Imagine: 48 degrees at dawn, warming sun, bird calls...and fresh coffee enjoyed in bed. Ruhiyyih made that possible ~ serving us just as we were waking up. 
The family spent six days camping on the northern loop at Clear Lake Campground. This is the outflow from the lake, a fantastic fishing and canoeing location.
There were seven of us - Rue and Annie, Daisy and Daniel, Ruhiyyih, (Matt for an overnight and early morning) and George and I. 
Little Daniel came with his new cap.
Shortly after George and I arrived we put up a large screened canopy to be used as a cooking tent. This was necessary as the mosquitoes were more active as the day warmed up. We set up a few chairs inside and I set up my kitchen. Rue brought food too, so we organized all of our stuff in a manner that allowed easy food preparation and clean-up. The northern loops of the Clear Lake Campground had very few people after the 4th of July. So, we were quite surprised when a fisherman walked through our camp asking if he could clean his fish at the shoreline. Well, he did, and about 20 minutes later he presented us with fish for all seven of us - huge lake trout! He and his son dropped off a plate of sliced sweet onions and some lemons! We discussed how he caught the fish: Use a spinner and a #5 weight, cast upstream and allow the lure to float downstream.
We cooked the trout for breakfast the next morning. I decided to use a skillet rather than risk any mistakes grilling them over the fire.
I set out two large skillets, two propane burners, and got organized. Those fish were so big that I had to cut them in half just to fit them into my skillets! Once they were fried (video), I drizzled lemon juice over them, added salt, coarse pepper, and then placed onions and zesty bread crumbs on top. The family watched (video) the whole process. That trout was the best eatin' on the entire trip, and maybe in my whole life! I figure that fisherman was selling his craft, saying "Now, go fish.
Everyone took turns holding Daniel.
Annie is recovering from childbirth, so avoided rigorous climbing. Ruhiyyih stayed behind to keep her company. George planned a hiking excursion every day, with some of them light enough for Annie. She carried little Daniel (only 3 weeks old) in a sling. At night she slept in their van, with Daniel in a small Rubbermaid basket beside her.
Matt drove over from the tri-cities area. 
He and Ruhiyyih enjoyed an evening canoe paddle through the willow thickets across the river, enjoyed dinner and samores in front of the fire, and then he returned to work early the next morning. This was our first camping trip with Matt along, and his enthusiasm and humor were a delight. Here, he is showing one of several tatoos, this one he designed himself, "Created for Purpose". I can relate to that. 
I did so poorly at scrabble that I configured all the letters into my own words when the game was over, making a design the central theme rather than the words. 
There was elk scat on the hill overlooking our camp. I collected it, nested it in lichen, and made incense. Once lighted, it makes a nice woodsy aroma. 
Someone had strung an orange on a fishing line and suspended it from a pine tree. Hummingbirds came and couldn't get any more juice, so I rigged up another orange nearby using some of our canoe twine and an orange I found floating along the shoreline. I hoped they'd find my fresh orange hanging in the tree. Birds found it, but I was too busy to watch. When we broke camp, the feeder was the last thing to take down. As much as I liked it, I didn't want a single scrap of anything remaining on our campsite. It was clean when we found it and I wanted to leave it that way too.Our drive home was only three and a half hours on Friday afternoon. That was the only true 'sit-down-time' I had the entire trip. Once home, we spent five hours cleaning the camping gear, reorganizing it for our next trip, and covering all of it with a tarp in the garage. George is home for six weeks, on sabbatical, and we are already planning our next trip!
