This morning we woke to the sound of overly chirpy birds and turkeys in the distance. The warmth of our sleeping bags was hard to leave, but we quickly got dressed walked up to the restroom to take care of business.
This morning's breakfast was a treat, breakfast tacos with precooked red potatoes, egg whites, bacon, warmed salsa. Such a yummy treat wrapped in a skillet warmed flour tortilla- it reminded me of all the camping/hunting trips I have had with my family- and on such a chilly morning the warm breakfast with warm sweetened tea was the perfect wake-up.
After filling our tummies, we headed out on a short hike. Along the way we saw horsetail and bamboo along side the river, walnuts under the walnut tree, several rootings that looked like the result of armadillos and a small hole filled with owls. Fortunately I had Mark's binoculars, a present from my parents, and we could see small owls in a whole on the side of a sharp drop-off. We also saw some fascinating work from different varieties of ants. There were roads lined with juniper berries for some larger black ants while the smaller sugar ants had roads of juniper needles. It was an impressive sight which we walked carefully around. There was also an impressive bright orange lichen in some live oak trees.
For lunch we had sandwiches, and I indulged in more potato salad. Mark and I played a game of Frisbee- I can't remember the last time I played, but by the end I was getting most of the shots to Mark. With all the fresh air and exercise, everyone headed down for a nice nap.
Dinner that night was turkey burgers, a modified recipe from Mark's famous turkey meatballs. They were amazing and so moist with the bread crumbs. Followed by some more oven warmed bread and a scrumptious fruit salad. As we ended dinner, we got a slight drizzle, so games were taken inside the tent. We played Once upon A Time where we all came up with some fantastical stories, and Land Unter where we endeavored to save the sheep.
After the games, the rain let up so we cooked up some desert. Dad made some cornbread with his Dutch oven and we all enjoyed making smores with the remaining coals. Before we went to sleep, Mark and I put out apple slices for the deer. It didn't seem like they ate any of the corn, so maybe a sweet treat will tempt them.
After one more quick trip to the restrooms, we all went to sleep with the croaking of frogs in the background interrupted by the occasional coyote off in the distance.
