Camping and spontaneous crafts

Ahh, we went camping last weekend, for one night... It has been way too long since we last went! We stayed at a new site, since our old fave of 10+ years has been over-run by motor bikes... Anyway, i really needed this- i think we all needed this... every time i sleep out in the woods, something happens to me- something changes in me- and it is a good thing- maybe it's in the cooooold night or my silly fear of the dark & wild animals or the challenge of finding a "restroom" in the woods, but, whatever it is, more often than not i have some kind of meeting with God- i experience the miracle of living... And i know my little boy feels it too, he is so much more peaceful up there, and helpful, and content- content to sit still and watch the fire- content to go to sleep with no music or tv shows or night lights... And of course, Rico needs it too...

Inspiration found me there- we found some cut up pieces of logs and called them "canvases" and i began drawing on them with charcoal- just whatever random thing came to my mind- i asked Fynn if he wanted to draw, and he didn't want the black charcoal, he wanted to use "all the pretty colors". I remembered i just happened to bring the colored pencils with me at the last minute...

Another thing i decided randomly to bring with me was my guitar. Back when we were younger, we used to always bring guitars with us camping, but we haven't in so long because we said, "what's the use? we won't play it!"  Well, i'm glad i brought it because something snapped in me while we were up there. I sang and sang and sang like i haven't in years. I sang old songs and new songs- I combined unfinished songs to make finished ones- i put new words to old tunes- and i heard new words in my mind for brand new songs. I sang with all my heart. That was a miracle for me- something i've been waiting for for a long time!... Fynn played the guitar for his first time and sang his new song "Gran-part Whale".

Rico found a piece of pine and started carving it into a fork. It has beautiful grey streaks in it- we haven't gotten a close-up pic of it yet, but i mean to...

The sun shone, it was hot, it was cold, it was dry, the sky was blue, the clouds changed, it smelled like smoke and pine forest, the smoke blew in our eyes, we got dirt under our fingernails...

But the best best part of all is when you've been freezing all night and you hear the birds singing and you know the sun will be up soon, and then it is, and you get up, and make a fire (or you let your husband make the fire) and you sit by it thawing out waiting for that cup of coffee- and finally it's ready! and you drink it! and finally the sun has come up over the trees and it's shining on you! Oh, that is one of my favorite things in the world!

-Beth