neighborhood camping!

30 years ago, some adventurous folks in the tenney lapham neighborhood packed up their kids and a ton of food and inhabited the big indoor bunk house group camp at wisconsin's wyalusing state park high on the bluffs over the mississippi river. it must have been a pretty good time, because they kept going back, year after year.


and now, 30 years later, my family joined the tradition. in fact, a ton of new families joined the tradition this year. there was a whole crowd of young kids, a gang of teens hiding out in the teen bunk house, a crowd of happy and relaxed parents, and a whole wonderful weekend in the woods. i sure hope we can keep going over and over and over again, until all these tiny wonderful kids end up being the teens in the teen bunk house, and we have the chance to welcome new neighbors with young kids to the 'hood and the tradition.

this big indoor group camp has a central meeting house with a giant industrial sized kitchen which is very nearly MY DREAM KITCHEN including a super awesome hobart dishwasher. i ran that baby late night. it was very satisfying.
 

on saturday morning, we took a giant group hike


with some piggyback riding


and lots of leaves crunching under our feet



and kids running way way way up ahead of us.


we found a cave and little tiny waterfall,



and then hiked all the way down to the mississippi river to watch bald eagles and fish and ducks and smoosh our pennies on the train tracks.

carefully setting her penny on the tracks


watching the train speed by


and then hunting for flattened coins.


those are some busy train tracks. we probably were risking our lives down there, but it was fun.
 
back at camp, it was lunch time and everyone did their part at every meal and every clean up.


it was also: lyric and song writing time (for the talent show, obviously),


karaoke time,


and monopoly time.


after the sun went down and all the meatballs and spaghetti were eaten, the kids treated us to a talent show. the very first act was ramona and her friend trina, singing a capella their original song about camping. it was GOOD. and i was PROUD. right before they started signing, james (who did not perform in the talent show) turned to david and said "i feel so shy for ramona and trina." i was feeling a little shy for her too, but she was brave and amazing and sang to a room full of 40 adults. mind. blown.


the closing number for the talent show was the school song. naturally.


and after the songs and skills and talents were exhausted, the drizzling rain prevented us from having a fire with the kids, but didn't stop us from having smores.

 

 after the kids went to bed, the skies cleared and a fire was had. there was a bright and beautiful full moon, and despite the badger's loss to ohio state (playing quietly and benignly on someone's poor cell phone reception just a little out of earshot....perfect), it was a very lovely evening with friends.

in the morning, pancakes were served up. my hungry tiny people were first in line, and were happily served swedish pancakes by the most handsome lunch lady (lunch person?) i've ever seen.

post breakfast crew, fence sitting.



after breakfast, it was clean up time, pack up time, and for many lucky folks, it was still hiking time. we took in some gorgeous views of the confluence of the wisconsin and mississippi rivers

drove out on a picturesque fall park road,



and slept.


i'm so thrilled to live in a place with good traditions, good people, beautiful parks and resources, and a sense of community that builds strength and identity. three cheers for lapham!