Getting down and dirty

Although we spend time in Central Oregon every summer, this year was different in that we decided to camp. We did, however, have the tremendous benefit of utilizing my parents' travel trailer, complete with full hook-ups to water, electricity, and sewer. Without our amenities, we probably would have lasted about two days. I give kudos to those who have tent-camped with a toddler, as even in a trailer it is no minor feat. Probably our biggest challenge camping with Franny was her intense preoccupation with dirt--and in central Oregon there is a lot of it!

There are few hiking trails in this area where you don't leave a continuous cloud of dust behind you as you go, and I consider it a given that I will have a thick layer of dust stuck to my legs from the knees down when I return from any hike. With Franny, however, we found that this layer of dust is not confined to her legs, but rather covers her entire body from the tips of her toes to the top of her head. Thankfully, she didn't have the interest in eating any of it.

I really should applaud her enthusiam and curiosity toward her new surroundings. But then there's dirt in her ears, in her hair, under her fingernails... Fortunately, she also has great enthusiasm for her baths!