo and NWA are known for mining. The displays covered everything from fossils to the periodic table of elements, this was the most thorough minerals display we have ever seen. Reese is my little geologist and was especially happy we stopped here. 

Following the pattern of the week, sleepy kids on the way home. 

They were well rested for Thursday phase 2. A Glow Night at the Splash Pad. 

Aaron fired off this glowing pop fly helicopter a hundred times that night for the kids. Bro Shaw and Messick were also super cool dads who invented games to play with the glow sticks and rings in the water and both went home soaked. We were also joined by the Pendletons and Lodens. I couldn't get shy pics to show up once it got really dark, but here are a few I snapped as the sun set. 

Poor Q took a fall and suffered some pretty nastily skinned knees and elbows. She's still nursing her injuries 48 hours later. The Lodens came to the rescue with their car first aid kit and hooked her up with an ice pack and hello kitty bandages and her daddy hooked her up with Mc Donald's on the way home. 

Even though Q's night ended in misery, if was still a magical night in downtown bentonville with great friends. Long live summer. Long live Camp Wild!