Making Memories

Sign posted next to the playground by our campsite.

More than a year ago, after reading a book about camping, Abby told me that she wanted to go camping too. At the time I told her, "I'll see what we can do about that." In the back of my mind, I was really thinking, "there is no way I want any part of dragging Elise out to a campground and having to think about everything that would be involved in ensuring that she could safely "enjoy" this experience." What Abby asked for was in the back of my mind, but I really didn't consider it much at the time. Over the next several months I thought about it many times until coming to the realization that camping, for her, didn't have to include Elise as well. There was nothing wrong with her going camping without Elise. So, I made it my goal to take her camping!

I finally found a time that would work for us. We loaded our van and invited my brother Don to join us at one of the state parks at Tuttle Creek outside of Manhattan. On Friday night, we set up our tent, roasted hot dogs over an open fire, and hit the lake for some fishing time before calling it a night.

Walking to our first fishing spot

Fishing is a big part of many of my childhood memories and something that I really want to pass on to my kids. Like many parents, I often let life get in the way, and we just don't make the time for it that I would like to. It was one of my many goals to rectify that situation during our camping trip.

 Luckily for me, Abby loves to go fishing! She talks nonstop, doesn't sit still for long, and is always messing with her fishing pole. Generally, I don't mind any of it. I'm just glad to be sharing the time with her. In the week before we went camping, I heard many times on the radio, a song by Trace Adkins called "Just Fishin'". You can hear it here. As the song says many times, "she thinks we're just fishin'". I hope that someday she will have great memories of fishing much like I have with my brother and dad.

A rare picture sitting still

Our fishing spot for the first evening wasn't as productive as I had hoped for, but it seemed to please her just fine. It certainly provided Don and I a few opportunities to snap some photos at least. It wasn't too long after we started fishing and Don got his first bite. He was nice enough to convince Abby that he needed some help and got her to reel in his pole. The fruits of her labor was pulling in her first walleye of her young life. I'm not sure if she was smiling bigger or me, but it was pretty cool.

Her first walleye

Four fish later, we called it a night. Before going fishing, Uncle Don bet Abby that he would catch more fish and the loser had to buy ice cream. Not surprisingly, she won that bet (even if two of those fish were on his pole) and we had to stop for ice cream before returning to the campground. Abby spent a long time laying awake in the tent trying to figure out what each little noise was. She can be easily spooked and I wasn't sure how she would handle camping. But, she eventually settled in and got some good sleep. Much to my dismay though, she was bright eyed at 6 am when she wanted breakfast and to go back to fishing! Those were certainly 2 things high on my list for the day!

Caught all by herself!

I was surprised to learn, when I checked in to the campground, that they had a "free day" at the state park on Saturday and had lots of things planned for kids. I had a few things planned myself, and I really didn't want other events getting in our way. It turned out to be a good thing as we were able to supplement some of my plans by adding in some of their planned events. One Saturday, we enjoyed several hours of fishing in the morning followed by a stop at the shooting and archery range. The line turned out to be a bit too long for archery, but Abby really enjoyed learning to shoot a BB gun. There might be a future birthday idea in there!

She's not a bad shot

We followed up our shooting activity with a little time for her to play in the bounce house and caterpillar tunnel that they set up. She enjoyed the time to run and get out some of that pent up energy. Although, she was quickly becoming one tired little girl.

Ready to go swimming

After a short nap, Kelly and Elise joined Abby, Don, and I for some time on the beach. It has been an unseasonably cool summer around here. On Saturday, there was no sign of that unseasonably cool weather. It was HOT! A couple of hours at the beach was just what the doctor ordered. We enjoyed having Elise and Kelly join us. Don and I REALLY enjoyed the prolonged opportunity to stand in the cool water and feel a bit more refreshed. We finished our night off with some great chicken cooked over an open fire and of course we also had smores!

Worn out

Abby was so worn out she asked to go put on her pajamas by 9pm and she was asleep shortly after that time. It was a warm night, but a great night's sleep for everyone and helped us to go home on Sunday a bit more refreshed.

As I have thought back over the weekend, it was everything that I hoped it would be for her and me both. It was great quality and quantity time for both of us. She had my undivided attention and I had hers as well. She got to have some bonding time with her Uncle Don as well which was certainly an added bonus.

In the first picture above is the Kansas Children's Bill of Rights. I took a picture of a sign that was posted right next to the playground inside the campground. I was intrigued by many of the things that were listed and I was glad to see that we were accomplishing so many things on that list. It was great to disconnect from society even for just a little bit and immerse ourselves in our environment.

My ultimate goal of this trip was to spend some great time with Abby. The side benefits would be getting to take her fishing, sleeping under the stars, enjoying a nice time at the beach, and eating food cooked over an open fire. In the end, I wanted to make memories for both her and I. In the words of Trace Adkins, "I guarantee this memory's a biggin, and she thinks we're just fishin'." I look forward to doing this again someday. Abby is already planning our next trip.

For the record, I caught fish too! Abby enjoyed taking this picture.