Laborious Labor Day Weekend

Aside from some down time on Sunday afternoon with my siblings and parents, the Labor Day weekend was fairly non-stop.

Very UNnatural for me.

After a late high school football game Friday night, Saturday was crammed full of yard work until the mid to late afternoon.  That's when we packed up the lawn mower and tent and stuff and headed to some property my father-in-law recently acquired behind their place.  There we cleared a spot and set up camp:

This would be our second camp out of the year and all less than one mile from our front door.

Ab and our faithful friend, Tanner, a constant
at all our "near home" camp outs.

AA took some target practice - it's just an AIR RIFLE ...

and the ammunition is NOT lead.

After R. and I made several long trips back and forth, we were ready to dine
on gourmet hot dogs!

We all took turns demonstrating our own version of the proper way to roast a marshmallow....

Having brought no provisions we enjoyed TWO Breakfasts!  Here is how that came to be:  Mom bailed on us at bedtime and Ab and I each raised up and traded glances with one another throughout the night.  All the while "Dan'l  Boone - AA"  slept soundly throughout the night!

At one point, Ab grabbed her Jeanette Oke book and started reading while I bolstered up the camp fire. 
Sometime after 4:30, I drifted off to a deep sleep.  Ab stole away around 7:30 to Grandmother's house, having held out for as long as possible without the necessary relief facilities.

She returned some time later with coffee and breakfast sandwiches for all courtesy of my favorite almost parents!
About the time we were finishing, Mom arrived - probably feeling a tinge of guilt for having abandoned us the night before for the decadent comfort of a real bed - also bearing breakfast and coffee. . .  it was wonderful.

Tanner, who had remained faithfully at his post, just outside the tent door, was awarded with two breakfast sandwiches!

As I mentioned, we spent the rest of the day with my family - Dad joined us all outside for most of the afternoon.  And we laughed a lot.  For my part I was probably just giddy from sleep deprivation

AA and his cousin do some catching up.

 On Labor Day proper - R. hit the shrubs

Ab hit the bean bag for some movie time.

AA might have joined her, but she picked "Letters to God" and AA just wasn't ready for a sad one.

So he and I took Tanner again and went to break up camp.

Upon our return, Ab had made it to the kitchen (always the industrious one) to make a fudge cake from scratch...

We ended the holiday weekend with a futile attempt at catching up on the Sunday Family Devotion that we missed the night before.

It was a weekend brimming with memories...