campout 2014 edition

i can't help myself. this is the 6th year we have done this. it has changed - as have we all - but the heart of it remains the same.


































so blessed to have these people in our life.


2013
2012
2011
2010
2009

campout '13

an earlier start to summer vacation and a devastating wildfire brought changes to our annual campout. we spent the last two nights at leo carillo state park with june gloom in full force.























but no one minded at all. (bonus! no one came home with a sunburn!) and the important stuff. the memory making and time sharing with these peeps who are such a part of our lives. that was all the same. and it grows and grows. xo

...

our screen-free week was pretty successful. it is always a good exercise - and i am always impressed how easy it is for the girls. (and i look forward to a relatively screen-free summer just around the corner!) i'll admit, it was hardest for me. with the spring fire developing at the end of the week i found myself drawn in to following its path. as it neared friends and favourite spots i couldn't look away.

i am relieved to hear it wasn't started by arson. nor was there any loss of life or homes. but i can't help but wonder what this landscape we know so well now looks like. the fire tore through one of our favorite camping spots. by fate, this year, we have booked our annual adventure to a nearby campground that went untouched by the fire. but we will be visiting "old sycamore" as soon as we can...


2009


2010


2011


2012

once and again...

our 4th go...





same time of year and same place as before. though we took an extra night this year.







the group next to us told us we were also their neighbors last year. they remembered us. a group of families from culver city. this was their twelfth year. looking at their teenagers we wondered what we would be like in another eight years.













perfect way to start the summer. i think three nights might be in order next year.

s'mores and sunburn

this weekend was our 3rd annual neighborhood campout. always feels like the official start of summer
















we drove through the canyon with the windows open and music loud. we got the same spots as last year. pretty much. we celebrated June birthdays. (the predominant birthday month in our neighborhood!) we cooked over the open fire. we danced with glow-sticks. we shared our tent and fell asleep to quiet chatter and the sound of the waves. we took a very early morning walk to the beach in our pajamas, to say hello to the ocean. we had an amazing breakfast. (why are bacon and eggs so much better when you are camping?) we rushed back to the beach for the day. we ate sandy sandwiches. we drove home with the music low, and eyelids heavy.

2010

2009