Painted Fingernails and Fish Heads

There is a campground close to where I live; it's right next to the highway and I, being the somewhat snobby outdoors person that I am, have ridiculed said campground my entire life. I am not alone in my ridicule as everyone I know ridicules this camp. It's too close to town, too close to the highway, too crowded and the lake is too small. But then in 2010 my daughter-in-law's father parked his 5th wheel there with the idea that it was close enough to town for everyone to visit without too much trouble. I reluctantly agreed to go for a visit, which inevitably changed my mind about this 'too everything' campground. If you have kids, it is the perfect campground as the whole park is geared towards family entertainment. When it's BINGO night everyone shows up to play and appropriate campground gifts are awarded to the winners. How about a bundle of firewood? Or a flashlight? Or a snack cooler? There are numerous potluck dinners, hay rides and barrel train rides, kid games and family activities. There are row boats and canoes and kayaks, as well as the swimming, fishing, and playgrounds. I joined my son and d-i-l this past Saturday over Memorial Weekend for another visit. Please join me for a brief summation of our adventures.

The Delightful Miss M was dressed appropriately for the morning bike parade and won 1st place. It might have helped that she was wearing camouflage and had an appropriate sign on the front of her bike. Hmmm...

Daddy took the training wheels off her bike and she learned just today how to ride on the trail that goes around the back side of the lake. Here she comes all grins and smiles...

And there she goes...

Sir S relaxing with one of his favorite pastimes. The lake is kept well stocked with all sorts of fish and while most of the fishing for this family is catch and release, sometimes a fish swallows the hook and must be eaten since it won't live anyway. Everyone baits their own hook (except for Grandma Mostly) while Mommy and Daddy help with removing the fish from the hook.

This would be Miss M making the fish head talk. She seemed fascinated with the innards of this fish after making daddy name all the parts he was removing. I think it's gross, but hey, I'm not 5. ~grins~

There was an after dinner dance in the club house complete with mirror ball and fog machine, and everyone, from the young to the old, joined in the dancing. You know how much joy and fun everyone has at wedding receptions with the dancing and when it's over you always wish there were more receptions to go to because it was so much fun? Well, these dances are the very same. You get all the fun of the dancing and you don't have to wait for someone to get married.

There was booty shakin'...

Move makin'...

And gettin' your groove on... Good times were had by all.

And when it was all over and the last song was about to play, the DJ said it had been fun, but he wanted people to remember what the weekend was really about. He dedicated the last song to those soldiers who came before and those who will come after...and he played "Proud to be an American."

And many of those in the room formed a spontaneous circle around this soldier who was dancing the last dance with his wife and daughter. Yes, we danced...and we remembered...and we were grateful.