"Camping"

We took Meredith camping for the first time when she was about 8 weeks old...almost exactly a year ago. It was really cold and not an especially easy trip, but we had fun and it's always good to be out in the middle of a forest. Having said that, we can't really imagine taking the 13 month old Meridy camping.

This weekend we sat around our fire pit in the backyard and I commented that we had the best of camping right there. I mean, you REALLY go camping for the fire, right? Hiking is good and the stars are brighter and the peacefulness (assuming you have responsible camping neighbors) is great. But the best part, by far, is usually the time around the fire. And we've GOT that. So for now, time in the backyard around the fire pit is going to be termed "camping." When it's a bit warmer and Little Miss is a bit less wobbly, we'll get back to the real thing.

By the way, for any nervous Nellies out there...Meredith has an appropriate fear of the fire pit, as indicated by her location in this picture. She and Walt chased the kitten around the back stoop, which is about as far away from the fire pit as one can get and still be in the back yard. If you want to be nervous about something, consider the fact that she puts every stick and acorn she sees in her mouth. She always very sweetly spits out the acorn when prompted, but there's usually one in reserve, tucked in her cheek. Geez.