More Summer!

Some of the activities of the first week went into the second week, but mostly I wanted to post about Austin's YM camp that he got to experience with Jason. I wasn't there, obviously, but Jason did take some good pics and one of the other dads took a lot of pictures and sent them to his wife who sent them our way. 

They left Tuesday afternoon and drove 4 hours up to the pinky of Michigan (everything is referred to on your hand, here in MI, the mitten state). All the YM stayed at the Platte River campsite that night. The next morning, all the older boys and pretty much most of their dads left for a couple-day backpacking trip on North Manitou Island. Back when the trip was planned, covid was still going strong, so all the dads were required to go with their sons and there was no tent sharing outside of families. I think it mostly stayed like that, except for the older brothers of one of the boys that stayed back with Austin. His dad stayed back too.  I think one other dad didn't go and Owen, Austin's good friend, went with his older brother and dad to go backpacking. 

The campground is where my finger is pointing. North Manitou Island is the bigger one at the top. They took a ferry there.

Since Jason is the leader from the Bishopric over the youngest group of boys, the Deacons, it worked out really well. He lovingly called what they did Camp Cupcake. There was just Austin, Drew, and Hugh, and their dads. When it wasn't raining, they got to go kayaking, hiking up Sleeping Bear Dunes, visit Traverse City, and play around the campground. While the backpackers got special light-weight backpacking food that was $12-15/meal, those at Camp Cupcake got to eat out for lunch one day and dinner the next, and they still spent a lot less money on food! I know the backpacking group had a great time and those in Austin's group did as well. 

Sunset the first night.

Turtle on log.

Protection from rain for the kitchen supplies!

They really enjoyed eating out!

Sleeping Bear Dunes

The other side of the Dunes at Lake Michigan.

Sign on the way to the bottom, after climbing up the big dunes, you go down. It isn't easy!

North Manitou Island is across from the dunes, somewhere.

While they were away, Erik went to Canton Activity Crew (CAC), a little summer camp that the older three used to do when they were a lot younger, but got tired of it. Erik was excited to do it last summer, but of course, that didn't happen. It's basically a camp where there are different local parks open to the group of kids that signed up for the program. There are counselors that play games with them and do a craft or other activity with them as well. There's a morning session and an afternoon one, each for 3 hours. For covid safety reasons, this year we had to reserve which weeks our child would be attending. It's only $10 a week! I figured the week Austin was at YM camp would be a good one. 

Having fun on a walk. 

CAC- he's in the green shirt.

Making "bear" bread, like we used to do when they were younger.

Karissa attended an art camp each day for 3 hours, as well as held her own weekly art camp. And Victoria had her dance classes both to attend and host at our home, as well as her job at Plato's Closet. Between all of that and meeting friends at the park, we were pretty busy while YM camp was going on!