Camping at Southwick Beach

After a successful weekend of camping in a rented RV last September, I booked a five-day camping trip for all of us in August. We rented the same RV we'd had last fall, and we convinced Jeff to come along.

Two days before we left for the trip, the forecast was rain and thunderstorms every day, and the beach was shut down because of harmful algal blooms. Jeff was wondering what we would do with ourselves. Luckily the forecast was mostly wrong and the HAB cleared up. We were able to swim at the beach two of the days, one day we went to Water Safari (another post coming on that) and we had a great time! 

Our wedding anniversary was Thursday night and the kids didn't want to come with us to dinner because we'd been on the beach all day, so Jeff and I ended up with a surprise date night in Sacket's Harbor. We had a great meal and a nice time walking around the cute town.

 

Mama Camp: Hamilton College tour and mini-golf

I did some work for Hamilton College back in the spring and had the chance to visit campus and thought it was really special. The kids are particularly interested in Alexander Hamilton and also in what college is like so I decided to bring them to campus for a tour. We went just as the first years were getting settled but before the upperclassmen had moved back on campus, so there was definitely some stuff happening but school wasn't in full swing yet. I decided a full-blown guided tour would be a little much for my guys so we did a self-guided tour so the kids could navigate with a map. 

There was also a cool pirate/zombie themed mini golf place on the way back to the Thruway that we hit up, mostly successfully. 

 

Mama Camp: Women’s Rights Historical Park and apple picking

The kids loved collecting information for their Junior Ranger booklets. One great exhibit compared the Iroquois (Haudenosaunee) culture and mores with that of the white Europeans. Surprise, the Indigenous peoples had more respect and rights for women!

Tour of the Visitor Center, then Ranger talk next to the Declaration of Sentiments outside, then tour of the Elizabeth Cady Stanton home a mile away. And lunch at Penny’s Place in Seneca Falls where we got to meet Penny herself.

 

Mama Camp: The Wild