Camping at the Creek

A weekend forecast of impecible weather awaited the Chopin tribe as they made their way to Indian Creek State Park in Woodworth, LA for a three-day stretch of fun and relaxation in the outdoors. Joining us for the weekend were the Thomas', the Bayards and the Landreneaus. For those of you who are counting, that's a total of eight adults and 15 kids! But, it's a big park so there was plenty of room for us. We rode up with the Bayards and met up with the rest at a new campsite, one we had not pitched tent at before. We hustled to get unpacked and set up and began preparations for supper. Friday night's menu consisted of sausage po-boys and chips.

After supper the kids played around. Gus and Beedle got a chance to use their head lamps they got for Christmas from their Grandma Dee. These came in handy all weekend as they got a chance to do some night-time exploration, and read books in the tent at bedtime. And of course, a camping trip would certainly not be complete without roasted marshmallows and s'mores.

During the night, it seemed like all the families had a few that needed a little adjusting to the elements. Fortunately it was cool without being too cold. The Chopins slept surprisingly well. The AM came and after a breakfast around the fire consisting of mainly little powdered donuts, the kids were ready for a morning fishing trip. Fortunately they didn't have to go far as there was a nice fishing spot just down the hill from our campsite. Here are a few pics from their morning fish:

The biggest catch of the day belonged to Mr. Brett. Not a bad-sized bass!
As the fishing winded down, the bike-riding for the boys and the general playtime for the girls took place. After lunch, we took showers and made it to evening mass. Our families made up almost a fourth of the congregation. When we got back we made our preparations for supper, which was our usual Saturday night special at Indian Creek--crawfish, corn and potato soup. It warmed our bellies and gave us just the fill we needed. The kids were tuckered out a little earlier than Friday night, which left the adults time to visit and relax around the campfire.

Sunday morning started with a light breakfast and quickly turned to campsite clean-up. We packed ourselves up, but before we left we gathered the kids and their friends for one last photo to remember their fun weekend. (It's about as good as you'll get with 15 kids eight years old and under)