The Keys go camping

The Keys arrive

Check out the view from the my dad's old tent.  We found Grandpa's spectacles inside :)

and inside

Parents start to cook hotdogs and kids explore

a thousand, "can I have a marshmallow's", and "No, not until after dinner"'s later we open the bag and;

Dorathea- "We don't have any books, so can we tell stories instead?"  So we all tell stories about princesses and kangaroos and fireflies and then D-"Can you sing me a lullaby?"  So Daddy and I sing lullabies as the sun goes down all of us snuggled up together in the tent.

Morning breaks, mist rises off the river, and Ted rises to make the first fire.

Soon Jonathan and I get up too hungry to sleep.  I put the coffee and biscuits on to cook and admire my boys.

The coffee is so warm in my hands and perfect with a biscuit with strawberry jam.  Why do things taste better outside by a campfire?

Canada Geese love this spot and pairs proudly parade their fuzzy babies right in front of us.

The kids eat there fill, we put away the campsite and are off on a hike on the sandy-trailed riverside.

Chasing babies.

nature boy stops to play

Dorathea picks Sweet William all along the way.

At some point the sand starts to sparkle.  Like it is filled with fairy dust.  And a beautiful clearing sweeps in front of us.  The kids play in the sand and we listen to the river's song over the rocks.

She decorates her castle with her flowers. Our first camping trip since children is a triumph, and so we leave sparkling sand and go in search of Asheville and a wonderful restaurant called Mayfels and then home to celebrate Mothers day with roses and chocolate.  I love my family