Dinner Club - Camping

After a failed attempt at camping last year due to severe weather, our Dinner Club decided to try again this year. To play it safe, we planned a backyard campout at our house.

It was a really fun time, despite a downpour with thunder and lightning just one hour before everyone arrived. It was like déjà vu. Luckily Dave saw it coming and we had just enough time to cover the three tents that had been set up earlier, as well as the campfire! The night was salvaged.

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As usual, we had a feast of everything under the sun. Bacon wrapped dates, ham wrapped asparagus, chips with guacamole and salsa - and those were just the apps! Chicken, sausages, kielbasa, hot dogs, and an assortment of veggies and fruit.... It's not called Dinner Club for nothing!

Dave tried a recipe in our brand new Lodge cast iron kettle and it is most definitely a keeper: Alton Brown's Pork and Beans. He even threw in some of our home grown jalapeño peppers.

After an afternoon of swimming, great music and stuffing our bellies, Dave got the campfire going. In the meantime, Ryan entertained the kids with his remote control 'drone', and someone suddenly spotted a spontaneous rainbow...then a double rainbow.

Immediately after the rainbow disappeared, the sky turned to a beautiful brilliant pink.

We had our campfire and s'mores, followed by a movie for the kids....and then the arduous task of getting the kids to sleep. It was a team effort.  Six of the kids piled into one tent, and one by one, they left to sleep in the parents' tent. After numerous tent reassignments and one faulty air mattress, all of the kids were finally asleep by 11. (Charlie, the four year old, was the last one to give in to sleep.) 

The next morning, I was up at 5:30 am to make breakfast for the troops.

As we enjoyed our coffee, we shared stories about the loud growling in the woods that had scared even the grown-ups, and about how next time our friends would bring earplugs to drown out the "Rainforest birds" that begin their cacophony at 4:30 am. (I had warned everyone but they thought I was only kidding...). Not a lot of sleep was had, but plenty of memories were made.

All things considered, it was a success and there will definitely be a 'next time.'