A Relaxing Weekend at the Lake

Ahhhhhhhhhhh, camping. *sigh*

We left out Friday afternoon when RDB got in from work.  Getting into the fray of the north Houston traffic is not the best way to start the weekend, but it's a necessary evil. And am I ever so glad that RDB does a lot of our driving.  I had stopped off at an auto parts store and picked up extension mirrors for the truck - he said they helped out immensely.

We arrived at Lake Livingston after dark (I have a feeling most of our trips are going to start this way - winter camping calls for short days).  I checked in with the Ranger, and found out there were 3 camping groups that were on site this weekend - including a contingent of over 40 boy scouts! We were supposed to be camping with the Southeast Texas Pop-Up Camper's Club, but that group outing fell through.  Oh well - we were still going camping regardless!



LED lights in the back of the truck.

Setting up in the dark presents it's challenges - and lighting was certainly one of them this trip.  We had a few handheld flashlights, but by the end of the trip we bought cap clip-on lights and a set of LEDs for the back of the truck - I had never realized how dark it gets back there! By the time we were done unpacking and setting up Friday night and dinner was ready, we were ready to crawl into bed!

Saturday morning we woke up to beautiful weather (and a chance to see our site for the first time). Nice big trees, plenty of space - but RDB noticed that it looked alot like the underbrush had been clear cut.  The unfortunate side to this meant that we got to see a lot more of our neighbors than we really wanted to. 

It's interesting camping with Diesel now that he's growing into a larger dog.  It's not so much 'Oh, what a cute puppy!" anymore.  He started the day off barking at the kids on bikes, but quickly learned that they were no threat, and stopped reacting when they came by.  One of the kids came back with a larger group of friends (and a Mom) and stopped at the end of our site: "That's a mean dog!" he said to his friends.  I was sitting on the ground by Diesel and replied back: "He's not a mean dog.  What makes you think he's mean?"  "He barked at me earlier." Hmm, teachable moment here.  "Well, he barks when he's afraid of new things - like your bike - or when he's excited and wants to play.  He barks when he's happy, too.  Just because he barks, doesn't make him a mean dog."  He's not mean, I thought, he's just misunderstood. In fact, let's just see this "mean" dog in action.....

Yeah, he photo-bombed me in the last one.  I just about died laughing when I saw it.  And, yes, he took my spot on the bed, too.  Tell you what, he was anything but a mean dog this weekend.  Too bad people have a prejudice about the breed.

RDB and I really just enjoyed a relaxing weekend.  I made french toast and sausage for breakfast, Campfire Queso and guac for lunch, Grilled Banana Pudding (post coming soon!) and Jalapeno Poppers.  It wasn't a weekend evolving around food, but other than that, all we did was rest and nap and sleep! Honestly, we were in bed by 8:30pm Saturday night!

We woke up Sunday morning to the sound of rain on canvas.  Ahhhhhhh, perfect! (and ahhh, crap - because we'd have to pack up wet).  I was surprised how emptied out the camp ground was by 9am - it was booked full Friday night, but we were the last of three families when I went out to get breakfast.  Does it make for a challenge when it's raining and you're camping? Sure. Does it mean a little more work when you get home? Yes.  But it is the most relaxing, calm, and serene thing in the world to sleep in with the rain gently pat-pat-pattering on the roof of the camper.  I wouldn't have missed it for all the dry socks in the world.



All packed up and ready for the next adventure.

We were in site 76 at Lake Livingston State Park.  It wouldn't have been my first choice, but it was the last of three sites available on Friday night - what with the camping clubs there.  It sure didn't feel crowded, though. No wait for the bathrooms, and for the most part, very quiet.  The Park Ranger came by just about every hour or so, but he never stopped to say any thing to us - just waved and drove on.  We'd love to go back earlier in the week to grab one of the lake front spots (50-71).

For more camping photos, go here.