camping at Timothy Lake

We went camping this weekend at Oak Fork campground, on Timothy Lake in the Mt. Hood forest. It was splendid - gorgeous weather, beautiful campground, fun adventures on and around the lake. We biked and hiked, swam and floated, carved sticks and roasted marshmallows.

Some noteworthy achievements: Sebastian and I built our own campfire four times, for the most part successfully. It's funny, I used to be able to build a fire easily, without thinking too much about it. But it's been 20 years and I've forgotten the skill and method. It took us a few tries to find a groove, but we did, and I was so proud of Seb for overcoming his fear of fire to build the fire and nurture it with me. It's so cool to see him learning these outdoors skills.

Both kids rode their bikes on the trail circumnavigating the lake, handling the tree roots and rocks and sharp turns with ease - it is fun to see them becoming somewhat capable mountain bikers. Jasper and I ran alongside, with frequent breaks to explore and snack and play in the water.

Jasper chased innumerable sticks into the lake, swimming and swimming until he was utterly exhausted. He loves to swim now and it's a source of endless amusement for Seb and Liesl to throw sticks and cheer as he fetches them. We went out on the water too, floating on our alligator floatie and paddling around on it - although we all agreed that it would have been even better with a real boat, like a kayak or paddleboard. Future goals!

We left Friday morning, stopping for a picnic lunch on the Salmon River in Zigzag.

We arrived at Oak Fork campground around 3 and decided to play in the lake before setting up camp.

 But first: blowing up the alligator floatie!!!

The lake was gorgeous and calm - so clear and blue and clean! We had a wonderful late afternoon playing in the water.

Setting up camp together: we all set up the tent; Sebastian built the fire, and Liesl set up the sleeping pads and bags. I made dinner on the Coleman stove.

Roasting marshmallows!!! Liesl's favorite part of camping.

Post-dinner exploration of the dock - Jasper refused to jump off the dock into the water, instead preferring to go back to shore and swim out -

Sunset over the lake

kayaking on Scappoose Bay

We went kayaking this week on Scappoose Bay, along Hwy 30 north of Portland. We arrived early at Next Adventure's paddling center and got out on the water in two kayaks - Sebastian piloting his own, and Liesl and I in a tandem. It was a beautiful morning and the bay was perfect - flat water, little current, no boat traffic, lots of birds to see, and a shady creek to paddle along. We had a lot of fun steering in and out of grassy paths and exploring the inlets.

We stayed out for a few hours, but finally got tired and hungry enough to return the boats and eat lunch. But we'll definitely return - it was a great place to kayak locally.

take your children (and dog) to work day

Our child care plan for the week is a little spotty, and mostly involves working from home. But I had to go to work on Monday and Wednesday for various meetings, and thus my entourage accompanied me. It's worked out pretty well - the kids have discovered the joys of the finished and furnished basement of the Honors House, in which they can spread out and make as much noise as they wish. They have read books, played pretend games, built structures, watched movies, and practiced math. And we have taken walks around campus for our lunch breaks, enjoying the fountain and sculptures.
These first photos are from Monday, when only Liesl and Jasper came with me - Sebastian came today as well, finding himself too bored at home without us. I love how thrilled they are to come to my work with me - both children frequently ask to come - it's really sweet. It helps that I work in a charming old house that is (in the summer) mostly empty - for me, it evokes children's books like the Narnia series or The Secret Garden, where delightful surprises hide in abandoned rooms.

This cracked me up - Jasper did his business, and I set about cleaning it up, and Liesl was holding my phone and snapping photos of me. Mostly of my butt. It's always fun to see yourself through your children's eyes!

So I retaliated by taking photos of her struggling to climb this tree...

And then we stuck our tongues out at each other. Good times.