Redneck Camp Out

After the two weeks of nonstop rain we had back in June, the sun finally came out and stayed out.  It stayed out long enough, in fact, that we had to begin watering the lawn and all of the plants to simply sustain life.  But when Joel finally scheduled a camping weekend (sans Mommy and Adler), the storms returned to the forecast.

With family invited and kids excited, it seemed like canceling wasn't a real option.  So what would a redneck do?

They'd probably rig up some system with duct tape and trash can lids to keep the tent from taking on water.  So maybe we're modified rednecks --we opted to keep the tent in the house-- but the guys chose to stay outside the entire day and enjoy what was promised to be limited sunshine.

In redneck fashion, there was bocce ball, but the boys chose to beat on each other instead.

There were cold push-ups that dripped all over and left sticky belly buttons that collected dirt I'm still trying to remove.

Instead of water guns, there were water cannons that nearly blew off Graham's swim trunks...

...but that's okay, they were on backward anyway.  I guess rednecks do that.

After a few minutes, we realized that the cannons wouldn't be enough to combat the heat, so Joel used his redneck ingenuity to rig up a waterslide with a hose and a cheap inflatable pool. 

After a dinner of bratwurst and ketchup from a red Solo cup, the whole family came over for a quick bonfire and s'mores before the rain began.


While everyone threaded their marshmallows onto the skewers and assembled their picture perfect treats, Graham found a way to turn eating into a full-body experience.






His subsequent spray-down with the garden hose wasn't redneck at all.

As Adler began to drift off to sleep on my sister's shoulder, we felt the first few drops of rain begin to fall.  But as soon as they started, they stopped again, and we were all treated to a bright rainbow that signaled the end of the storm. 

The "storm" that is, that ruined the boys' travel plans and led to our redneck camp out.  But if being a redneck means sunshine, campfires and creating our own fun, sign us up.

Maybe tomorrow I'll put a sofa on our front porch.