8

 There was no emergency wake-up, just a nice slow awakening.  I'd set an alarm to get up early enough to make sure I was ready for the delivery of three blessed cots, but I was up before that.  I had plenty of time to amble down to the general store for coffee.

Aaron after inflating.  His bed.

I want to say that everyone I've interacted with here has been lovely.  While the campsites are snugly placed, they're comfortable, and the place is quiet by 10:30 even when the campground is packed.  I would love to come here again.

And I'm not even being paid to say that!

On the way down to the general store I stopped to chat with a very kind family about the low, straight threshold of their tent.  The man of the tent told me it is an Alakanak from Cabelas, and they've had it for thirty years.

There are advertisement brochures here for kayak and canoe rides down at the Saint Croix river, and I am always tempted.  I think I'll have to wait for a more able bodied buddy, though, rather than drag the progeny along.

They also have brochures for paddleboat rides and a barn quilt tour.  Both are also quite appealing.

I brought my own mug down and the lady behind the counter filled it up with sweet, dark joy.  This is my little half hour break in caregiving, and I treasure it.  I adore the caregivees but no one, not even the mighty me, can be on all the time.

Back at the campsite, I made three little jars of sun tea - peppermint, rooibos, and raspberry.

Those are our guest rocks.

We hauled Aaron over to the VIP shower and we all got showered off so we could go swimming.  Camping is dirty business and it felt gorgeously luxurious to shower off all the accumulation of the day before.  They have on demand water heaters and it is glorious.

By the time we got to the pool, it was packed.

Aaron was disturbed by the commotion and a little overwhelmed.  In hopes he'd still come in, Joey and I parked on the side of the stairs his chair was blocking, and took turns swimming and sitting with him.  After a while we just sat near him and chatted.

A beautiful yellow and black butterfly found its way inside the pool enclosure, and a huge dragonfly flew overhead.  I've always loved dragonflies.

At some point two very small children noticed the butterfly and began to chase it, shrieking with delight.  Or hunger.  I don't know, I'm not psychic.

"What will happen to the butterfly if they catch it?" asked Joey, who is terrified of all bugs.

"It will die," I said.  Little crushing hands.  Joey, soft-heart, flinched.  We watched as the chase unfolded, rooting for the butterfly.

"Stop that," called their mom, lounging in a plastic chaise and facing away from them.  They ignored her and she returned to sunbathing without missing a beat.

At long last the little bright butterfly made it to the fence and fluttered over to safety, and we relaxed.

I don't think their mom looked at them again the rest of the time we were there.

Eventually we gave up on getting Aaron in and headed home to the tent.  It was pretty warm in there so I walked back down for ice for our swamp cooler.  We did check out tent AC because it's only going to get hotter and Joey and I are both prone to heat sickness, but they are prohibitively expensive.

I trudged back to the tent with the ice resting on my shoulder.  

While Joey got the swamp cooler set up, I sliced up our precious watermelon for lunch.  We had that and cold cereal in nonperishable milk.  

Delish!

By late afternoon it was uncomfortable, so we set up in Orgalorg the screen tent.  We hauled the TV out, and the kitties one by one and put them in baby jail, where Spaghetti tried to fight the oppressive kitty penal system by standing on Duchess until Duchy bit her.

Pounce watches for the prison guards while her sisters plan their next caper.

There was a little friend in there with us.

I made baked potatoes and corn on the cob in the fire for dinner.  

Also delish!

And we tried our tea, and it was pretty good.

A FedEx truck pulled up and dropped off three cots.  I spent some time rearranging the tent so now there was more floor space, since I could stuff stuff under the cots.

Sketti approved.

We all moved back in, and Aaron and I used my cot as a couch.

But first, let me get a selfie!

Once again, I was so worn out I was trembling.  But we were fed, and sheltered, and together.