Dirt = Fun! Right?

Four of the five of us went camping over the weekend and got so, so dirty and had so, so much fun! Can you guess which of us stayed home (clear of all the dirt) and enjoyed some much needed peace & quiet? The enthusiastic campers in our family along with 20 others from the Embassy community explored the vast Mongolian steppes and did all those camping type things ... you know, pitching a tent, building a fire, roasting bratwurst, making s'mores, digging in the dirt, fishing in the river, falling into (I mean splashing in) the river, building/using an outdoor latrine, etc. Oh yeah ... and testing the poor Subaru Outback to its limits! I wish I could say that the Subaru made it back in one piece, but actually a piece did fall off the bottom of the car and will need to be replaced. HA! Too funny. AND, the poor thing got stuck in the mud during one of several river crossings and had to be rescued by someone's 4x4. To the Subaru's credit, it was not the only vehicle to get stuck. Two other larger vehicles, including the one carrying the Ambassador, had to be pulled out of the mud as well. I am so sorry to have missed out on all this! (NOT)

Dad, is 10 marshmallows too many for my giant s'more?

Busted after falling into the river and wet up to the chest ... he made good use of the extra clothes in his pack

Digging a hole ... because, really, what else is there to do?

The portable latrine

A happy camper

Our Subaru ... stuck up to the front bumper in MUD!

See those dark objects on the ground next to the car? That's what's left of the skid pan. It's supposed to be attached to the underside of the car.

Ian resting and re-hydrating after helping dig the fire pit

The camp photographer capturing a self-portrait against the blue Mongolian sky

Really, another picture?!? (teenagers prefer NOT to be photographed, I guess)

Happy Memorial Day weekend!!