..Second Camp..

5 hour drive to visit family at the cottage..
4 crayfish crawling by my feet in the water as we swam..
3 hour drive the next day to visit friends at a camp ground..
2 campsites full of kids having a blast..
1 exciting adventure after another..



Airplanes for 7 children, plain old fun. Busy little people competing for distance and speed. Adults happily watching from camp chairs placed strategically out of the flight path. (although from this photo you can see I was not quite out of the flight plan for this airplane!!)



Mid-hike we stop for snacks and rest. Children tinker, wander, gather bugs and sticks.



Where does the path lead? IS that not what draws you to its climb and bend? Gather strength and walk on, adventures are waiting for us everyday, but to what end? Why do you follow your path? On this day, it was to see beautiful things, share time with friends, fill pockets with sticks, crab apples and bugs, and finally to arrive at camp. In the bigger picture: my path is walked in hope of purposefully living for Jesus in all I do. even this. right now.



Feeding the Five Hundred. OKay, not exactly. there were only 11 of us. hahaha. And we ate WELL. every day.



Beautiful Lake Huron. Gorgeous rainbow before and after our beach time. Caught in a torrent of rain and sun, we sat on the beach until it passed. Needless to say, our towels DID not dry us very well after that beach visit. We traipsed pounds heavier from the beach that evening. Certainly the children will remember the day they crammed under a picnic table to watch their parents soak in the downpour!!



Oh sam. he is just so cute.



150 steps to the Discovery beach ( my title ) where rocks, shells and frogs can be found and ravines can be climbed.



How sweet it is to see children playing together in unity.
Majestic clouds on the horizon are the backdrop for a play of waves and a song of the wind. we sit in silence to enjoy the performance.



Friendship that makes life sweet with encouragement and inspiration.



We returned to our first vacation spot, the Cottage, after four nights with our friends. The north is full of newness for me, places and history I have not seen or heard of before. I fell in love with it.



Hug a fisherman day. :) This wee town was a delight of color and culture. I love that God made people unique to build a different culture where ever they go.



Blessing upon blessing, we were given a ride upon a Blue Heron Cruise along with our whole gang (15 of us). We watched the sunset over the lake, a view of the grotto and the rocky coastline, a moon rising pale above the dark deep. Sitting back I savored the hum of the engine, the whip of the wind, the spray from the bow, the tip and toss of the ship.



"Show me where we live on this map please!" Questions about where we are, where Nana and Grandpa live, where our house is on the map, what the lines mean, symbols and charts.... Sammy is a budding cartographer, perhaps. :)



camp site numero 3... we certainly feel like we understand our tent and preferable way of setting everything up now that we have assembled and disassembled our camp site so many times in one week ! I highly recommend this style of trip for learning about one's equipment! :) Julia turned into a fabulous dish washer, dryer and putter-awayer. All of her own choice - what a beautiful helpful heart she showed us!!



Towering above the forests, overseeing the Fathom Five islands, watching the Chi Chemon ferry puff away into the hazy horizon, we climbed there, above it all to see what we could see. God's beautiful creation, the green canopy of life breathing trees and the blue of a fresh water paradise. Carefree. High, high above it all.





**hiking photos and stories to come**