Gilligan.... the Skipper too...

First of all, it has been way too long since we've had one of these...

So yesterday we spontaneously hopped in the car and headed to Great Seneca State Park, which, SURPRISE, is this huge, well, state park, tucked away in a corner of our neighborhood. Really, we live less than 10 minutes from here! I think it's gotta be one of Montgomery County's best kept secrets. We picked up some hot dogs and s'more fixings on the way.

For some reason in Maryland you can't build a real campfire unless you are actually camping, so we built a little fire in the grill by the picnic tables. Travis was the firemaster...

Mostly I love his shirt. And yes, my friends... it DOES glow in the dark.

"And THAT is how a boy scout builds a fire."

I also have to mention here that the rest of the picnic area was densely populated with Latin families having immense birthday parties or reunions or whatnot. Complete with hammock-strewn pine trees and blaring Spanish party music. (You know the music I mean.) We took a video so you could experience the full ambiance, and maybe later I will upload it when I have the energy. :) We just had to laugh.

Afterward, we headed over to the lake for some canoeing! This was Travis's idea, and I guess he was feeling pretty adventurous, because the rest of us were all pretty hot and tired. I'm glad he talked us into it, though, because I (for one) thought it was tons of fun!

The best part was seeing those girls squeezed into their life jackets!
A smile from Kate, which was a rarity on this little adventure...

Okay, and now the inevitable part - where I describe in great detail how once again the adventure went south. (Are you detecting a pattern in what I blog? Not a coincidence, I assure you.)

Travis paddled us out to the middle of the lake, and Brooklyn, as you can see, was turning pinker by the second. No, not sunburn... I think she was about to pass out from heat exhaustion. It was really really hot. And somehow I think enveloping them in two-inch-thick foam insulation wasn't really helping things.
As soon as she let out her first uncomfortable whimper, Kate broke down. I think she suddenly realized that we were in a tiny little boat out in the middle of open water. I took Brooklyn and tried to splash her with lake water, which was of course yucky and surprisingly NOT cold. Kate sat in the back with Travis and screamed at the top of her lungs,

"WE'RE GOING DOWN!!!"

Okay I know when kids are afraid of something you're supposed to validate their fears and take them seriously, but I just couldn't do it. I laughed so hard I couldn't even comfort her. We tried to explain that we weren't going ANYwhere, especially with two screaming children in a tipsy little canoe, but she refused to be consoled. She continued to whimper for the next 30 minutes. The 30 minutes after that, she sat quietly, I think because she was nearly comatose from heat exhaustion.

Perma-frown.

Back to Brooklyn. She was so hot and I'd already splashed her with so much lake water, I finally reached over and dipped her foot in the water (her sandal was dirty). She thought this was such great fun she squirmed and wriggled until she had both feet over the side and was kicking them in the water. Of course this required me to hold her tightly while she dangled over the edge of the canoe. She dragged her feet in the water, giggling delightedly, while Travis paddled along. Kate was not comfortable with this at all. Whenever I held Brooklyn over the side, Kate panicked and started screaming at me to stop. I'm sure she thought I was endangering the life of her most beloved sister. And I'm also sure that the other boaters thought I was crazy or a bad Michael-Jackson-esque parent or something. (I promise, I'm not.)

I was the Rebel Without a Life Jacket. (Did I mention it was HOT?)
Don't worry, I can swim. Check out how thrilled Brooklyn looks.

The lake bottom was covered with these prickly sea-weed-y plants, and we could see all kinds of fish swimming through them. We even saw a huge turtle swim right past our canoe! Even with the heat it was so peaceful and beautiful and quiet out there! Such a change from our fast-paced noisy life...

Anyway, Travis & I thought the whole day was fun! We thought Kate would admit later that she had fun, but when we asked (several times, and again today), she replied emphatically, "I didn't."

Finally we went home and hopped in the pool! We seriously needed to cool off. It was just the little weekend getaway I needed - minimum planning and stress, maximum enjoyment. Perfect.