Summer Moments

We went camping last weekend.  We spent most of the time out on a party boat.  Not a college drinking type party boat.  Think gummy bears, lots of sunscreen, pink and white frosted animal cookies and a giant inflatable floating ducky kind of party boat.  I'm very proud to announce I did not get a sunburn.  Neither did my children.  Unlike last year I also did not have a fingernail polish explosion.  *read here.  I may yet get this adulating thing down. 

In the evenings we read books, rode bikes, talked to friends and watched the sunsets.  Eastern Oregon shows off at twilight. Mt. Jefferson, the Three Sisters and Mt. Hood line up and play with the sky. Its a toss up if that's my favorite part of camping or if the midnight trips to the bathroom win. Seriously. I inevitably have to make the trek from campsite to the bathroom at least once. The stars are worth it. I have a theory about the decline of faith in God in cities. There are too many lights. They can't see the stars. The grandeur and scope remind me how very tiny I am.  It always makes me feel grateful that the creator of so much still cares about me. 

My eldest went to the nature talk put on by the local ranger.  After she invited me to go with her.  The quarter mile trail was a good spot for her to have a few minutes of my undivided attention. She showed me the juniper berries and the Oregon grape.  She explained about the Monarch butterfly station and the bat houses.  We took a photo of this gorgeous blazing star.  

We've been home just over a day. My husband has been doing laundry non stop. I watered the garden, picked green beans. Cut back the blackberry bushes and hauled in several bowls of berries. We had leftover camping food for dinner tonight.  And fresh green beans from the garden. 

For dessert we're having blackberry crisp. It's my mother-in-law's recipe. Naturally it calls for a touch of cinnamon, lots of sugar and generous butter. Usually its my job to put this together. Tonight my eleven-year-old followed the recipe. Her grandma would be proud. 

There are only a couple of weeks left of summer. I'm doing my best to pay attention to these little moments. Sunsets and stars and fresh blackberry crisp.   

What moments have caught your eye?