back from camping

We got to Rock Creek Reservoir around 1:30 pm, after making our traditional stop at the annual Wamic Rummage sale. Alas, no outstanding bargains were to be found, although Karen, as always, managed to find a couple of odd treasures.

Incredibly, we were the first in our group to get to the campground, so we snagged the most-choice space that our group had reserved - right on the water, with a gorgeous view. We set up our camp and, one by one, our friends arrived. The traditional spectacular dinner (from Anne-Marie) followed: grilled chicken and sausages, potato salad, green salad, bread, tons of wine - did I leave anything out? Oh yes, there were also nibbles before and chocolate mousse for dessert.

Campfire with kids, of course - it was a little overcast, but a few stars appeared before we turned in for the night. Around 5 am, it started raining. And raining. And raining.

By the time people roused themselves, it was still coming down pretty steadily. We gathered under our blue tarps, made our coffee, oatmeal, and small talk. Someone came up with the notion of driving to Kah-Nee-Ta to soak in the hot springs pool. Most everyone eventually headed out to do that - only I stayed behind at the campground, mostly because I didn't feel like spending a couple of hours in a car, when I'd be happier lounging around, reading, taking the dog for walks, and thinking about dinner (which I was responsible for).

It turned out that the weather cleared a half-hour after everyone left. I had a wonderful, quiet day, doing camp chores, talking to and walking the dog, reading, and snoozing in the sun. It was so damn relaxing that I couldn't believe it.

Around 4, I started sauteeing the onions, celery, and red pepper, and building my fishy stew, with canned clams, smoked salmon, imitation crab, canned tomatoes, and canned diced green chilies. While all this was simmering, I peeled a couple of bags of frozen shrimp and added a big jar of cioppino sauce, a big shake of Old Bay seafood seasoning, and a big splash of white wine. It was looking pretty good when the gang got back from their expedition, which saw a lot of rain.

I cooked up a big pot of seasoned rice (Zatarain's jambalaya mix) and everybody plunged into dinner. It was proclaimed a success.

Another great campfire, with lots of singing, guitar playing, marshmallows, and Jiffy Pop. Around 11, we finally called it a night and headed off to our tents. Early this morning: rain, rain, rain.

Another damp breakfast under cover, then it was time to pack up and head home. By the time we were ready to leave, the rain had stopped but the trees were still dripping. We came back over Mt. Hood, which still had plenty of snow up at the passes. Slow holiday weekend traffic - seemed to take a long time.

Now we've been home for a few hours - most of the gear is either put away or hanging up in the shed to dry, before being put away. All in all, great fun - good crowd of friends. Many of them won't be seen again until the Labor Day camping trip!

Back to work tomorrow.