WESTWOOD - A Family Farm + More!: Roehl Family Campout

Well, we have returned from our annual family campout refreshed and revitalized after a week on the Michigamme Reservoir. This event has brought my husbands family together each summer for over 40 years! How's that for tradition? I can only hope we start a tradition in our own family that will last as long or mean as much to our children.

Our flight and subsequent drive was uneventful, which is just what we ordered!

When we arrived, we were greeted by pleasant temps and lots of happy campers :) Now I know where that phrase came from. The originator of 'happy campers' MUST have spent some time on the Michigamme, because that's exactly what you feel as you settle into your surroundings...happy.

The water in the reservoir had receded to the point that it offered us a great beach-like area to relax and/or play on...just like at the real beach, except without those pesky waves...me and pesky waves go way back, and I don't like to think about it!

As the boys geared up for a week of fishing fishing and more fishing, the girls each started their own adventure planning. The Little Brat had 2 cousins there her age that were just as much preoccupied with playing in the sand and water as she was...I think she wore her bathing suit more than anything else all week! The Oldest Brat got together with cousins her age and started drafting construction plans on quite an impressive beach hut and fire pit....no adults allowed, of course! Me? I just got a new camera, so I spent my week taking lots of pics of family and nature.

This is my first 'fancy' camera (Nikon D60), but I have found it extremely user friendly, intuitive, and FUN FUN FUN to use! I had a blast as self appointed event photographer...

Above are pics of our Little Brat frolicking in the water. I used Photoshop CS to help brighten the colors in the pics just a tad...this photgraphy stuff is cool!

Don't think she didn't have time for lots of other fun activities too though....along with a brief nap each afternoon......

She managed to also slip in some time to....snuggle with Daddy.

....brush her teeth with Mommy while watching the sun rise...

...learn how to fly a kite...

...and take a boat ride with Daddy, Oldest brat, and Middle Brat.

I did find some time to shoot other things besides the punk though....There was so much natural beauty around me, that I couldn't resist capturing some of it below...

This is bass haven...see that stump in the water? The reservoir used to be a forest, so the floor of it is covered with old trees and stumps left over from after the area was dammed and flooded. PRIME fishing territory for bass and other fishies since they like to dwell in and around those stumps and dead wood!

Each evening the fog would roll in, and each morning it would slowly roll out...I had a hard time catching it before it rolled out, as I made it a point to stay in my tent as long as possible each morning, but on THIS morning I JUST caught it!!

This is the canoe the older kids used each day to go gather drift wood for our camp fire.....

This eagle soared above our trees several times before I got the courage to try and capture it on camera...the great thing is that it was so high you could not see the white head with your eyes, but my fancy shmancy camera was able to zoom right in and catch it no problem! Go Nikon!

I also caught our Oldest and Middle brats building their own retreat and enoying an afternoon exploration...This is probably Middle Brats highlight of the week....this kid sleeps, eats and BREATHES fishing!!! So glad he got a 'keeper'!