Hey family!
I hope you are enjoying what’s left of the summer..it is coming to a close quickly! While I am glad for everyday, one of the highlights of my favorite season thus far was my weekend camping trip. Yep, REAL camping! In recent years, I said I wanted to go, but no one I knew wanted to. My desire was answers when a few (well, ten) female co-workers from four different states were planning a trip to Pine Acres Camping Ground in Massachusetts. I was in!
As I arrived on Friday evening, the ladies had set up a few tents, a covered, lit picnic area and were starting a fire. As I “checked in” to my my home for the next two days, it was replete with a welcome mat, air mattresses, and even a lamp to welcome four of us in. We talked, laughed and ate into the night around a cozy fire.
Away from that fire, it was COLD–like 40 degrees of so. Initially, I thought I made a mistake packing my flannel, two blankets and a housecoat, but it was needed. The other thing was the um…the facilities.
The restrooms and showers were about a 2-3 minute walk away from the campsite. Now during the day, that was fine–it was the night that was interesting, seeing that with the exception of a few dimly lit picnic areas, the dirt road leading to restroom was PITCH BLACK. In the spirit of unity, once one of us started stirring, and some else heard, we braved the walk together, flashlights in hand, chatting, whispering and admiring God’s handiwork.
The campsite offered a pool, beach area, general store, biking, hiking, cabins and plenty of pet and child friendly activities. While we all went hiking, some of us took advantage of the beach, while others of us got back around the fire, snacked, chatted, napped and enjoyed the blessing of a stress-free Saturday.
On the food front, there was no shortage of sustenance—in addition to an assortment of dips, snacks and beverages we brought, there were eggs, toast, bagels, muffins, chicken, burgers, salads, coffee, tea, fruit, old-school Jiffy Pop and my newest favorite–s’mores! Hey, every now and again it’s okay to get off the road of eating healthy. It’s good for the metabolism! 😜
As our trip came to a close on Sunday, we worked together to pack up tents, sleeping gear, tidy up the picnic area, parcel out leftover goodies, and say our goodbyes.😞 If I had to do anything differently:
>NOT forget my flashlight (thank God for the iPhone and cell phone service. The Lord nudged me about downloading a flashlight app when I had to make a 2 a.m. visit to the loo).
>Invest in a sleeping bag. I was warm enough with what I had–a sleeping bag would have added to the overall camping experience.
>Get to the site earlier so I could experience setting up the tent. The takedown was great, I want to see how they come together.
>Take another day or so at the campsite. I’m thinking a three-day weekend would be ideal.
Overall, I LOVED the experience and would love to go camping again. In fact, we are planning a trip for next year, Lord will. If you have not had the camping experience, I’d highly recommend it. There’s something about being out in the open with God and the sounds/functions of nature that relaxes yet recharges you. Put it on the list, Family!
God bless you and thanks for reading!
Blen
BCU 
We had a wonderful time. We will be doing this every year!
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It was wonderful, Earl! Looking forward to the next time!
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