You remember summer don’t you?  Remember what it smelled like?  How the heat warmed your face when you looked up into the sky?  The sound of frogs chattering in the evenings?  I’m missing summer.  So much.

And it’s not like we’re done with winter yet.  Not nearly.  I understand feeling this way in February when there are dashed hopes of little green bits poking their way up out of the snow.  Or the mud.  I’m used to being frustrated as snow squalls fly in March and sad when the last ice storm bends our trees in April.  But today it’s still only January, and we have such a very long way to go.  I miss summer.  I want to go camping with my Katie-girl.  I want to spend a warm humid night listening to deer crash around in the woods.  I want to wander under the stars without wearing 16 layers of heat trapping wool.  I want to roast marshmallows.

I even want to swat a mosquito.

I’ve begun to think about camping in a real campground, perhaps in a state park, somewhere further away from home this summer.  I search the internet and investigate parks, what they have to offer, what the sites are like and I realize I will have to reserve a spot soon in order to camp on a weekend.  I guess I’ll randomly choose a park and a date and hope it doesn’t turn out to be a stormy weekend.

So which park do you all think I should choose?  I’ve thought about Hartwick Pines, about 4 hours north, which has trails to walk on.  Or maybe I should try to camp at a park on a lake, maybe even a Great Lake?  Of course there are state parks closer to home, one a couple of exits up the road.  Still…it’s just as much about the travel as it is the final destination.

You know Katie is always up for an adventure.  I can’t even  say the word ‘camping’ right now because she gets all excited and when we don’t go right away she is so disappointed.  But I’m sure she’s pining for a little outdoor fun too.  As I’ve said it’s been a long winter.

Did I just hear a mosquito?  Darn.  It was only in my dreams.