WE RECENTLY ENJOYED A GROUP CAMPING TRIP TO LAKE SKINNER. SOME OF THE GANG FROM MOULTON NIGUEL WATER HAD PLANNED A TRIP, AND THANKS TO KRIS,WE GOT TO TAG ALONG TOO!
IT HAD BEEN QUITE SOME TIME SINCE WE HAD BEEN TO LAKE SKINNER-THERE HAD BEEN MANY TRIPS THERE WHEN THE KIDS WERE YOUNG-AND SEVERAL OF THE MOULTON GROUP HAD ALWAYS JOINED US. WE ALL HAD LITTLE ONES BACK THEN, AND WE ALWAYS HAD LOTS OF FUN! THIS TIME SOME OF THE "KIDS" HAVE THEIR OWN LITTLE ONES-INCLUDING NOLAN AND KRIS WITH ADORABLE RYLIE AND TAYLOR( OK, ME,BEING THE AUTHOR OF THIS BLOG-I HAVE THE RIGHT TO BRAG A BIT-THEY ARE TWO OF THE MOST ADORABLE LITTLE GIRLS I KNOW)AND SOME BROUGHT THEIR GRANDKIDS-THERE WERE LOTS OF REALLY CUTE ONES ON THIS TRIP-ENOUGH TO MAKE THE ADULTS FEEL PRETTY OLD REMEMBERING PREVIOUS LAKE SKINNER ADVENTURES. THIS WAS A SPECIAL CAMPING TRIP FOR NOLAN AND HIS GIRLS-THE MAIDEN VOYAGE OF THEIR NEW TRUCK AND CAMPER! NOLAN HAD SPENT MANY HOURS WORKING ON BOTH TRUCK AND CAMPER,GETTING THEM IN TRAVELLING SHAPE. MIKE HELPED OUT TOO-AND IT WAS PRETTY EXCITING TO SEE THE CAMPER FINALLY ARRIVE AT CAMP-FOLLOWED BY KRIS DRIVING HER CAR WITH THE GIRLS. NOLAN WANTED TO MAKE SURE THEY ALL FOUR ARRIVED SAFELY,SO KRIS HAD TO DRIVE SEPARATELY WITH THE GIRLS-ALL WENT WELL,NOTHING FELL OFF OF THE TRUCK(REFERRING TO THE CAMPER OR ANYTHING ELSE)-NOTHING WENT WRONG AT ALL,AND WE ALL CHEERED WHEN THEY ARRIVED.
WHEN MIKE AND I FIRST DROVE INTO THE PARK,WE WERE HAPPILY GREETED BY KEN(FRAS-DOG TO THOSE WHO KNOW HIM BEST) HE DID NOT KNOW WE WERE COMING, AND WE DID NOT KNOW HE WAS COMING-IT WAS A GOOD SURPRISE FOR US ALL! KEN WAS SO NICE TO TELL ME THAT HE REGULARLY READS THIS BLOG-I AM HAPPY TO FINALLY BE ABLE TO INCLUDE HIM IN THIS EDITION-HI KEN!! PRETTY SOON PETE AND JEAN ARRIVED,ALONG WITH OTHERS-EACH TIME THERE WAS A ROUND OF HUGS AND EVERYONE LYING ABOUT HOW YOUNG WE STILL LOOK ETC-IT IS GREAT GETTING TOGETHER AGAIN! MELISSA CAME BY AFTER WORK,WE GRILLED SHRIMP AND SHE AND RYLIE MADE A BEAUTIFUL SALAD. WE HAD A COUPLE OF CAMPFIRES GOING-AND OF COURSE SOME ROASTING OF MARSH MELLOWS. THE EVENING CAME AND WENT,WE WERE ALL HAPPY CAMPERS-(SOME OF US A BIT HAPPIER THAN OTHERS,AND ONE LITTLE INCIDENT INVOLVING SOME CHAIRS AND A FIRE PIT-NO NAMES HERE-)WE GOT UP THE NEXT DAY READY TO DO IT ALL AGAIN-AND MORE. I WAS LUCKY TO HAVE RYLIE AND TAYLOR COME OVER FOR HOT CHOCOLATE WITH LOTS OF WHIPPED CREAM-THERE WERE HOT AIR BALLOONS FLYING OVERHEAD,THE SUN WAS OUT AND WE HAD A BIG DAY AHEAD OF US. TONY BROUGHT A FUN GAME TO CHALLENGE ALL OF US WITH(I DO NOT RECALL THE NAME OF IT,COULD BE BECAUSE MIKE AND I REALLY SUCKED AT IT)AND THEN THERE WAS THE NOW FAMOUS GAME FORMERLY KNOW AS BOTCHE BALL-APTLY RENAMED BY THE GROUP "BI-A-TCHY BALL" JILL(MY PARTNER) AND I PRETTY MUCH SUCKED AT THIS TOO-BUT WE HAD A GREAT TIME ANYWAY! IN THE AFTERNOON WE GATHERED FOR AN APPETISER PARTY-TONS OF GOOD FOOD-INCLUDING MY PERSONAL FAVORITE,A DIP SERVED IN A PUMPKIN(IT WAS REALLY GOOD-BUT IT WAS IN A PUMPKIN, SO I WOULD HAVE LOVED IT ANYWAY)WE HAD A GREAT DAY,LOTS OF STORIES,MORE ARRIVALS-RYAN AND HIS GIRL DESI,AND LISA AND KATY,AND IT WAS SO NICE TO SEE ROSE TOO-AND SPARKY!! HOPE I AM NOT LEAVING ANYONE OUT,THERE WAS A GOOD CROWD-AND IT WAS JUST REALLY NICE TO SEE YOU ALL!!!
WHEN THE SUN WENT DOWN,ALL OF THE LITTLE ONES PUT ON THEIR HALLOWEEN OUTFITS AND TRICK-OR-TREATED IN CAMP. SOME WERE REALLY CUTE,SOME REALLY SCARY.MY FAVORITE WAS THE LITTLE TINY PUMPKIN ESCORTED BY DADDY RONAN-TOO CUTE!!
SUNDAY MORNING CAME WAY TOO FAST-AND ALMOST EVERYONE IN THE GROUP WAS GETTING PACKED UP TO LEAVE. NOLAN TOOK HIS GIRLS FISHING,A BABY RATTLE SNAKE WAS FOUND-AND DEALT WITH,MIKE AND I HAPPILY WATCHED ALL OF THE ACTIVITY-WE HAD DECIDED TO STAY ONE MORE NIGHT. AFTER MANY GOODBYES,JILL AND HER GUY ALLAN,CAME OVER TO OUR CAMP AND JILL GOT MIKE ALL CAUGHT UP ON EVERYTHING MOULTON NIGUEL.MIKE WAS PLEASED TO FIND THAT PRETTY MUCH EVERYTHING WAS STILL THE SAME AS WHEN HE LEFT THE COMPANY-WELL PRETTY MUCH ANYWAY! HE WAS SORRY THAT JOE COULD NOT MAKE IT TO CAMP-REALLY WAS LOOKING FORWARD TO SEEING HIM! ALL IN ALL IT WAS A REALLY FUN TRIP. I LOVED HAVING MY LITTLE GRANDGIRLS ALL WEEKEND-AND SEEING EVERYONE WAS JUST GREAT. THE LAST SPECIAL PART OF THIS TRIP? THAT CAMPER AND TRUCK MADE IT ALL THE WAY HOME JUST FINE TOO-GOOD JOB NOLAN!!! BE SURE TO CHECK THE TWO FOLLOWING BLOGS-THEY ARE JUST ALL ABOUT THE PICTURES!
