Grandpa and Camping and Baby Birds

The essence of summer

The essence of summer

I have had a ball watching the kids next door enjoy their summer camping trip.

Cannonball!

Cannonball!

I spoke with their Grandma.  She and her husband are raising three grandsons, ages 7, 8 and 9.  She said they took them to Disney World, but they like this a lot better than Disney.   Another adult or two and some more kids are camping in a tent next door to them.   The grandma apologized profusely for the noise.  But all I have heard is happy kid sounds and it delights me.   I asked if I could take pictures of the kids and she said yes.

Grandpa taking the kids fishing after dinner

Grandpa taking the kids fishing after dinner

Ron and I have especially loved watching the grandpa with the kids.  He is so gentle and loving toward them.  It is so wonderful to see good kids and family who obviously adore them.

I was awakened this morning by bluebirds.  I didn’t realize what a piercing call they have.  A pleasant alarm clock!

Feed me NOW

Feed me NOW

While I was sitting outside, I looked under our trailer and saw five little birds.  Obviously some (or all) of them were babies.  I couldn’t tell if there were 3 babies and two adults, or if they were all babies who had fallen out of their nest.  It’s unusual to see the wide open mouths of baby birds demanding Feed Me other than in a nest.  At least, it was odd to me.

Of course, Sheba had an opportunity today for her mandatory “Sheba in the water” camping shot.

Over here, Ma!

Over here, Ma!

She is maturing so fast.  I am very impressed by how good she has been while we have to keep her tied up in camp.  She contented herself all day, between walks, by watching the kids, watching the boats, people swimming, rafts and canoes on the water. She appeared endlessly fascinated by the kids next door.

Ron bought bait and we planned to go fishing today.  In fact, I already had my hook baited and had attempted my first cast when we realized that my new reel was defective.  I thought we’d have to exchange it.  But Ron took his apart to see how it worked, then he took mine apart and fixed it.

Ah!  I found the water!

Ah! I found the water!

By then it was time to cook dinner, though.  Then, as soon as we were finished eating and I had just gotten the awning down, a terrific thunderstorm hit us.  What a deluge!  After it was passed, the air was so clean and fresh smelling.  People came back outside.  All was beautiful again, except that the sky had an odd yellow cast.

So our worms are on hold for tomorrow.  I hope my reel works like it’s supposed to!

Cooling it

Cooling it

Japanese honeysuckle

Japanese honeysuckle

Ron and Sunny checking out a pull-thru site

Ron and Sunny checking out a pull-thru site

Trumpet vines

Trumpet vine flowers in trees. They are a visual delight.

Closeup of trumpet flowers

Closeup of orange flowers. On edit – reader Karen identified these flowers as trumpet vines and said that hummingbirds love them. Thanks, Karen!

Under the camper

Under the camper

Our storm this evening

Our storm this evening

Previous Post

16 Comments

  1. What a beautiful post. You capture the true treasure of enjoying the outdoors….what a shot of the cannonball and then the baby birds. And who would have thought Sheba would settle in so well, I know, someone who held her determination and now she’s so loved and well behaved – that makes me so happy! Thanks for making my evening so much more exciting and setting the bar! xo

    Like

    • Carla, it is so odd how days can turn into beautiful and special times. Today surprised me with all the unexpected little events that made it memorable.

      Yes, Ron and I made it through the puppyhood crisis with Sheba, and now we can’t imagine life without her. She is so loving and sweet. It’s hard to think that we were seriously consider trying to find her a new home a few months ago. So glad we hung in there with her!

      Like

  2. Karen

     /  June 13, 2013

    The orange vine is called Trumpet Vine. It grows all over and can become quite invasive (sp?). Hummingbirds love it!

    Like

    • Thank you, Karen! It sure does brighten up the landscape! I’ll fix my captions since I know what it is now!

      Like

  3. Those poor babies, I wonder how they wound up under your trailer. Nice camp site.

    Like

    • The only thing I can figure is that maybe their nest blew down? I was hoping that a couple of them were parents, but after looking at the pictures several times, I think they were all babies. Very sad.

      Like

  4. Great post – it really embodies ‘summer’ – kids having fun on the water, fishing, flowers, baby birds- sounds wonderful!
    I’m so glad Sheba is maturing!

    Like

    • Anne, the kids camping around us seem to be spending most of their time outdoors doing things instead of inside on some electronic device. It has been so gratifying to watch!

      I think that Sheba is enjoying life more, too, now that she has settled down a bit. We are all happier now!

      Like

  5. MarciaGB

     /  June 14, 2013

    Lovely post and pics. Always good to see kids genuinely having fun. I hope the baby birds are OK. A pair of robins in our yard lost their babies so they started over again. We see them all over our yard pulling up worms and grubs.
    What a beautiful camping spot you’ve found – enjoy!

    Like

    • Marcia, the kids seem to capture the sheer joy of living in the moment. And there have been no harsh words, no sullen or smart-mouthed attitudes. Maybe I don’t get around much, but I haven’t seen that kind of sheer enjoyment of the outdoors among kids in a long time.

      I hope the bird babies are okay, too. I’m hoping I see them again.

      We are really enjoying this small campground — mostly because of the special caliber of the people here.

      Like

  6. Cindy Funderburk

     /  June 14, 2013

    I believe those orange flowers are called “trumpet vine”. Or at least that is what my mom has always called them. 😊
    I really enjoy reading your blog! We recently bought our first camper – a pop up. Your blog has given me a fresh attitude towards enjoying camping and making memories with my family. I really enjoyed your observations about the grandfather with the children. What a peaceful world this would be if more followed his example! Take care and keep blogging! 💗

    Like

    • Thank you, Cindy. Another commenter, Karen, had told me that they were trumpet vines. I appreciate the confirmation. 🙂

      I am delighted to hear about your new popup. That’s what the family with the kids next door are camping in. Popups are wonderful for keeping you up off the ground and protected, but feeling open and intimately connected to the outdoors.

      Do get out and start making those memories with your children! They will stick with them all their lives! And yes, the way the grandfather interacted with those children spoke volumes about how things should be. I wish every child had a close, nurturing extended family to grow up in.

      Like

  7. lynne

     /  June 14, 2013

    Love the honeysuckle PICT! Glad to hear that you are out enjoying life.

    How much are you using the new fan?

    Like

    • We are using the new fan extensively. The first day here it was so humid, we used the A/C. But the storm blew the humidity away, and the fan has been in almost constant use.

      I am loving the photos of BC you are posting. They make me wish I was right behind you!

      Like

  8. Angie Beyant

     /  June 17, 2013

    The orange flowers are called trumpet vine here in TN

    Sent from my iPhone

    Like

    • Thanks, Angie. Last night’s thunderstorm blew some of them down, so I got a chance to see them up close.

      Like

  • Enter your email address to subscribe to Tinycamper's blog and receive notifications of new posts by email.

    Join 962 other subscribers
  • Cool Stuff!

  • My Blog Topic Categories

  • Blog Stats

    • 1,029,028 hits
%d bloggers like this: