Camp Smiley continued...

Field trip to Williamsburg

It has been a busy few weeks in our backyard. Garden and yard projects came to a screeching halt, and they were quickly replaced by Critter Camp, art projects, cupcake baking, trips to the pool, and swims in the river. All the beds, the floors, and the sofa have have been doing double duty with our niece and nephew visiting last week and this week we have the Goods in town from Cleveland, Ohio. It has been hot and humid, but that has not stopped us from having a great time with special people. The kids are whipped and that is a good thing. There are a few quieter weeks to come.

Creating the art gallery in the "Chikin Coop"

It's been fun to be "homefront" camp director. Snacks have been crucial for the past two weeks, as have treats from the garden. I finally made pickled purple beans, in the hours between, Ellie and William leaving and the Goods arriving. The zucchini has started to taking over our kitchen counter and our dreams. The cucumbers are growing several inches a day. I picked our first pattypan squash yesterday. Unfortunately, we haven't figured out a way to prepare the squash or zucchini that the kids love, but we (the grown ups) are loving them grilled, breaded in panko, fried, roasted and sauteed! Really you can't go wrong to our grown up pallets. Raw may be the way to go with the kids. William tried a fried zucchini last week and gagged. Oh well, at least he tried! Cucumbers on the other hand are a hit! Abigail ate almost the entire platter of cucumbers, seasoned with a little sesame oil, olive oil, red wine vinegar and salt and pepper. Owen loves the crunch as well. I think that "SNACK TIME" could be the theme of the last two weeks. Ellie loved pretzels, goldfish and Cheetos more than any kid I know. In between adventures, the kids would rest and ask for a little "pretzel camp". It made everyone happy and ready for the next adventure.

Snack time, garden time, zucchini and cucumber time

One more day of "camp" with the Goods. Our next event is Abigail's birthday party on Saturday afternoon. Hope for good pool weather so that the kids can swim like dolphins and we can cut the dolphin cake under the dogwood tree in the backyard. July is flying by and so are the years with Abigail. More about Abigail and her birthdays soon.

Dragon Run paddle with the Goods