This past weekend we changed it up and pitched a tent in our front yard. We borrowed a big tent & sleeping mats from our neighbors, Andrew & Erika. It was largely inspired by how much fun Sadie had sleeping in a tent overnight on her school camping trip earlier this week.
Tent Camping Stats
To set the scene on our collective camp tenting muscle:
Doug: Grew up backpacking loads in California, mostly with Boy Scouts. Has done many back country camping trips in the Sierras with buddies over the years. That said, though, it'd been 20+ years since he last slept in a tent.
Sarah: Only ever slept in a tent once; with Doug in Big Sur, California during our college years (late 1990s).
Paige: Never slept in a tent outdoors*
Sadie: First time sleeping in a tent outdoors* was earlier this week at Cardrona Camp with school
Basically, us Bohagirls have a long way to catch up to our namesake!
* I intentionally clarify the outdoor piece because the girls technically have slept in a tent previously, but it was indoors, inside our NYC apartment! A few years back we purchased a big tent with the intention of kicking off a string of family camping trips. When we made our decision to travel, it was clear we wouldn't be using the tent anytime soon. So one random weekend in May 2019 we pitched the tent in our family room, much to the girls delight.
The Great NZ Outdoors
It wasn't exactly "back country", but we pitched a tent in our Queenstown, NZ front yard. Technically the four of us could have squeezed in together, but instead we opted to each take a night with the girls on our own. It was chilly but cozy in our sleeping bags. The girls absolutely loved it.
Starry Night Sky
The night I slept with the girls we all woke up around 2:00am to pop into the house and use the toilet. On the way back to the tent, we looked up at the starry night sky. It was absolutely incredible. The sky was literally twinkling. Just stunning.
Inspired Art
Sadie was so delighted by the gorgeous night sky that she proactively created an art piece, inspired by the twinkling night sky. Over the course of the weekend she researched the planets and their visual characteristics, created each planet, positioned them onto broken chopsticks, arranged them on a big foam board (that she had covered with silver glitter paint to mimic the sparkling night sky) and added a hand-drawn astronaut. Voilà!
She did an amazing job. We're proud of her and her initiative, perseverance and creativity! Check out her video explaining her solar system masterpiece!
Sunrise Bursts
Me & the girls woke up a little before 6:00am to the sound of birds singing. Paige was cold so she decided to head back inside (where she cozied up into a warm bed with Doug). Sadie and I stayed put in the tent for another stretch of snoozing. But when Paige headed out of the tent, she blurted out "Mommy, come outside, quick! It's beautiful!" Sure enough, I came out and the morning sun rising lit up the sky in bold orange & pink colors. Another beautiful sight and moment to cherish from our tent experience :)
The Real Deal
By all accounts, our dry run tent camping was a huge success. Good thing, too, as we're in the midst of planning our 6-week Summer road trip through NZ and will be tent camping a few times throughout! They'll have bonafide outdoor tent camping muscles by the end of it :)
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