Father's Day Camping Trip

This weekend all of these dads took all of these kids camping in Montreat.... along with the kids' moms (not pictured) to make sure no one ate more than 36 s'mores at a time, or fell in the fire.*

Activities for the weekend included a hike down the mountain to go play in the stream and playground, and.... well, a lot of sitting around at each other's campsites.  James kept pulling out more sugary treats from his cooler every half-hour or so, so that kept everyone happy.

The 6 little boys ran around all weekend with very large, sharp knives and/or pointy, hot sticks right out of the fire.  They also enjoyed building their own fires, shooting guns at Strider, and playing in the creek that ran right past the campsites.

The little girls enjoyed watching the boys almost die, going with them to the creek, and getting them to push them on the hammock.

Everyone else just hung out:

The tent setups were quite impressive --and diverse.  I went on a little "Homearama" tour of the 5 campsites -- or, I guess "tentarama" -- and found the following:

Pete put up a very nice, large and simple tent.  Inside were basic sleeping bags all lined up.  This is camping, right?

 The Clarks' setup was similar -- with the addition of some battery-operated fans and a crib for the youngest camping member, Elise.

Meanwhile, James' tent and Dan's tent, which were eerily similar, took it to the next level, "glamping." These behemoth tents had cots, full-sized beds, cribs, "garages," multiple sleeping rooms, ceiling fans, and all kinds of appliances.

Finally, we had the "most spoiled child" campsite.  Mom and Dad brought their favorite child, (aka dog Gracie) with them, and also brought her her own separate tent (the blue one below).  It's even a North Face.  Only the best for the Golden Retriever!

Pete said yesterday that it was his favorite way to spend Father's Day... waking up in a beautiful spot, sitting and watching the stream, being with his kids and large family.

I'm thankful for all these dads who bless me and our family!  (just missing John in California  :(  )

*I actually was the only family member to not stay overnight -- just went for the day on Saturday -- because I had to take Strider from the campground to Asheville to meet the team of people he was going on a mission trip with.
(If that doesn't really make sense, then.... maybe I also just wanted to enjoy sleeping in my house with total quiet.)