Initiation

To get Daniel into our holiday routine, we decided to do a one night camping trip. We had to break the news to him that, although our neighbours across the road may go to the Bahamas for a vacation, his very own family happens to do something drastically different.

I'm not sure if he really cares that he's missing the crystal blue water and pure sandy beaches. I think we convinced him that the somewhat sandy beach at Massasauga campsite 511 was just as good, if not better. After all, there weren't very many waves--only when a motorboat happened to be going through to the docks at the other side of the lake. (We had tried, rather too late, to get site 512 as recommended to us, but got second best instead. Our beach wasn't quite as sandy, since it got murky and weedy a few meters in. But the first part was very shallow, and the kids loved it, nevertheless.)

Daniel thought the cuisine was a bit lacking, so he tried "living off the land". He didn't manage to get a whole lot of nutrients this time around, but I'm sure he managed to get a fair bit of ruffage. With practice he will probably improve the nutrient to ruffage ratio.

He, like his siblings before him, found the boating accommodations to be very restful, after an initial display of dissatisfaction (presumably because of a dislike of the colour).

The rest of the gang did very well. (Excepting one bout of something or other that I'll refrain from rehashing.)

As for myself, I was enjoying the outing immensely, until my husband says;
"Guess what I just saw when I was getting this firewood?"
"Bear droppings?"
"No."
(A long list of other potentially gross things that could be found in the woods goes through my head.)
"What DID you see?"
"A rattlesnake. When I pulled out that big dead branch I heard it rattling, then I backed away from it."
The rest of the trip, which was most of it yet, had the added burden of needless motherly paranoia.

As much as I like endangered species, for my own peace of mind, we'll be avoiding The Massasauga until the kids are a bit older, and can be trusted to follow a bit of common sense when playing in the bush.