<b> Aug. '07: Family Camping at Madeline Island, WI - DAYS 1 & 2</b>

3 adults and 4 kids crammed in one minivan packed to the ceiling made the 5-hour drive from St. Paul, MN to the northern Wisconsin shores of Lake Superior, where we took the ferry over to Madeline Island for a weekend of camping with family friends. Nephew #4 was a broked record all weekend, enthusiastically exclaiming, "I CAMPIN'! I campin', mommy!" and "I sleep in TENT!" We did meet some creature friends-- including our campsite mascot Carl the Squirrel-- and even met a couple of tiny snapping turtles on the beach. My sister and brother-in-law are seriously the king and queen of camping breakfast over the fire-- eggs and bacon one day, pancakes and sausage the next. I had the honour of sleeping in the Party Tent with all four of my nephews, sandwiched in between the youngest two. I thought we'd stay up all night telling camping stories but they always passed out as soon as their heads hit the pillows. There were some funny ghost stories told around the campfire by #3 who was on a sugar-high from eating about a bazillion s'mores. Lots of giggles and good times were had by all. We even stopped at a farm in Bayfield on the way home and went blueberry picking! I kept telling my sister I felt like Sally Field in the movie Places in the Heart, as all four boys and three adults were hunched over the rows of bushes, picking berries in the hot afternoon sun. For the younger boys it was all about carefully screening all berries to find the perfect gigantic "MONth-ter" ones. And of course after all that hard work we had to pick up some KFC and listen to The Secret Garden on cd. Because sometimes that's the only recipe for peace and harmony among tired, crowded campers. I'm so thrilled that I was able to tag along for this adventure.