Family Camp

This past week the three of us plus Adam's sister and 2 kiddos spent a week up at family camp in Lumby BC. Adam's great uncle started this camp almost 50 years ago, and Adam has gone almost every year of his life. Although it as a most a 9 hour drive (Penny did really well and we only had to stop once or twice each way) it's definitely worth it to get away and spend a week with family and God.

The land used to be a cattle ranch; the main lodge was built in 1924, and a couple smaller cabins are still standing that were probably within a few decades of that. We're talking about legit log cabins too. The space that is used for chapel and other events was an old stable as well. Although there is no cattle left, there were 4 absolutely beautiful horses, that were among the most curious and friendly I've ever seen.

The lodge has always intrigued me. I love walking around in it, placing myself back in history. I've daydreamed about homesteading out on the land, what it would be like being a wife and mother inside this space. The plaster filling in the cracks between the logs, the natural bend in the rafters, the stone chimney that was likely laid by hand, a simple staircase up to the top floor.

To make things seem even more real, I picked up a copy of Little House on the Prairie from the bookcase and spent the week reading it in my spare time.  The setting was just so perfect to read this book; out in the woods, with a background of a early 1900's lodge, children running around playing and cloth diapers drying on the line.

Life was simple for that week. No cell phones or internet.. it was a true disconnection from the world and 100% focus on the present. Cooking food on a campstove, attend chapel and some additional study (if Penelope allowed, because this little girl definitely can tell her own spirited messages as well!), play with my niece and nephew, popcorn and cocoa in the lodge in the evenings. I may have only been to this camp twice, but I do see my children having many fond memories of this place as well..

Penelope also got to meet that great-great-uncle.. so we had the youngest and oldest members of the family meet. Penelope at 16 weeks, Vernon at 93 years old. To imagine the things that man has seen in his lifetime! Adam and I were talking, and this man was retired at least 20 years before we were born. He probably listened to music on a grammophone when he was young. Now we have digital cameras, going to college is a possibility for all, water/power/sewer in every home..how much do we all take for granted? And yet a few things stay the same; like cloth diapering, the value of a homecooked meal, going to the movies for entertainment (even though we have color and even 3D!), oh, and Coca-Cola ;)

It's not too often that we are put into situations where we get off "the grid" and can truly relax into the moment.. I remember feeling so utterly disconnected from the world when we vacationed in Europe (because the possibility of using our cell phones/internet was available, just prohibitively expensive). At camp, if you wanted toast, you used the spider iron over the grill to do it. Seriously, cowboy style.

But I will admit - the simple way of life at camp wasn't allways peachy. Such as, because I didn't want to tote around stinky cloth diapers for a week.. We hand washed them. Yep, I scraped Penelope's poo off her diapers with my hands. My SIL made herself a handy camp washer (which worked GREAT until I left a hot mosquito repellant cigar thing on top of it and melted the lid.. sorry sis!), but I just rinsed and dried mine because I had enough diapers to last me the entire week. It sounds gross, but really it wasn't that bad. When you have kids and pets all that stuff doesn't matter anymore ;)

This week came at a perfect time to spend quality moments with the ones we love and offer some undisturbed reflection while gazing at God's beauty. Next year, I'll have to to take more pictures around camp because it's surreal how lost in time we were.