Memorial Day Weekend

A hot and humid Memorial Day weekend could not deter the expert campers!  Mom, Dad, Vince and I set out for the beautiful cabins at Crane Naval Base and the relaxing hum of the pontoon motor across Lake Greenwood.  This year we decided to only take necessary items to cut down the load on the shocks of the van...

Yes, all of this was very necessary!  Dad is the driver, Vince is in the passenger seat, Mom in the back and I am strapped to the roof as we are now officially out of space.  And so the trip begins....

We only got a few miles down the road...and in what was to be one of many successful wildlife rescues.... Dad stopped the van (in the middle of the highway) and Vince got out and guided a box turtle helplessly stranded in the road (certain death was imminent!) to the safety of the woods.  Whoohoo!  Wildlife Rescue I - SUCCESS!

On to Crane, the cabins and the lake looked exactly as we remembered....we busied ourselves putting away our few meager supplies for the weekend.  (We like to rough it, ya know!)

As I was working away, I heard a commotion on the cabin's front porch...sure that it was an intruder, I took my new karate defensive position...when what to my wandering eyes should appear?  Why it's Rocky Raccon, what a dear!

Isn't she the cutest ever?

She was attempting to pull items off the front porch...to decorate her own place I suspect. The liquid bleach to clean the showers sadly met with its untimely demise.

(See Rocky's teeth marks in the bottom of the bottle.)  Rocky soon became our campsite pet...more on that later!

Onward ever...first night was a campfire with delicious campfire pizzas:

 The next day dawned bright and sunny and we were out to catch a boatload of fish:

And catch we did!  Look at the whopper Mom hauled in!  :-)  (Ah, well, there is always the Amish Restaurant up the street...I think they serve fish!)

One evening Vince and I set off for a hike and once again saved endangered wildlife:

We came upon this ancient burial shrine....think "Lost" at it's best....the little frog knew that the smog monster would be there to get him soon and was trembling with fear.  Vince valiantly plucked the frog from his perch and placed him in an area of safety where neither Jacob nor the Man in Black could do harm.  Wildlife Rescue II - SUCCESS!

I am the Captain of My Fate!  (well, seaman first class of the pontoon, at least!)

Rocky the Raccon became a regular under our cabin.  She would be nowhere to be found until the food came out and then she mysteriously would appear.  She loved potato chips, frosted mini-wheats, hot dogs and peanuts.  Heeeeeerrrrrreeee's Rocky!

Well, sadly, all good things must end....well, actually they don't have to....but anyway.  Once again we are on our way ....this time headed home, but not before one final wildlife rescue....meet Boxy the Box Turtle.  Wildlife Rescue III - SUCCESS!

Camping at Crane on Memorial Day Weekend?  SUCCESS!