On The Road

New York, here we come! Headed to the Finger Lakes. Blessed to be borrowing a posh RV from hubs company, we just don't know what to do with ourselves. 

Pour Josie fell running out to the RV when dad pulled in, he was so excited. He recovered quickly. 

Hunting Island Camping Trip

We just came back from one of our best camping trips! We will definitely go back again. Hunting Island is a great state park and very unique. We had a terrific spot, back in the maritime forest, away from the strong ocean winds but just a short walk to the beach. 

We explored a lot of places. The forest, the beach, the salt marsh. All so beautiful. 

We visited the lighthouse and all the big kids went up to the top with dad. 

I hung out with these guys :) We had lots to explore. 

The lighthouse from the beach. 

Our first day it was in the high 50s but after that it was warmer and just lovely. 

The kids found almost 70 shark teeth collectively in our week there! Also a mermaids purse, lots of sand dollars, a live starfish they threw back to sea, some dead horseshoe crabs, one dead jellyfish,  sea pansies, live conchs and lots of shells. 

On our marsh walk with a ranger we learned this glasswort is also called pickle weed and is edible! It tasted yummy, like salty cucumber. He said high end restaurants forage for it. 

Sadly, the island has a bad erosion problem. Especially on the south end. They lost all their cabins a few years ago. 

I actually climbed under this tree into those roots. It was a unique perspective and actually felt very moving. 

We also visited Fort Freemont, a Spanish American war fort. Very interesting and only recently taken under the wing of the county. 

South end of the island. 

This doe came into camp many nights and brought her yearling twins. She eventually ate out of the kids hands. Pretty neat. Not as neat were the raccoons. Bandits. Last night there they opened the screw top lid of the dog food canister and ate every bit!!

This camper has been the best investment ever. A week long vacation on an island within walking distance to the beach, close enough to hear the waves crash at night, for a family of ten for less than $400. Win! Our own little house on wheels. I adore it. I should have been a gypsy. 

Edisto Island Vacation-part 1

We just got back from one of the loveliest vacations we've ever enjoyed. (Although it STILL feels weird not to have Kaley along.) I'll admit in the last 18 years most of our "vacations" have been to visit family. We were blessed this year to acquire a camper, or as the children named it, "Dutchy". Or as Max calls it, our Little Home. I like that. I've dreamed and dreamed of having a camper. With a family this big, it's gotten hard to visit family and tent camp everywhere. So, for my 40th birthday, we bought one! 

I'm so thrilled with it. We've used it twice, once to visit family and now for vacation. It's in good shape so the only things to do are purely for my own sense of taste. So in time. I love love love it!!

We chose Edisto Island so we could camp near the ocean. The state park has two campgrounds there, one next to the beach and one 1/2 mile away in a woodsy area. We chose woodsy and I was so glad. Much more privacy and room for the kids. 

Here's our camp site all set up. With this big of a family, set up is a breeze!

The boys still tent it although we can all sleep in the camper if we needed to. 

Site #121. Very roomy! And there was a short cut path in the woods to the bathhouse. 

As soon as camp was all set, we took off for the beach. We found it very quiet, mostly families or older people and mostly empty. Lots of oyster and welk shells. Right away we found a live welk. 

We all felt like Max! 

Silas loved the shells. He was so excited to bring me his finds. 

Fern enjoyed it, too. She loved digging. 

Right before we headed back to camp, we found a hermit crab without a shell! He was not moving at all and very slow when we scooped him up. We weren't sure if he was a marine crab or a land hermit crab (they are different) so we covered him with a shell and left him. 

Back at camp, burgers and watermelon!

Edisto is purely residential. Nothing there but a small Bilo grocery and a few restaurants. It was nice. After dinner we actually all went to bed by 9 and slept very well. The lack of light pollution was wonderful!