The Colburn Camping Fiasco

 They don’t call it Bugs Island Lake for nothing.  While on our camping trip, we saw a poisonous Cottonmouth snake, a harmless Garter snake eating a frog, a poisonous centipede, and a Velvet Ant known as the “Cattle Killer” for the pain of its sting.  I also assisted the Park Ranger in catching a cat mauled during the night by a larger animal. 

We had a beautiful lakeside camping site, and we enjoyed swimming with the little minnows that darted away from our feet as we waded into the water.  Unfortunately, in addition to the numerous other items we forgot to pack, I neglected to bring my camera.  I did snap a few shots with my phone, but since it died, I can’t access them.  So, I’ve included a picture from our July camping trip.

We chose to take the old car, because camping is a dirty business and we wanted to keep the new car clean.  However, we should have unpacked it and jumped into the Honda when the Ford began making odd noises as we pulled out of the street.  By the time we reached our campground four hours away, a new problem had developed.  And ironically, the cause of our breakdown on the way home was an entirely different issue.

And so our camping trip had a rather exciting conclusion as we spent more than three hours on the side of 495 near Alexandria, Virginia during rush hour traffic waiting for a tow truck.  I’m going to assume that most of the drivers who passed thought we had pulled over to walk the dog.  Out of hundreds, five cars did stop to offer water, gas, or any other help we might need.

The delay was caused by a tow truck driver who thought he could take advantage of our situation and charge cash for taking more than one passenger.  But he picked the wrong man to try that trick on, and eventually a different driver was sent out. 

We concluded our vacation week with a visit to Six Flags on Friday.  Ben and I rode every roller coaster in the park except one.  I took two Aleve for my neck to counteract the trauma as we entered the park.  Three nights of sleeping on an air mattress had already left it in rotten shape.  Grace refused to ride the coasters, but she enjoyed some other rides. 

Despite all the crazy bugs and the break down, we still had a good vacation.

Now, just a few days left until school starts…  I hate to see summer come to an end.

Lovin' the Summertime

 

If you’re going to be a Colburn, you have to enjoy water sports.  It’s non-negotiable.  Ben’s favorite is the wake board, I’m finally mastering the combo skis, and Grace enjoys the tube.  Last weekend, she even tried out the knee board (unfortunately I didn’t get a good picture).  Even Jake enjoys being out on the boat. 

 

It’s been a good summer in our new home.  Grace has enjoyed quiet time to read, play, and create, and Jake has enjoyed the playground by the river.  He gets excited every time he sees a slide!  We’ve been camping, visited the beach and the zoo, and enjoyed several excursions on the boat with Ben’s family.  Our last event for the summer is another camping trip scheduled for next week. 

This week, Grace is on a vacation without me so I’m planning to use the time to format my novel to meet the requirements for the contest hosted by The Christian Writer’s Guild for unpublished authors.  The prize is a publishing contract.  I know I probably have better odds of winning the lottery, but it’s worth a shot.  The only contest I’ve ever won was guessing how many M&M’s were in a glass jar (surprising, I know). 

 

Please pray that if it’s God’s will I would win this contract, and if not, that I would know how to get my novel into the right hands. 

You can also pray for dry weather next week.  I don’t think we’ve EVER been on a camping trip when it didn’t rain!  And camping in the rain isn’t my favorite thing to do.  I’m a fan of the sunshine.