We set up camp right in the middle of the clearing. T pitched the tent while I found rocks and made the fire ring. I'm pretty impressed with the ring, if I do say so myself:)
The campfire was definitely the highlight of the trip for me!
It was a little more difficult to find firewood than we expected. Most of the down timber on the lot was wet and moss covered. But, eventually we had a pile of kindling, a pile of small logs, and a pile of larger split logs.
Before our trip, I technically knew how to make a fire (with the modern convenience of a lighter, of course!), but I learned a lot about maintaining a fire...when to feed it and when to let it rest. I began to recognize the right moment for adding fuel and started to understand the role of the coals in keeping the fire burning over an extended period of time. I had a lot of fun nursing that fire!
We eventually had it hot enough to burn even the wettest logs. And it wasn't too shabby for roasting the perfect marshmallow either!
And my fire ring lived up to expectations:)
Throughout the trip, I documented the random little changes in nature...you know, those bizarre pictures that I include in just about every post:)
This little guy came to visit me while T was fishing. I became quite fond of him.
And it seems that on every trip I end up with pictures of the road leading to our lot. One of my favorite parts of the journey is when the GPS unit (who we've nicknamed, Astrid) says, "then navigate off-road." I absolutely love this little gravel path through the woods, the stand of pines along one side, the verdant green grass, and the chance of a wildlife spotting as we trek back through an area that doesn't experience much human invasion.
And, boy, were there some wildlife encounters on this trip. T spent most of the trip flirting with the local turkeys. He would call to them and they would cluck back at him. I was getting a bit jealous!
And a deer nearly scared me right out of my britches when it crested the hill at the edge of our lot and caught sight of our campfire. We suddenly heard the strangest sound coming from the woods and I'm sure the look on my face was priceless. T explained to me that deer wheeze when they are warning other deer to stay out a particular area because of danger. I later read that it is actually an aggressive noise. Apparently deer use that sound as a warning to other deer. I think I'm glad I didn't know that at the time!
And at 6:00am, T woke to see a deer on the edge of the clearing. Due to my complete and utter blindness and my hesitation to move to reach for my glasses, I didn't get a glimpse of it until it had moved to tree line. But, it was still amazing to be so close to her!
And no trip would be complete without a little fishing.
I threw out a line a few times, but spent most of my time lounging on a rock playing with my camera or reading.
But, T came away with a couple of small red eye bass, so the trip was deemed a success:)
And just so no one thinks we wasted our two days...
We did visit a shed builder and have settled on a construction plan. It's only about the 645th different design that we "settled" on, but I think this one is a serious, legitimate plan. We're late getting started on construction because we were still mulling over the various options...OK, T was still mulling. It's his job in our marriage:) But, now I think we are ready move forward. There are still a lot of decisions to be made (siding, post and beam or 2x4 construction, a plan for insulation, loft size, etc.), but we are ready to start pricing actual materials and put together a budget for the project. That will help us make a lot of the final decisions that are still up in the air.
We're hoping to put in a foundation by the end of the summer and actually build the shed right after the fall tax season. We're still planning to do the building ourselves and are looking forward to adding some personal touches like porch support beams made from trees on our lot.
We also talked through the camping process and have started to make a list of the supplies we will need if we bring the girls or stay more than one night.
All in all it was a good trip. A nice escape from reality. And a great chance to connect without outside distractions...and isn't that the whole purpose of our river journey?
