By the lack of posting here, you would think that I have been up to absolutely nothing : ) The truth is quite the opposite. It seems we have been so busy that I have not had time to post. So, I will just post a few of the highlights of the things we have done recently, and then let you know what the near future plans are.
I took the kids out on a hike in one of the nearby recreation areas. There are great trails, good terrain, and nice woods here. Makes me wonder why I don’t visit here more often.
I made up one of the infamous “Ikea” hobo stoves. I love using it as a twig burner, but honestly have been using it A LOT with my alcohol stove. Many of the additions shown here I have not been using. My favorite addition is the pot stand for the top. It allows air flow under the pot, resulting in a better draught, allows any size container to be used, and allows you to feed in sticks from the top.
I made an Aneroxic Terrasaur for myself and have been loving it. At 3/32” it is a super cool slicer.
We also took the kids to a semi-local nature center. One of the attractions of the place for me was the wildflower area. Besides getting to see that, we got to see some large mouth bass, lots of frogs, see a really cool beaver lodge and have a picnic 
The whole family went to a local gathering of “bushcrafters.” I can not even begin to tell about all the fun that was had there, but I will just post a few pictures knowing it doesn’t do the visit justice.
My girls
We recently took the kids camping on the property of a friend with a cabin up north in Michigan. It wasn’t a hardcore camping trip, but a very fun mix of camping, campfire, fireworks, great cooking, the beach, and did I mention campfire? : ) Unfortunately I didn’t get many pictures at all. Just a couple at the beach, and one of the apple cobbler I made for dessert.
Next, we are off for a week of camping in the Smokey Mountain National Park with the hope of seeing a few of these.
I will have an update on that when we get back.
B