Had a GREAT weekend!!

I didn’t want to come home.

And I did not at all miss my computer, believe it or not.

We didn’t get out of here Thursday like we’d planned. We left Friday about 11am. We got into the GPAA claim at Buchanan, GA about 2:30ish (central time… even though we were in GA, we lived on ‘our’ time).

First thing we did was set up our campsite. Turns out someone had (the day before, actually) turned a footpath into a driveway (the owner has asked that vegetation be left alone – they had to cut down a LOT of vegetation in order to do that)… and our chosen campsite happened to block that new “road” (which wasn’t a road before!)… so the person who was down there wasn’t happy, but they left to go to the other side of the claim. I guess they figured they’d just wait until we left (we said we were leaving Monday).

We did something a little different this time – for the last couple years, we’ve done a “floor” tarp (in case of rain, to cut down on mud) and a “roof” tarp (in case of rain, to give us outside-the-tent shelter)… the roof tarp has always before been tied on the corners and in the middle-sides to trees – which often meant a sag in the middle that would ‘catch’ water. We adjusted that this time by running a rope across and having the tarp over it, then tied by the sides (see 01campsite.jpg on the Pictures Page).

The creek we were on was called Beech Creek, I think, but it V’d just downstream a few feet into Kiser Creek. The path you see in 02kisercreek.jpg is just off to the right of the campsite (as you look at it in picture one). It was very convenient!

In 03firepit.jpg, you can see our fire pit () I really, really enjoy cooking over a campfire. Somehow it’s a lot more fun than cooking at home.

The scene in 04insidetent.jpg is what was to be seen each night from about 8 until about 10… Robby put Magic School Bus on the laptop for the kids’ entertainment when it was too dark to be outside but too early to sleep. The only difference was that I wasn’t sitting up most of the time!! (That’s my leg and arm on the left.)

05-09 are the dredge – Robby wanted those to show his buddies on the prospecting boards. If you are interested in those at all and want to know anything about ’em, just ask.

10dawn.jpg – yeah, that’s me. I was cold and about ready to get out and go back to the fire… and it was close to time to fix something to eat… so that’s why I don’t look particularly thrilled (plus I just don’t really like pictures of *me* much).

11-13 and 15, 17, 19, and 20 are the kids using the tubs as boats, coming down the little rapids there. They had a great time with that! Timmy kept turning in circles on the way down!

14bridge.jpg shows the view from where I was sitting (in picture 10) toward the main road (Co.Rd 120, Tallapoosa, GA). Pretty, isn’t it?

In 16bob-mud.jpg, Bobby had found some mud that was particularly “soft” … especially on the face… so I had to get a picture!

18 was going to be a picture of Rae going by in the boat (that’s her on the right) but really ended up being a picture of Robby dredging.

21nate.jpg is just Nate, playing in the water.

22-23 – Nate & Tim both enjoyed swimming underwater. Both are getting pretty good at it – especially when they have goggles on.

24-25 – Nate wanted me to take pictures of the rocks he found.

26-28 were Monday morning while we were getting camp taken down. I guess Robby took those, since I’m in one of them!

We really had a great time. It was very relaxing, and peaceful (despite the road being that close), and fun. The kids and I played games (I took Uno and a deck of cards, and Bob brought Pacardy and Lord of the Rings Monopoly) and played in the water, and whatnot.

Did I mention I didn’t want to come home?