The Boys are Back in Town...

...with apologies to Thin Lizzy...

Yes, we picked up the young men on Friday, after their week of magic camp, which was, by all accounts, a raving success! Tricks were learned and shared and improved upon, friends were made, showers were avoided... they both took a bath as soon as we got home (we are a family of bathers, even with our crappy little 1949 tub) and the layer of dirt each of them left in the tub? I haven't had my coffee yet, so can't get too graphic, but imagine your worst and double it...

Their biggest complaints were that the "mattresses" in the bunks were just hunks of rubber, and that the food was (a) in short supply, and (b) not as good as my cooking. Another perk about camp which I hadn't considered... newfound appreciation for home...


The weather was perfect for driving up, although I saw an awful lot of this
, which I am just not prepared for yet. Highway 11 is pretty interesting, really, with maybe the best billboard I've seen.
And thispedestrian bridge across the highway, which leads to this, mecca for hungry recovering campers. The food is only mediocre, but it's a traditional stop for those coming or going from northern Ontario, and is always jammed.

The dogs had been terribly unsettled all week, each sleeping on a boy's bed and looking around the house for them constantly, so there was much relief when we were finally all together again

and yes, Charlie does carry his bone like a cigar most of the time...

so the weekend has been a mix of sc#$%l prep and hanging out, with the piece de resistance being Ribfest later today... pics to follow, of course...