7/22/16 A Little Rain Must Fall

     Last night we slept well. Even Peter did ok by his standard. David tried out his new tent that he got for his birthday. He was pretty happy with it. 

     We set up an old tarp as a canopy for shade. We knew that it wouldn't hold up well against rain but we hoped that if it rained it would be light. There was a 40% chance forecast. 

     The morning weather was beautiful. Here Sarah and Heidi are working on breakfast. 

     Heidi took a turn on the monkey bridge. She's so fun. 

     There were plenty of activities. Heidi lead some kids in the parachute game. I played horse shoes with Brother Taylor and some of the Aunts and uncles. I got better over time but it was not enough to win against these experienced players. They made fun company nonetheless. 

 

     After lunch the kids worked on some crafts. Here is David working on a catapult toy. 

     We taught cousin Benjamin Taylor how to make one. Then we let the kids play a little game with them. It was good fun. 

     It was during this time we started to hear thunder and see lightning in the distance. That 40% rain was approaching. 

    Finally it came and it poured. Our tent held out well for the first hour and a half of the rain. Then it started to rain in the tent.  All of our bedding got wet to some degree. We made the tough call that it was time to go home. Camping is not as much fun when you're cold and wet. It's especially rough if you don't sleep well. By the time we were packed up the rain had stopped but it was late in the day to dry our sleeping things. Plus if it rained again we would be flooded again. 

       Rebecca, David and Peter made the best of it by skipping stones in a big puddle made by the rain. 

       Our big blue van made it back out just fine over the, now very muddy, dirt road back to the highway. The kids handled the change in plans and the drive home well. We're glad we went. It was worth it even if we only got to stay one night. We're grateful to the Taylors for letting us tag along on this fun adventure.