Eight glorious days in Mammoth are on their way. Campfires and pine trees and a creek rushing through the waterway to get to slower meanderings.

Cold nights, chilly mornings, hot coffee and hot chocolate; fishing, outdoor gourmet meals and family all around. Laying in a hammock and reading, or napping, or doing both preferrably, from breakfast to noon. Cut-throat games of scrabble or boggle or five crowns. Poker and s'mores after dark. Laughter and love and strengthening family ties.

Not to mention working on the book the old fashioned way - with pen and paper. Leaving the laptop at home this year. Nothing can possibly be that important.

Of course, prior to the fun is the work - the checking and packing and cleaning and prepping and repacking and rechecking and buying and swearing and stuffing and laundry. Not to mention the cleaning out of the refrigerator.

This year, a friend will house sit. Which means I have the added jobs of organizing my closets (I have no doors on them) and cleaning off my dresser and bedside tables. But at least the house will be clean when we get home, the animals will all be fed, and as a bonus it gives her a place to find her balance. Good timing, all in all.

Hubby does the driving and the setup. I do the packing and the unpacking. Kids help with everything as long as they don't get in our way, lol.

More packing to do...definitely more laundry.

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The little brown bird made a nest in a coil of heavy duty extension cord at the beam holding up the patio roof. There were four birdies in there yesterday - one got brave and flew the nest. After several falls to the ground, it finally took wing up and over the neighbor's fence, only to be hit in the face by a tree branch. We saw it fly off again, though, erratically like a bat; so hopefully it'll be all right.

Three birdies are still in the nest. Mama's getting tired of feeding them, you can tell...