Tipi Camping

or

The Poster Child for West Nile Virus

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The Itchy and Scratchy Show

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Adam has the Measles

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Holy Bug Bites Batman!

We went camping this weekend. There were mosquitos. Adam has some special pheromones that the mosquitos like a lot. And some special allergies to mosquito spit, apparently.

Did I mention we were camping in a tipi? For 2 years, Jim has been pining to camp in a tipi, so he reserved one for this weekend many moons ago.

The campgrounds are at the Upper Sioux Agency State Park (what a mouthful!), which is a wonderfully maintained park located where the Yellow Medicine River joins the Minnesota River. It is about 2 1/2 hours west of the twin cities.

There are prairie and forest areas with hiking, rolling hills and flat areas.

I have mixed feelings about camping with the dog. When off-leash (illegal, but I was a rebel while at the campground), she is great. She sniffs around, stays in our areas, comes when called, lays down to keep guard. On-leash, she's whiny in the campground, no matter how long the tether is, and the longer it is, the more she gets tangled up. Hiking on-leash, she forgets all her good manners learned while walking in the suburbs and just pulls the whole time. There is just too much to see, smell and hunt. Any suggestions from experienced dog campers?

The nearest town is about 10 minutes away, Granite Falls.

The falls.

And a park on the other side of the river.

Back at the ranch, er...tipi.

I don't have proof of our favorite part of the trip because I didn't want the camera to get wet. Jim coaxed us down near the smaller river, the Yellow Medicine river, and convinced us to wade in to some dry rocks in the middle of the river. Of course the kids were in heaven after they realized they were safe; I hovered between having fun, fearing for my family's lives, irritation with Ava, and concern for Ava; and Ava was just in a total panic at being away from the land. 

Told ya he had a lot of bites. And yes, we used bug spray.

But he was/is very good natured about it.

"Stop scratching, Adam"

Nearby is the Oldest Exposed Rock in the World.

"Get out and go touch the rock, Laura."

Naps were not a problem.

Aside from grossness of it being on a pillow (why? I don't know), I think this dirty little foot is sweet.

She's sweet too.

He's sweet too.

Hi Jim! Enjoy your tipi?

"Stop scratching, Adam"

I like the phases of the moon. They look extra cool at dusk.

Lemonade Stand

Thank you everyone in our neighborhood, you are very generous. They sold 2 gallons in less than an hour and made much more than we expected.

New York! #5

Everyone was feeling better this morning!

Start off with our morning swim

Then off to Central Park, starting with the Zoo

Sea Lion

Polar Bear

Aggressive swans

And a couple of goofy turtles

"I'm picking his NOSE!!!"

The petting zoo was a favorite

You know we are on vacation when I spring the 50 cents for the animal food. :)

Then we had lunch and ventured into the rest of the park.

The first playground had potential, but looked run down.

This slide looked like it could be so much fun!

Laura's doing a great job acting here. She is actually sitting still, not moving an inch. It was the slowest slide ever. Perhaps on a less humid day, it would have been slipperier?

Did you know there are huge rocks sticking out of the ground all over Central Park? I had no idea? That was probably the kids' favorite thing. Bouldering around on them was so much fun.

The next playground we came to (there are many), was better.

Hans Christian Anderson

The Ugly Duckling (statue, not kid)

Alice in Wonderland

The pigeons were also a big hit.

On a whim, I had the kids sit for a charcoal artist. It turned out to be a picture of very cute kids that don't necessarily look exactly like my kids. 

Jim's going to bring it back from his NY office next time he goes, so I will share it with you then.

But both kids did a great job sitting still for it.

Told you I bought them silly souvenirs

Oh! Hey, there's our hotel room. Very standard, and in good shape.

Just across the street was the neighborhood park. It was in very nice condition and had a splash pad. In fact, there were splash pads all over Central Park too. The park had a tall fence that was locked at night, but otherwise, looked just like a park in the 'burbs.

And that night, Laura and I went to a Broadway play. Does anyone remember my obsession with the movie Newsies as a preteen? Maybe even a teenager. I think I was in the minority that recognized its genius. Anyway, it has been made into a play that is very true to the movie and thoroughly exciting for both of us girls. I'm still giddy :)

Our seats were up in the balcony, but again, they were a pretty serious discount from the full price, so what can you expect. Its a small theater, so we could still see very well. 

Adding to the coolness factor is that this is the same theater I saw my first Broadway play 15 years ago. When I was on a college engineering trip, a renegade professor offered to take a few of us into New York City while the rest of the class was doing something else, can't remember what but I'm sure it was nerdy. But I do remember vividly the Staten Island Ferry, walking through Times Square, and taking a chance on some Standing Room Only tickets to see Rent. Holy cow, how could we be so lucky? Jessica and I stood in the back for the first half, then sat in some empty seats about 10 rows back on the floor for the second half. It was incredible. Just incredible.

Anyway, after the show, Laura and I walked back to the hotel via Times Square so we could see it at night. Crazy!