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| someone is getting a new porch! |
Six hours in to our vacation our phones went off with a tornado warning as a very strong storm hit the lake. We went back to Jake's family's log cabin (not the green cabin we were staying in) to seek shelter in the basement as the sky turned dark and rain blew in sideways. During the storm Henley was scared, saying, "I wish we were all babies so we wouldn't remember this". Nori reminded us that "people are what matter, not things!". After the storm let up we went outside to see hundreds of trees knocked over, a few into houses. We could not get back to the green cabin as the road was blocked so we took the pontoon over. We found the green cabin had a tree on it, the chimney knocked off, and lots of water in it. The elderly neighbors were displaced when a tree hit their gas tank causing a leak so they also stayed in with us that night. We had no electricity or running water the rest of the trip. Naturally, my first thought was HOW ARE WE GOING TO MAKE COFFEE???. The next morning we saw how extensive the damage was and that we were stranded because the driveway and road to town had dozens of huge trees on it. Luckily, we had some bottled water and ice so we were fine for a few days. We also had Ellen and her wilderness skills to make a campfire, cook breakfasts, and remind us that this was luxury camping. Turns out you can boil your limited water over the fire and pour it in to your coffee pot!! Problem solved. The city cleared the trees and was working to restore power when we left. Storm damage aside, it was still a great trip because we were forced to unplug and slow down, spending all of our time around the campfire or on the lake. The kids swam for hours, Jake swam across the lake, I connected with nature, and Dorothy ate a dead bird. I didn't take many photos as I was trying to conserve my phone battery. I think I could start to like nature...
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| post storm beauty |
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| timber |
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| kayak rides with Daddy |
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| sisters playing together "on stage" |
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| Rock Lake, now with fewer trees |
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| our cook and leader |
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| Jess & Ellen, experienced outdoors women |
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| no showers |
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| safe with Grandma |
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| Nori made "Survival Dust" but you may know it as sawdust |
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| my wilderness lover |
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| just like Perkins... |
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| only better! |
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| cuddly as ever |
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| this canoe ride lasted 30 seconds |
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| fun in the sun |
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| the little cabin that could |
