Food + Fellowship = Fun

Friends, family and a grill - a quick and easy camping outing.  Just a mile or so from the house, we set up a campsite where soybeans are juxtaposed to pecans.

John & Becky, and Jerry & Angie joined us with their campers.  Little did we know, we would be in for some booming surprises.

Three campers set up

Just after we had gotten the electrical cords situated and put the potatoes in the Dutch Oven to bake, something exploded.  Was it the potatoes?  Jerry checked.  Was it a breaker?  John checked.  We ladies sniffed around, seeking the source.  A battery.  Yikes!

John & Becky headed into town to get a replacement. Then, noises.  Did that battery explode again? Nope.  Truck trouble!  What a way to start a Saturday afternoon camping trip!

But all's well that ends well.  The battery got replaced and the truck got repaired, and the camping continued.

The warm afternoon sun and light breeze created flawless Fall weather.  The gentlemen grilled some Coca-Cola chicken on the Weber and baked potatoes in the Dutch Oven.

Those birds will be delicious in a little while.

The temperature dipped after nightfall, so we gathered close to the campfire, grateful for the warmth on this first cold experience of the season.  The clear night sky allowed for some stargazing.

Sunset

We toasted the arrival of Fall with marshmallows, graham crackers and Hershey bars.

Camping close to home has its benefits.  The pianist among us made it to church on time to fulfill her responsibilities.  Gipper, Huck and Sara came for breakfast.

Jamie & I lingered late into the afternoon enjoying the outdoors, wishing we could have this kind of weather year-round.

Last Hurrah of Spring Break: Seminole State Park

To top off my spring break, we spent our final weekend at Seminole State Park.  So close to home, yet we'd never been there. Of the ten nights of spring break, we spent seven in the SolAire in three different parks.

Our first impression of Seminole: well-manicured.  This park is a well-kept beauty.

Mirror image in the lake viewed from our campsite #10

Friday evening sunset over Lake Seminole

The cabins and campsites encircle a portion of Lake Seminole, more like a pond than a lake, but large enough that several boats with tubers and jet skis kept the water churned up much of Saturday.  "Beware Alligators" signs didn't deter water sports enthusiasts.

The park was just half-full when we arrived Friday evening, but as would be expected, the lakeside lots were already occupied.  We selected a lot with a good lake view;  this lot challenged our preparedness: it was significantly unlevel, forcing us to use all of our boards and leveling blocks and extending our jacks maximally.

Working his magic to level and stabilize our rig on this gently sloping lot

Jamie experimented with his Dutch oven on Saturday.  His pizza "from scratch" turned out just right - crunchy on bottom and ooey-gooey on top.

Dutch oven cooking - counted the coals to determine the temperature; pizza cooking inside

The finished project: homemade pizza

For dinner, his parents joined us and treated us to Big Jim's.  Atmosphere! Water running across the tin roof and twirling fans kept this screened shed comfortably cool.  Shrimp, catfish, bacon-wrapped pork loins -- our meals were delicious.

What a treat! 

Loved the camp atmosphere at Big Jim's!

We were "entertained" by a sinking pontoon boat; its passengers disembarked at the lake's edge. They must've hit something and knocked a hole in one of the pontoons - that's easy enough to happen in Lake Seminole - lots of tree trunks still exist in these waters. Fortunately, they got the boat tied up and the passengers were safely on land.

While we drank our Sunday morning coffee, we watched an alligator glide peacefully across the lake; that "Beware" sign is no joke!

Rested and rejuvenated, we'll head back to our respective workplaces tomorrow.