Creekside with a gin & tonic. Brita'd made tonic water syrup this week
http://www.jeffreymorgenthaler.com/2008/how-to-make-your-own-tonic-water/
and so I brought along this and the other fixings for gin and tonics...

Our little duff eater. She'd pick up two handfuls of bark, dirt, and fir needles any chance she'd get.
"Not in your mouth," Brita would say, and Freja'd understand and close her mouth. 3-10 seconds later, her mouth'd be open again and one or both hands moving toward it.

Fun in the tent with the ghost of Nov. 2008.
http://pooleweb.com/travel/node/5153

Freja had a blast playing in the tent at night. She was fascinated by the flashlight and its beam, and she loved how everything was padded & safe. She stood up over and over again, recklessly compared to at home, knowing that when she fell it'd be on us or on a soft sleeping bag. When she fell away from us, the walls of the tent bounced her back into our midst.

Freja's winter car seat cosy turned out to make a fine sleeping bag for camping. As usual she started the night in her own bed, but was in with us by morning.

Our tent is not big, but it's big enough.

I thought "Freja won't need toys... she'll play with sticks, and leaves, and rocks." That was true, but I didn't take into account that she'd also try to eat her forest toys with enthusiasm. Fortunate

Tent Imp Jr.

Creekside nursing was very pleasant...

"Where am I?" Freja had some good naps in her carrier, and seemed to accept waking up in unfamiliar settings.

Freja's starting to be able to feed herself... she can safely take bites of things and more or less get them into her stomach.

The land was an interesting mix of western (higher rainfall) species and eastern (desert) flora & fauna. We hiked among the usual hemlock, fir, and cedars, but these were intermingled with scrub oaks, ponderosa pines, manzanita, and grand fir.

It took me a long time to get in the water, which was cold, but once I'd gotten in it felt kinda good.

Brita braving the snowmelt stream at our turn-around spot. "Am I going to enjoy this?" she asked in advance.

We got this frame carrier from our friend Darcy, whose kids have outgrown it. It makes carrying Freja a long distance pretty comfortable, and it can accommodate a fair amount of camping gear stowed &

The trail runs along a cliff formation that I suspect is a lava tube, cut lengthwise in half by the creek in flood stage.

Tents are fun.

Anyone know what this critter is? All three of us were fascinated by it, with its extraordinarily long antennae. After Freja made a feint at eating it and Brita commented that she found it vaguely rep

Brita brought a nice bottle of wine she'd been saving, stashed in an anniversary gift: a stout, unbreakable, easy-to-chill bottle sized just right to hold a bottle of wine. Great addition to our trave

Freja had a *lot* of fun!