GoDoCaPJam

david's birthday has developed into a bit of a tradition: i ask him what he wants to do for his birthday, he says "let's go camping." so we do. this year, we invited friends along, and 5 families took the bait, or the plunge, and came along! it was wildly successful, and i know that david felt very celebrated and very happy. (he's a easy to please when near a tent and a campfire and a crowd of friendly faces ready to hear stories and laugh together). we went to governor dodge state park, less than an hour down the road from madison. the park is beautiful, full of sandstone bluffs and little rivers and springs, and is a beautiful representation of wisconsin's driftless area (driftless=unaffected by the plowing, flattening and stone dumping effects of glaciers).

there is a pretty little waterfall,


a field of lupine,


and we even hiked an interpretive trail through the homestead of a norwegian immigrant family. (can i just say that those people were tough as nails? they raised 9 children in their 10' by 11' log cabin. and that's probably not the hardest thing they had to do by a long shot.)

back at the site, it was kids and friends and beach and smores galore. the sites we rented were adjoining one another and all backed up to a playground. it was a child's dream. frankly, it was a parent's dream.


looks at all these friends of ours, pretty mamas all of them, pushing kids on swings.


beach mermaid tails courtesy of amy.


and a goofy breakfast with some goofy monkeys.


and here he is: the happy birthday guy, wearing my old gym shirt and his new hat, which features a direct david staple quote right there on the front.