Damp Camp

To be fair, our Labor Day weekend camping trip wasn't all wet. The first 24 hours were actually dry and quite lovely. The rain began around 5:30 p.m. on Saturday and only lasted for about six hours. Still, it was my first campout in the rain, and that's certainly a memorable experience.

We met Tim's dad Charlie and his wife Debbie at the Cosby Campground on Friday afternoon. Here the guys are pitching our tent. Wait a minute...where's Reed?

Here he is - not far away, enjoying Granddaddy and Debbie's hammock.

Full from our supper of roasted hot dogs and corn on the cob, we enjoy a good campfire. Anyone hungry for s'mores yet?

Morningtime at camp. Do not be alarmed by the hatchet and ax in our sons' hands. They were well supervised...really!

We enjoyed a lovely hike on a nature trail in the campground. The boys ran ahead of us exploring, while Charlie, Debbie, and Tim studied the trail map and the information it disclosed. I meandered somewhere in the middle.

We tried to stay alert on our hike - not only to spot any lurking bears, but to see all of the fascinating sights along the way, from colorful mushrooms to unusual tree trunks. Natures truly offers both the beautiful and the bizarre. (Kudos to Reed for the first photo of the vine connecting to the tree trunk - awesome picture!)

What real men do when they go camping: Whittle while listening to the first UT football game of the season on a shared mp3.

Seth's wondering, "Is this really just a passing shower?" Unfortunately it wasn't, so our grilled steak dinner and late-night s'mores were thwarted. Instead, we ventured into Cosby to enjoy a night of fine dining at "Mama's Kitchen." Thankfully Mama had fresh-made lemon icebox pie, so that made up for the missed s'mores.

Ahhh, a dry morning and a warm campfire! Here Reed snuggles up to his granddaddy.

Our second official camping trip ... a success! Thankful for a good tent that kept us dry, good sleeping bags that kept us warm, and good company to share the fun.