{life with a curious and crazy 11 yr old}
So, a couple of weeks ago we managed to squeeze a camping trip into our crazy schedule which was good for all of us, even though we left a little early due to the rain, we got to meet up with a solid bunch of lovely monkey friends. We love this camping spot (The Grafton Notch Campground, Newry, ME). The owner (Maureen/Mo) keeps these campsites raked, quiet, and with occasional random flowers. She’s super sweet and the spot is accessible to all kinds of family friendly hikes/trails/covered bridge/waterfalls (like Step, and Screw Auger), etc. And it’s right next to Bethel which is super cute. Our other favorite bit is the ‘honor pie stand’ on the way – she makes really delicous Wild Blueberry Pie and Jam, rich Whoopie Pies and Maple Cream Cookies. The kid managed to get a hike in (up Step Falls), and a stunning little rock bowl of fresh water to swim in with her friends. They all skipped rocks, played tag, catch, & chase in the woods, hung around the fire roasting marshmallows. It was nice, I wish we could do it more often (Duende definitely agrees). D lost a tooth, we did a Stone Soup with our folks (turned out to be a delicious rice dish with the leftover fresh harvested spatchcocked chicken on the grill from the first night camping, yummy sausages, and a great variety of garden goodies from our friends who always have a great garden with a 2 layer dessert of apple and nectarine crisp!), and our friend told terrible stories around the fire (hilarious!). 5 family camping – our best mates. Duende dyed a pink streak in her hair which matched great with her friend’s bleached tips and the other little gal’s excellent half-shaved bob (and the little guy who was working his magic on all the ladies, his almost 5 yr old self is super adorable). They were ridiculously big and cute and charming. Because we left early (and my poor girl was crushed) we treated her to a whopper of an ice cream as we drove out of town – ice cream cures all.
Say yes to camping. Bring friends. Relax, share food, space, fire. Air.
Rock Bottom Homestead 