life on the lake

i never really wanted to go camping. i'm not a nature girl. i like hot water, clean toilets, shaved legs, and comfy beds. i don't like bugs, dirt, public restrooms, or poison oak.

but they begged. and they pleaded. i almost agreed until i found out Gabe was scheduled to be in Vegas for a conference.

no way, i said.

not by myself, i wailed.

who would pack the truck? program the GPS? clean the bugs off the windshield?
PUMP THE GAS?!

but they begged. and they pleaded.

i'm a big girl. i can try new things.

i agreed.
two nights.
i can do this.

i took half a day off of work just to prepare...i bought groceries, organized gear. (it takes a lot of gear). the next morning, i was up at 4:30am in anticipation of my 5:30am alarm. and we were pulling out of the driveway by 6:40.

not bad, i thought! now, type the address into the GPS and away we go.

but the GPS didn't like the address i had. it also didn't want to just send me to a town. we lost 30 minutes trying to convince the dadgum contraption just to navigate me somewhere near the campground. finally, we came up with a point on the north tip of the lake and away we go. again.

mom, can we watch a movie?
NO, i said! look out the window! enjoy the view!
hey look, tractors! orange trees! *sniff sniff* GARLIC!

check out the pretty resevoir!

i held them off for almost an hour and a half before finally agreeing.

after a few other sundry obstacles...a jammed VHS player, goldfish down the pants, one potty break...we hit the north point of the lake 4 hours later and the GPS dropped me off.

except the lake was on my right.
the lake was supposed to be on my left.

turnaround, try again.

the lake is still on my right.
it's supposed to be on my left.

at this point, Scrappy is wailing in frustration at being in the car so long.

he's tired. it's naptime.

i'm tired. it's naptime.

i try to call my dad but i can't hear over Scrappy.

i get out of the truck and stand on the side of the road,

on the wrong side of the lake,

and start wailing in frustration myself.

a nice man then cautiously approached the crazy lady and offered directions.

now the lake is on my left.

good. progress.

10 minutes later we were unloading. it was 100 degrees. the only facilities are a spigot, four bathrooms with a toilet and a sink (no mirror - in hindsight, seeing oneself after two nights of camping is probably unwise). lots of bees. lots of dirt.

i fail to see the allure, here, people.

an hour later we were on the beach. a breeze is blowing. we're in the shade and perfectly comfortable. the water is about 80 degrees. no sooner had we arrived than Scoob was invited to join a watergun fight by cousins he'd never met. they generously (and bravely) handed over an AK47 of water rifles and proceed to spend the next two hours joyfully destroying each other.

then he was invited to go tubing behind uncle roger's boat. Papa went along, so i took a deep breath and waved from the beach. he came back glowing and gloating over his triumph: i didn't fall off, mom!

scrappy toddled about in the waves in his little life-jacket. we ate peanut butter sandwiches in camp chairs, the breeze off the lake was just perfect.

evening brought hotdogs in the camper for the kids, a quick bath in the sink for me and i left to join my new siblings and cousins for adult conversation, margaritas and burgers at Ducey's on the other side of the lake.

there was a live band playing 80's next door; we sat on the balcony in the balmy summer night for hours laughing and talking. at 9:30, all the lights on the dock and balcony went out.

the lake was full of bobbing boats.

and then fireworks.

right in the middle of the lake. it was bliss.

it wasn't the most pleasant of sleeps, but Scoob was in the tent with cousin Levi, and i was in the camper without any critters sharing my bed. neither arachnid, arthropod, nor child.

morning brought a pleasant cool and a cup of Peet's.

i'm starting to get it now...

the day brought five hours on the lake, more tubing, hopping out to pick up burgers at The Forks right on the dock. it felt like we were in some movie about summer life.

we swam, we tubed, scrappy nodded off in the corner with his lifejacket propping up his head, his little arm up on the arm rest, and my hat pulled low over his eyes, like an over-partied boater passed out in the corner.

we dropped anchor off Falls Beach and Scooby climbed the granite face for a go on the God-made waterslide. given that it is formed by snow melt, he only did it once. brrrr.

the evening brought a picnic on Jack's Beach with my brother and family, and more fun with the babies in the waves. there is so much malachite in the sand, when the waves hit the beach it swirls in the water. the setting sun turns it all to shimmering gold.

s'mores, sleeping kids, a glass of wine in a dixie cup by the fire with my new family.

it's good.

i bathed over a sink. i shaved my legs in a public restroom. i hosed down naked kids in broad daylight off the back of the camper. i didn't wash my hair for 3 days. Scooby became quite adept at "watering the trees". Scrappy had dirt in places i won't even tell you about. we were coated in sunscreen and bugspray. we had to fight with bees for our food.

it was the most fun i've had in a long time, even more so because i shared it with my kids.

i get it.

can't wait till next year...

The Lowneys, Gabes and Stones

Bass Lake, 2009