I know it seems counter-intuitive to be self-isolating and then go camping. Typically when we've gone in the past, it's been very empty. This season seems to be different. The first time we went to Stone State Park it was full on Friday night but by 10 am Saturday it had pretty much cleared out. That worked well for us. The second time we went, we decided to try a new campsite, the kids are calling "the suburbs of camping" because each site is very uniform. They're meant for campers but quite a few had large grassy patches that could support our tents. This campsite was entirely full. Not a single spot open. We won't be staying there again I think. It was just too crowded for my tastes, and there was almost no shade. I only associate camping with the forest now. The kids liked the beach, but when I went into the water, even with my flip flops on, the sand and mud basically sandblasted my feet and they were very rare and sore. Unfortunately, that will be the last time I go into the water there. Even the water ended up getting too crowded with two extra families coming into the water with one of the bringing some floating loungers. What a great idea in a small lake with other people. We're planning on staying at Stone State Park next time, some time toward the end of August. I invited both my sister and my parents to join us. We'll see if they ever take me up on that invite.

This weekend I hope to go on a small picnic at a local park or just go walk around a bit, catch some pokemon. Again, a lot of these parks are pretty deserted when we go. We don't normally run into anyone. It's good to get out of the house and let the kids go wild at a park.

Next weekend is the girls' 12th birthday. I don't know what we're going to do. There is no extra money for gifts or anything resembling a party. They're really only asking to play video games for three days straight but that feels disappointing. I want to give them what they're asking for, and honestly, it's a relief if they're not asking for gifts, but at the same time, it just seems like it's not enough. This will be the third/fourth birthdays we've had during this pandemic. Quincy took it really well when we didn't really do a party. He got cookies and a tiger hoodie and loved it. I really don't want the kids to remember this as a sad and scary time, and I guess with all the video games that is sort of working.

I do feel much better after spending some time outside.

10:32 A.M. - 08.05.20