this was how every day of the week began for anthony on our northern michigan camping trip. he would wake, pull on some clothes to combat the morning chill, head out to the picnic table, heat some water over the camp stove, and make a cup of steamy hot cocoa.

he did this quietly and peacefully. he was almost meditative in his actions. and to see a boy (of 8 at the time) be so independent warms a parent's hopes for the future.

camping is something marty brought to the family. it is something she grew up doing a time or two a year and she had lots of memories around it. left to me, i don't think i would have ever gotten it organized. starting out it wasn't something i looked forward to but merely supported. now, while i still don't know if i could make it happen, i'm always glad to hear we've got something on the calendar and look forward to slowing life's car down to barely a crawl while we are away from outlets and electronics.

and what i may love more about camping than anything else is that my kids don't freak out at the thought or need of using a for-real outhouse. my second favorite thing about camping, in northern michigan at least, is sleeping in a hammock and after stirring in the night, staring up at the heavily star-peppered sky and the perceptible cloud produced by the milky way.