Labor Day Camping

The weeks have flown by and I haven’t had a moment to write, so I wanted to do so while I had the chance.  Over Labor Day weekend we went camping at a little campground called Enota in the north Georgia mountains.  The staff was wonderful and the grounds beautiful. 

The campground has a working farm and does tours every day.  So Hayden got to gather eggs, milk a cow, feed the baby bull (who wasn’t so little), pet bunnies and goats and see baby chicks.  He also got to ride one of the miniature horses, Max, who was the highlight of Hayden’s weekend.  In addition to all of this there were campfires, s’mores and hiking that led to a beautiful waterfall.  There’s even a 2 mile hiking trail that leads to the Appalachian Trail, but I wasn’t brave enough for that toting a toddler and a 6 month old.

                Mason was great and just took it all in.  Of course, even though I set him on the blanket whenever we were cooking and whatnot, he managed to squirm his way to the edge and grab at the grass.  He was covered in it anytime I picked him up, it was so cute.  Arnie got to spend time with the boys in both quality and quantity, something that’s difficult to do in the hustle and bustle of home.

                We ended up heading out on Sunday and stopped in Helen, a small, touristy “German” town.  We got some delicious authentic German food.  Otherwise, I definitely prefer the less hectic and less tourist-driven Frankenmuth in Michigan.  Which sounds funny, because Frankenmuth is definitely tourist driven, but somehow its much better done.

                In a few summers when Mason is older we might try tubing down the Chattahoochee River, near the campground.  It looked like a lot of fun and I think the boys would love it.

I can hardly believe the weekend is over.  It was such a great way to connect with each other and with nature.  We camped right on the creek and mixed with the din of crickets was the sound of bubbling water flowing over the rocks.  There’s a peacefulness that comes when listening to the sounds of nature and a crackling fire, to a child’s laughter or squeal when he discovers something previously unknown.  What’s wonderful is that we get to bring a little bit of that home with us, that sense of tranquility and extra family harmony that being together wholly in nature does for us like nothing else can.  And what’s more, if we’re lucky, it will last us until the next time.