Don’t flay the sheep.

18 things on July 18

Back from the camping trip, and here are 18 things to catch up on the 18th:

1. Zora just took her first bath in a week (not counting dips in Lake Michigan) Honestly, I was suprised by how not-completely-foul she was.
2. Amazing camping accomplishments: making pizzas (from scratch) over a wood fire; keeping Zora out of profuse poison ivy; packing 5 days of equipment, 2 teenagers, a toddler, 3 bikes, a bike trailer, clothes, beach gear, etc in a Scion x; figuring out how to use vaseline to make my MI state park’s year pass movable from one car to another; being the person on the trip who was not afraid to deal with spiders.
3. Not so amazing camping accomplishments: 3 hours average each day spent in the tent getting Zora to sleep (I am not exaggerating); forgetting to pick up a gas cannister for my stove AGAIN (I did this last summer, too); seriously straining a muscle in my arm from lugging too-heavy things; bending half of my tent stakes.
4. I do not understand why people fly to the Caribbean. (OK, also, I can’t afford to do this.) We had a beach-front camping spot, with our hammock slung between two trees, and the lake just a few steps from our tents. White sand, blue water, the works. If you bring along your tropical drink of choice, you’re set.
5. I could not have managed this trip without the incredibly fabulous duo of Elena and Grace. (My 9th grade cousin and her best friend.) They are the best. Ever. Period. So, in Zora’s word’s “Teek oo, lnena; Teek oo, Geese.”
6. Dutch people are inbred. I spent 5 minutes at a hot dog stand trying to convince someone that I was not the blond Erica who looks exactly like me that she knew because I do not have an older sister.  But, in West Michigan, I think this is a normal conversation. We all look like cousins.
7. Speaking of tropical drinks, it’s not tropical, but seems appropriate for the upper midwest…my drink of choice for this trip was the Leinekugel’s Summer Shandy. Perfect.
8. Books read so far on vacation: Northanger Abbey (Jane Austen); Sister Pelagia and the Black Monk (Boris Akunin); and I’m part way into River Angel (A. Manette Ansay).
9. We are offically moved in to the new place and out of the old place. We are not officially unpacked. In the interest of setting acheivable goals, my goal is to be unpacked and organized in time for the first snow, so that we can park our car in the little attatched garage instead of our boxes.
10. I’ve hit my goal weight, and stayed there for a few weeks. But, I just ate too much chocolate in celebration of the first nap Zora’s taken in over a week that has not involved extreme parental soothing.
11. Erik’s birthday/anniversary/Father’s Day sweater is coming along nicely. But I also started a sleeveless silk/wool sweater for myself because I needed something a little different. Grace and Elena learned to knit on this trip, too. They are pros already. We stopped at a knitting store in Travese City to get them a new project, and the store-owner’s yes bugged out of her head when we told them how many techniques they’d learned in a few days.
12. Local meal this week: lots and lots of cherries.
13. We were relieved at the end of our trip to stay at my aunt and uncle’s really wonderful cottage on the way home. Mostly because we like them, but also because we like the cottage
14. I bought myself a berry bowl from this place. It’s near the aforementioned cottage, and I think the berry bowl is so cool: it comes with a little plate underneath, you wash your berries, and then you just leave them out for attractive snacking.
15. Another car ride tonight: Zora and I pick Erik up from the train after work, and then head for Wisconsin for a weekend with his family. I will not be driving, lifting heavy objects, or putting Zora to sleep.
16. I need to listen to the news on the radio less. It makes me a crazy person. Lack of eletricity is a good thing for my soul.
17. Did you know that Germans eat really spicy radishes with their dark beer? I just learned this at the farmer’s market this morning. Then I bought some spicy radishes. But all I have is the Leinie’s Shandies in the fridge. So I’ll have wait to try this.
18. And, look for a few more posts with video next week. Possible attractions include: Zora eating ice cream; Zora using cherries as body paint; the hammock; and other things involving, of course, Zora.

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