Is it Sunday already?

As mentioned, MB and I spent this weekend camping with some friends. We always eat ridiculously well on our camping trips, and this one was no exception. On Friday night, MB and his friend from work (let's call him Mr. Muskrat) fixed chicken and gargantuan steaks. I took a photo because I knew no one would believe how big the steaks were without proof, but I'll just post a link since I know some of my readers are vegetarians: tasty dinner, pre-cooking


On Saturday we went for a hike, but I only got a few pictures before it started raining:

Yay, turtle!

Teeny snake. He didn't like Mr. Muskrat holding his tail.



We hiked for about three hours, and it sprinkled off and on for the first two, and then rained straight through the last hour. We didn't get soaked, exactly, but we were definitely damp all the way through to our skins. Luckily, it was warm enough that the rain just made things feel nice and cool. This was a welcome change from last year, when we tried to make this same hike during the last weekend of July, at the tail end of a record summer heat wave. Other than Mrs. Muskrat's orange hat bleeding some color out on her skin (not her face, thankfully), everyone survived more or less intact. That night, Mr. Muskrat made his trademark barbecue hamburgers, and they were SO good. I finished a really good book, Mrs. Muskrat and I had S'mores again, and the stars came out above the impossibly tall pine trees.


Today, the Muskrats left early to go to church, and MB and I slept in until about 9:30. Our tent tends to turn into an oven once the sun hits it in the morning, but it was so cool outside that we were comfy--even a little bit chilly. Once we broke camp and packed everything back up in the car, we headed to Marengo Cave for the day and took both walking tours.

flowstone forming

the Lion's Den

the Penny Ceiling, where you can try to get pennies to stick

Elephant Rock

soda straws covering the ceiling

the Rocky Mountains

stalactites, stalagmites, columns (formed when stalactites
and stalagmites meet), and a huge mound of flowstone

We saw two bats! I love bats, and firmly
believe that they are unfairly maligned.


More nice cave formations:

For more cave photos, go to Shutterfly.


After our second tour, we took a short walk to see the sinkhole where the natural entrance used to be, and even though the sinkhole was somewhat unimpressive, the woods were pretty.




Now the fun's over, and all we have to remember it by are pictures, memories, and a huge freaking pile of laundry. BoMB has moved into his new apartment, the plants are all outside for the summer, and Kitters is quietly gloating, since he once again has access to the most sacred and coveted spare room.

How about you guys? How did you spend your weekend?



Reading: Sammy's Hill by Kristin Gore


Just finished: Promise Not to Tell by Jennifer McMahon


Playing: Cake (sound warning)