a little more

Remember in grade school when the teacher would have you stand up and tell the class what you did over  summer break?
Head back to second grade with me just a sec okay ; )

Despite the craziness of trying to sell our house and move to the country we have made the most of the free time we have had.  There have been vacations, camping, backyard playing, family visiting, boat rides, amusement parks, and typical summer shenanigans going on round these parts.

We explored the natural world in our back yards.

Went on a few camping trips and discovered some AMAZING sights.

Had some backyard sprinkler fun in the sun.

Enjoyed some fresh harvest from our garden.

Practiced being beach bums

Took in some amusements

And enjoyed a night out on the town with family (sans-kids no less!)

image via

These are the favorite moments that made my summer....it was awesome : )

Clear Creek in Fall

Evidently Fall is all I have on the brain lately so in keeping with the theme.....

We recently went on another camping trip, again to Clear Creek State Park along the Clarion River.  It's one of our favorite places and we go a couple times a year.  It has a truly unique feel with all the huge boulders carried there by icebergs long ago, the winding creek, and of course the river.  Hiking around in these woods is my favorite.  This time was a little different going in the fall because of the colder temps but the foliage did not disappoint.  I always welcome the chance to take some photographs of nature's splendor.

Here's a taste just for you ;)

Pymatuning 2012

We took our second camping trip to Pymatuning Lake this year.  

We went for the first time last year and loved it so we're making it an annual trip now.

We get the same camp site with a direct walk-out onto the lake. 

This is what we wake up to in the morning, 

there are few better views in life than this :)

I loved sitting out on the tiny section of beach in the morning watching the fish jump, the blue heron hunt, and ducks land and quack about.  I think one of the things I love best about camping is that for me it is a humbling experience.  A reminder that in nature, life goes on without all the drama we add to it.  All these years after creation and herons and ducks are still hunting fish and fish are still hunting bugs.  It makes all the little things that I spend so much mental energy on seem so silly.

I love the absolute calm it brings to my spirit.

That said here are some more shots from our trip.

The Spillway

Fish and foul are in abundance at the spillway and everyone and their mother stops to feed them. 

Including us...and my mother :)

The birds are awesome but I must admit the carp are kinda creepy.  

But really any animal or bug in large numbers like that gives me the willies.

They practically swim on top of each other and they all have their mouths gaping wide open.

The Fish Hatchery

The fish hatchery is actually more fun than you would think. Yea there are large tanks of fish in various stages of life but the grounds are really beautiful with some unique things to see.  Especially the nesting bald eagles that we were not lucky enough to see this year but did see last time.  Let me tell you to see a bald eagle up close in its natural environment is quite impressive.  But this year we got to see scads of barn swallows nesting beneath the eaves of the hatchery building.  I loved seeing their little heads peeking out of the holes.  The ones in the last photo are probably only about a tenth of what was there.

We absolutely love it there and can't wait to back next year although I think we'll definitely be extending our stay.  You just can't fit in everything you want to take advantage of into 2-1/2 days.

Any other campers out there?

Where do you like to camp?

We're always on the lookout for new places to explore :)