So this year I am sending my daughter to summer camp up in the mountains for the first time. I went every summer (it's only one week!) from the time I was her age, and I loved it every year! I even came back after i graduated high school to be a counselor a couple of times. I wish I had enough PTO to be a camp counselor again. Maybe next year!
Of course we left all camp packing for the absolute last. Luckily I’m pretty good about doing laundry so there were enough clothes to make her bag complete. Gotta make sure the kid is all set to Get Out! for a WHOLE WEEK!! Being an experienced camper, I know all the things she needs, so she ended up with 2 swimsuits.
Plus we had to make sure we had all of our swimming gear, as Kiefer’s mom invited us over for swimming. Finally, we got everything packed, and left the house by 9:42 AM! Only 15 min later than planned…..except my daughter forgot her glasses, so we had to go back. Kids, what can you do right?
So we FINALLY got BACK on the road, and headed for Orange County for some pool time, swimming yay! I always have a hard time enjoying recreational swimming, since to me the water is a workout tool (especially in the pool form). But I had fun playing with my daughter. She was so funny, saying things like "OMG I forgot out to swim," so I took her to the middle of the pool and let go….lo and behold ye: she swam to the side! Not gracefully, or efficiently, but she did it. The girl needs to spend more time in a pool!
Meanwhile Kiefer had a project to do. Kiefer’s mom was donating and old, unused bike to a guy at her support group. The guy lives on the streets (but keeps himself clean ), and uses a bike to get around. Well someone decided they needed it more than him, so they took it. In turn Kiefer’s mom is going to give him one. Well that bike needed some work. One of the tubes was completely fried, and the other one was mystery tube. Plus the cables were looking rusty. We know the guy isn't looking for speed or performance, but it would be nice if we could provide the guy with a RELIABLE bike. So Kiefer his sister and I meandered over to the bike store.
This bike store was great, it’s like an excuse for a group of cyclists to sit around and play with bikes all day. Probably half of the bikes on the floor were actually people’s rides, they had mud on them, or wear, and no price tags. There was a den section with sofas surrounding a TV and coffee table (under which were strewn countless pairs of well worn cycling shoes). The selection was definitely sparse all around, they had like 2 of everything….really. Though I’m almost willing to bet they can order anything, but probably only stock the stuff that they like to buy!
Well tubes are easy enough to change, no tools required....but to do the cables you definitely need some tools, so logically this leads to the “where are the tools”. Well apparently someone decided they needed Kiefer’s mom’s tools more than she did…so they walked into the garage and walked off with them. Le sigh. So with the claim funds she’s going to get herself a new bike. Fantastic!
In other news, Kiefer and I have been looking into building up a single speed/fixie flip-flop for someone as a surprise. I think it will be an awesome gift. Plus then they can come ride with us! WHEEEE!
Finally, after the police were called to take a report of the stolen merchandise, we left for Big Bear, and summer camp. We got there fine (only 1 u-turn!) and got my daughter settled into her bunk (right on top of Baba, that’s my mom)…only to discover……(drumroll please)……my daughter’s shoes are too small. So Kiefer and I had an adventure and drove in to Big Bear City to visit the local Payless. My daughter was very pleased with the results, so that was that!
On our way home we stopped at the A&W along route 38, YUM! I had a plethora of horrible fried things, all washed down with a root beer float (made with some sort of ice cream-like substance). Onion Rings, Fried Zucchini and a Fried Fish Sandwich. The Zucchini was REALLY good actually! Hey, I eat healthy most of the time, I can indulge once in a while!
When we finally got home and I declared we needed to work out, so we busted out the P90X (thanks to inspiration from one of the Blogs I follow, it’s all your fault you know!) and I made poor skinny Kiefer roll around on the floor with me doing Superman Banana and the like for an hour. Sorry Kiefer, I’ll get you a nice thick yoga mat for next time I promise! We finished our workout and then snuggled in for a GREAT French action film called District B-13. The main actor is the inventor of Parkour, which is a form of free-stunting, or free-running.. He does all of his own stunts, and there are no guide wires, or safety lines, so everything has an excellent REAL feel to it. Not an activity for me, but inspiring to watch since everyone there is highly active.
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