Labor Day Weekend - King Mountain

The last campout of the season... a sad affair, and a wonderful event. =) The weather was gorgeous - full of sunshine, and we got to see the full moon at night. (Which meant that is was cold, but we got a beautiful view of the full moon...) The picture below of King Mountain and the full moon is courtesy of Greg and his fancy-pants camera. All mine turned out dark or blurry or dark and blurry, so I used one of his instead.

Saturday was a day of hiking - for those that were interested in going... and (of course) there was a cache. The hike to Castle Rock takes all day. I applaud those that were stalwart enough to make the trek. I, on the other hand, (and a few others) opted to stick closer to home.

A lovely day around the fire, visiting and enjoying friends. That's how I spent my day. I can't imagine a nicer way to spend a sunny, fall Saturday.

It's always hard for me to accept the coming winter. Changing leaves and cold nights are harbingers of the Great Time of Dark and Cold. Of course, I start fending off thoughts of winter in June, when summer solstice passes and the days start getting shorter. It's not noticeable for quite some time, but as of the 21st of June I know the clock is ticking.

As summer wanes, it's even more important to me to horde those warm, sunny memories of summer. I have to have something to keep me sane during The Long Sleep. This weekend was a great chance to stockpile pretty pictures. I can just see myself in December: Remember that great campout in September? Where it was warm and pretty, and we had such a great time with our friends? Maybe we can do that again, in just a couple months... I can last just a couple more months...

I think I'm getting a little hung up on the upcoming cold. Could be because the weather's colder now and the news just reported that we may get snow in the next couple days. (I'm a bit behind, and finishing the writing of this post on the 24th of September.) So to snap out of it, I'll mention James (remember kilt-donning James?). We had a nice chat around the fire one afternoon. We both agreed that the licorice (from Costco, purchased just before the campout and sealed until we arrived), was less than fresh. I expected it to be softer and more chewy. It was actually a little tough - so James used the marshmallow/wienie roaster to warm some up. Turns out it softens a bit if it's warmed over the fire... but tastes a bit smokey too. Different, but apparently still tasty. Kind of like the bacon s'more? Hmmmm...

We got rained on just a bit, Saturday evening. Enough to put up the extra awning, but not enough to make anyone uncomfortable. (Unless it was the hikers, who got caught in a bit of the deluge on the way down the mountain - but we warmed them up with a fire, hot chili, and toasty warm beverages.)

This weekend was fantabulous! All the more enjoyable, knowing that it's the last time this summer that I'll be going camping. Greg might go on a winter trip (he tried last winter, but the volcano put an early end to that), but I don't think that'd be a wise idea for me. I'm sure my nose AND my feet would be cold... The weather, the friends, the campfire... a marvelous way to spend the long weekend.