Wait, What? A Porta Potty?

We spend a quiet weekend up north in beautiful Columbia, NH. A relative of ours and his 3 children all made the long drive up north to enjoy some quality time. I will admit when I first heard there was no internet, phone or cell service at the camp, I was less than impressed. I just kept thinking, what are we going to do up there for 3 days!

We left Friday after work and took our time on the drive. We made a few stops including dinner at Smokin’ T BBQ. I had pulled pork over fries, Rylee had pulled pork over nachos, Hubby had pulled pork sandwich and Thomas, of course, had a cheeseburger. It was delicious and if you are driving through I recommend eating at this establishment. They were having a concert in the center of town and Smokin’ T’s had a truck parked in the park. So, we sat, ate and listened to the band playing.

When we arrived up at camp I realized how rustic it actually was. There was an outhouse. Yes, you read that right. A real outhouse! There was some indoor plumbing for doing dishes but it was water from a mountain spring. We could actually get hot water though so that was good. There was a shower too, but I chose to shower before we left and then when I got home.

The cabin was beautiful and was clean. I was impressed that it was as nice as it was. I started to feel at ease and was a little more confident that the weekend would be pleasurable. The kids immediately started playing hide and seek. The ages varied vastly from 3 all the way up to 14, but they all seemed to be having fun. They continued to play until we had the camp all set up.

When it got dark we let off some fireworks and the kids loved it. The older ones participated in lighting some off and the little ones held sparklers, while watching the sky light up with all the bright colors. We had a fire and of course had s’mores. Then it was time for the kids to go to bed so the adults could have some time. We sat by the fire and talked about life for a little while longer and then we went to bed.

Anyone who knows my husband and I know that I am a mother hen and my husband hates it. He is always saying things like “You’re not my real mother”! I couldn’t help myself when it was time to pack. I packed him a sweatshirt, pair of underwear and some socks. It was a little chilly when we got there and I was a little smug that he had to use the sweatshirt. I know he is perfectly capable of packing his own belongings, but I cannot turn off the mother hen.

He didn’t bring a blanket because he knew there were blankets already at the cabin. However, we gave all the blankets to the kids because it was chilly. So he and I had to share one blanket and pillow. It was not a nice big heavy comforter either. It was in the 90’s here, when we left. Well, it was cold up there, not freezing, but you definitely pants and sweatshirt weather. I am the one packed a quilt but I still froze my ass off all night! I was shivering I was so cold and I had to keep fighting all night for some part of the stupid blanket. I didn’t get much sleep and I was definitely cranky the next morning. Lesson learned I will always pack extra even though I am not his mother!

The men cooked breakfast, which consisted of eggs and bacon. It was delicious and fabulous because I didn’t have to cook. I did make the coffee and that didn’t turn out so great because I wasn’t used to the machine and I didn’t have a measuring spoon. So, I winged it and it was VERY strong. I drank it though because I needed that little caffeine jolt.

We decided to take the kids fishing and it was another beautiful day, not too hot and the scenery was amazing. We stopped in Lancaster at a brook under a bridge. The water was so clear and the rocks were amazing. Only one of the kids caught a fish, but they were having a blast. They had to go in a few times to untangle their lines and the water was really cold, but they didn’t care. We fished there for a few hours and then decided to move to another spot.

We ended up at Akers’s Pond in Errol, NH. The water was warmer there and all the kids went in the water. We didn’t bring bathing suits so they only went up to their waists. No one caught any fish at this location, but we all had smiles on our faces when we left.

We went back to camp and had some lunch that again the men cooked. After lunch the kids were off playing, I am not even sure what, but they were all happy and no one was complaining. So, we decided to go back into Lancaster and get some ice-cream. We went to the local ice-cream parlor Cones N’ More and the ice-cream was great. The men got sundaes and they were huge.

We decided to see if we could find some lawn games for the kids to play to keep them entertained. We found a bean bag tossing game at Rite Aide. It was a game where you could throw the bean bag some cups. Kind of like beer pong but with bean bags instead of a ping pong ball. Well, let’s just say the grownups played way more than the kids!

Sunday came and it was time to go home and it was bitter sweet. I wanted to take a nice hot shower and sleep in my own bed, but I didn’t want to have my kids go back to their electronics. It was a great weekend and I will cherish the memories we created. My husband and I are now talking about purchasing a 4 seater side by side and a cabin in the woods. Our kids are getting older and we need to think of fun and creative ways to spend time with them.

I can’t wait until our next visit up north, but this time I will be the Mom and pack an extra blanket for my non-son.