Summer Days

Where have we been? Enjoying a very busy and full summer!

The first of June found us in Tennessee talking about marriage and child rearing - our boys weren't thrilled about those topics but they were thrilled to spend HOURS here:

Then a quick stop at Cades Cove - we just missed seeing a bear.

Then on to the Smoky Mountains for camping.

We went back to Mile High Campground because the views there are unbeatable.

We had a very nice secluded camping spot and that is happiness for little boys. Through the week we saw a total of 11 elk that came through our campsite - one not even 10 feet away - that's a little too close for comfort. One morning we woke up in the clouds and that was really neat.

While camping there were times to walk through bamboo forests

and wade in streams.

This time we learned a very important lesson: when you leave on a hike, no matter how pretty the sky looks - close your tent. A thunderstorm can develop very quickly in those mountains and if you leave your tent open, everything will get wet. Thankfully Cherokee, North Carolina has a laundromat that made quick work of pillows, sleeping bags, blankets and clothes so that by the time bedtime arrived, all three monkeys had a warm dry place to lay their heads.

Then back for a few weeks to focus on caring for the garden and working on some painting projects.

 Some baby birds in the Boston fern on the porch.

Then a trip to AL for Pell City Camp but....the new camera I was given never left it's case. But when we got back I did take a picture of Daniel who lost his first tooth.

Then my nephew came for a visit and asked for a "Hobbit Hole Cake" so I dug out the cake decorating materials and did my first Hobbit cake. From my son's reactions - I'll probably have three more over the next year. (And just as we were about to walk out the door one of my boys gasped and said, "Mommy, you forgot the golden doorknob." So we remedied that before it was delivered.)

It was then time to say goodbye to a great friend who is leaving to do an internship for the next year. How we will miss Darnell's laugh and stories but so thankful forwhat God has been doing in his life and looking forward to what God has ahead for him.

Then a few days away in Amish Country to celebrate 12 years of sharing life together with this man:

And enjoying some beautiful, relaxing, country scenery before the rush of another school year returns.

And now Philip is away preaching his last campmeeting, the boys and I are home picking blackberries, tomatoes, and cucumbers. This next week we finish preparations for the first day of school. Such a busy summer! But what a great one!

Spring Break = Camping in Hocking Hills State Park

The last week of March was Philip's Spring Break so we took off school that week also and used the time to catch up on some housework (when you homeschool that's something that only gets a "lick and a promise" during the school year) and took a camping trip.

This was our first time to go camping when it was really and truly cold. There have been other times I thought that I was cold.....but this trip proved that I only thought I was cold those other times. It was 20 degrees one night and 23 the second. That would not have made for a great camping trip except that the days were very nice - somewhere in the high 50's which is perfect hiking weather. And we learned that cold can be remedied if you have the right equipment (which we worked on and will continue to do so).

Camp all set up and ready to go.

Probably the favorite part of camping is the boys getting the privilege to "hack" to their hearts content. This time we invested in a small axe for each of them to have as their own strictly for camping trips (otherwise all trees in our neighborhood would be in danger).

 Gathering firewood is a close second favorite......probably because it includes elements of hacking.

This trip Darnell Wilson, one of my husband's students, joined us.We enjoyed having him along and he was a wonderful help to Philip.

We took two different hikes - one to Old Man's Cave and the other to Ash Cave. Both were beautiful and where such a clear reminder of God's handiwork. What the earth was like before the Fall must have been magnificent.....what we have in a fallen world is incredible.

 Devil's Bathtub - and area that created a natural whirlpool but the sides were so smooth and slick they say if you ever get in it's very difficult to get out.

 Upper Falls

 Old Man's Cave

 Lower Falls

 The walk to Ash cave was handicap accessible which meant a really nice paved path - even then, Stephen preferred riding on Darnell's shoulders.

 It was incredibly large and beautiful!

We were able to do almost all of our camp cooking over a fire this time (which I prefer) and that was handy particularly cooking breakfast on those chilly mornings.

Daniel managed to cut down a little sapling during the two days we were there using his ax and was quite proud of himself.

One of my concerns as a mother has been that no one get lost - so we bought each of us whistles so that if anyone gets lost they can use it to signal for help. So far, no one has had to use them so I became a little lax. As we were getting ready to go on one of our walks this time I told the boys they didn't need them since we were all going on the hike together......mistake #1. Thankfully, Daniel knew what to do (though he gave our home telephone number and no one could get a signal out of the gorge) and within 30 minutes we were reunited. Lesson learned: children wear whistles at all times.

Another has been that we keep all digits and appendages.......mommy was the only one hurt on this trip. Lesson learned: Mommy needs to be more careful to follow her own advise.

My favorite part of camping besides the quiet and solitude are the stars.......they are magnificent! But getting a picture of them doesn't do them justice.

That was spring break in a nutshell. Now we're back and finishing achievement tests and buckling in to finish the fourth quarter - hard to believe another school year will soon be over.

2,479 Miles Later......

We're back in Cincinnati after a two week long excursion. We've never taken such an extreme trip before- from camp meeting to wilderness camping. Here are some snippets of our journey.

Our first stop was three blocks from home to pick up an antibiotic for Philip who had/has bronchitis. We are  thankful God enabled him to preach and meet his responsibilities as one of the camp evangelists. Since he was so sick we decided to leave a day early and break up the trip to Pefferlaw, Ontario, Canada over two days. The first evening Seth and Heidi Wetherald graciously allowed us to stay in their home and the boys enjoyed getting to know Emmy and Ellie. It was a joy to see Brother Clair Sams again and sit under his ministry. I particularly enjoyed his "paradox" messages: "The Unchanging God who Changes" and "The All-Knowing God who Forgets".

The boys enjoyed being in children's services twice a day and they said a highlight of the trip was making new friends....unfortunately, mommy did not get pictures of those friends. Between services they enjoyed playing together and having some room to roam.

After leaving Pefferlaw we traveled to Oswego, NY to see our friends, the Canfields. Since we had to pass through Niagra we opted to stop and see the Falls. They boys enjoyed seeing them for the first time but weren't prepared for how wet they would get.

Stephen kept saying, "If you want to jump in mommy, you can jump in. Daddy, if you want to jump in you can jump!" He wasn't able to convince anyone to go for it.

We enjoyed getting to see Mrs. Ethel Canfield, Elizabeth, Evangeline, and Emily but were sorry to have missed Doug by several hours. They took us to see the sunset over Lake Ontario and it was beautiful!

I wish I had gotten some more pictures of their house - what a NEAT place! Particularly the three story curved staircase - just a delightful place to explore.

This next picture was snapped because of what happened not 15 seconds before I took the picture. Daniel leaned up to me and said, "Look mommy, Stephen is sleeping and his mouth is hanging open." When I turned and looked, sure enough Stephen was asleep so I said, "Oh good, he's sleeping so you need to be quiet so that he can get some rest before we get to our campsite. Please keep quiet. " When he didn't respond with a "yes ma'am" I turned around, saw this and had to laugh!

After leaving the Canfield's we headed for Crane Pond in the Adirondacks. The Kizer family had shared the information about this camping spot and we decided to give it a try. The road in is unpaved and normally there is a section that is under water but due to the drought it was a dry riverbed for us (I was thankful!). That was our main concern/challenge because we don't have a four wheel drive, just a family van. If we can do it.....anyone can!


Once you arrive at the parking area, it's necessary to either hike or canoe in your supplies. Having three chidlren, and having packed everything, including the kitchen sink, we opted for canoeing in. It was about a 1/2 mile row to the campsite and that canoe was packed to the brim. Much to my relief, not one time did it tip over in our travels!

This is all the stuff that needed transported. We opted to take the tent, parents and children on the first trip and while the boys and I set up the tent, Philip went back for the rest.

This is why we chose such a remote, out of the way, location........it was perfect. (truth is - Wal-Mart was about 30 minutes away!) This picture was taken one morning right before breakfast while standing at our campsite.

The entire lake was ours for the first day and a half. There were some people who came in to fish but no one stayed until the last night we were there. An entire lake all to yourself - ahhhhhhhh........the loons were beautiful at night, it was so quiet and peaceful, we fished (enough to eat a meal) for bass, the boys went "swimming" on the hot afternoons, and the evenings were nice and cool. God answered our prayers of no rain and no bugs!

Allan is ready for breakfast! (You can see our food hanging from the tree- we didn't get to see any bear while we were there.)

 This was the food prep and washing station.

 Our fire pit and cooking area.

 The tent area.

 Family worship one evening.

 The boys working on getting wood for the fire.

 A HUGE turtle that came around while we were fishing. It was about 14 inches long and 11 inches wide - nosy big guy!

Fishing wasn't fantastic but it was fun and we had enough for supper one evening.

 The rock area in the middle of the picture is a great swimming place but since my guys can't swim they fished there instead.

The lily pads and flowers were beautiful.

 Daniel being.....Daniel.

 Allan fanning the fire.

 Stephen being.....Stephen.

I wish I could have gotten some video of the loons but every time I tried, they'd stop making their call or it was at night.

All five of us deemed it a success and hope to do it again. Some people have asked if I (Marianne) really like camping. The truth is - I do. When we get ready to go camping I turn a mental switch to ignore dirt and once I do that - it's very restful. Now, if I lived in the country and everyday breathed clean air and experienced stillness then it might not be as fun. But periodically I need to wash my spirit from the grime and filth of the city and allow the beauty of nature to breathe new life and vibrancy into the deepest parts of me. I enjoy cooking in my cast iron cookware over an open fire, keeping things simple, and being free from the cares of electricity and technology. I like the peacefulness of simple living and camping is that for me. 

After packing up and leaving the Adirondacks, we traveled to PA for the Miller family reunion on Saturday. This was a highlight of the trip! My Grandma Miller is still living and all of her living seven children were able to come. I think the only people we were missing was one aunt, one uncle, three cousins and their families, and my brother and his family. But I'll save the pictures of this leg of the trip for the next post.