Trout Throw Down!!

As of last  year, we have a tradition. With the first few fish that are caught during the week, we jump at the opportunity to host a Trout Throw Down. The gist is easy - my son and hubby do a cook-off of their Trout, and my parents judge the winner. The trouts are unmarked, there is no talking by the contestants during the taste test, and my daughter films the entire event (going from one Chef to the next) as if we are all part of Food Network.

I wish I could show the video here, but of course our names and identity are plastered all over the video. Maybe if I am ever feeling like giving up on this Blog and shut it down, I will reveal my last posts as videos. That would be kind of fun. But I don't have plans to shut down this Blog, so don't hold your breath.

My son created a Trout that had been wrapped in Bacon with the insides marinated and savored with pearl onions, butter, lemons, Thyme, and Rosemary. He did all of his own de-boning and figuring out how to cook the Trout and Bacon so that it was done, but not burnt. He even cleaned up his own mess. My son cooked out of our campsite.

In the other campsite, my parent's, my husband created a grilled breaded trout with sauteed vegetables inside mixed with the melting of mini-marshmallows. My parents stayed in their trailer, blinds closed, playing cribbage while the commotion of cooking by their son-in-law was taking place right outside. The deal was no peaking, and they didn't.

My husband's trout stumped my mom the most ~ she could not figure out what made the trout so "fluffy" and interesting textured (who would have thought of mini-marshmallows!). The flavor was very good, surprisingly, and he received high marks.

My son's trout was more traditional and created a full essence of trout flavor, which pleased the judges. They were particularly impressed that the trout came de-boned. It was also served with Ice Tea and Lemon, so it had great plate-appeal.

With much judge debating and bantering back and forth trying to finalize a winner, by a margin of one point, it was announced that My Son holds the title as Winner of Trout Throw Down 2013!! The father and son competitors are now even ~ next year will decide the tie.

I wonder what is in store for next year's Trout Throw Down! It is fun to see the progression and funny stories that come out while my daughter is filming. She does a great job interviewing each Chef during their making, and I make a quick guest appearance as "extra comic relief" during the show.

Trout Throw Down ~ who would have thought it would become tradition!

Hiking

I consider the experience of our walk-abouts while camping as Hiking because it sounds good and we wear our tennies. Otherwise,I am not sure it would really be considered a hike.

Nonetheless it is a tradition that I enjoy doing with my family. There are many times when just the girls go on a hike, and there are times when the boys join us. One of the mainstays of a Hike is loading my girl up on Gorp, which happens to contain M-n-M candies (along with peanuts, Cheerios, and mini-marshmallows).

I have never used to believe in the theory that sugar makes one hyper, until I noticed it in my girl. Give her chocolate and her humor comes out double. She is a girl quick of whit and personality on any given day, so imagine a little boost in that, and you have yourself a very fun Hike.

A lot of inside jokes and random funny is what makes all of our hikes entertaining. The hike that we go on regularly throughout our week of camping is on the trail that wanders a portion of the 454-acre park where we stay. We see chipmunks, squirrels, birds, and deer. One time we saw a discarded, dead Muskie. I am glad that was only one time. They are an eerie looking fish. But just as eerie was when we spotted this Sasquatch while hiking!!

This year we were able to include the fun of cousins on our hike. There were many photos taken of this great memory.

Hiking, walk-about, strolling, whatever you want to call it - it is a daily must while camping.

Fishing

The photos will begin to look familiar as we have camped at this favorite spot for five years in a row. However, the adventures never tire and the people keep getting older, so while the photos may look similar, the experiences feel brand new. 

Last year my mom was not able to join us due to an unfortunate accident the year prior that kept her unable to make the wooded adventure when summer rolled around. We continued the camping tradition with my dad and it was very special with wonderful memories. This year, however, we were so happy that my mom could definitely return to our campsite and enjoy a week of camping as a family. It felt complete. 

I am not sure what the limit is on the volume of fish one can catch per day on this lake, but let's just say that we all managed to catch a lot of fish. We only kept what we would eat, freezing most in our RV Freezer. For the rest (which was the majority), we let the fish go boat-side to swim back to their home environment. 

My daughter's first fishing experience occurred during this camping week. She caught more fish than fingers in the days we were there. Sometimes fishing multiple times a day, she was definitely in for the thrill of the catch and the release. She drove the boat a few times; practicing small before she gets behind the steering wheel of a vehicle this Fall. 

My son is a veteran fisherman, so he enjoyed learning more about bait and lures and handling his line on his own. A few times it would get tangled, and once it would need to be cut as the tangle was so bad there was no saving it (insert Mom's Fault), but he kept at it and had a great count of fish under his name too. 

We had two rafts; my dad's powered by battery, and my husband's powered by motor - which was new this year. It was nice to have at least one boat that could go farther and longer, prior years we had to rely on the batteries for both rafts which cut down on fishing and water activity time. 

My brother and his family came for the first time to join us for one night of camping experience. They have been jet setting to the East Coast and sleep-away-camps for both girls, so we are so thankful they found time to squeeze in our not-so-conveniently scheduled camping week for a night in the tent (my brother and sister-in-law) and trailer experience for my nieces. It was a whole lot of active fun. 

Between my dad and my husband, everyone in my brother's family caught at least one fish. It was awesome. For those, my husband brought a large tub, put lake water inside, and used it as a live well on the raft to transport the caught fish back to shore for pictures - before letting them back into the wild. My sister-in-law was brave to KISS the fish, followed by her oldest girl who did the same. Too fun. 

Fishing was a big part of our camping week. My mom and I were the camera crew, as someone had to document the big adventure! Next year, however, I can see both my mom and I getting into the action of catching fish. It seems to be the camping thing to do.   

4th of July

It was mid-June when we hosted a neighborhood Congratulations and Goodbye party for neighbors on the street that were not just neighbors, but leaders and friends on our block. The man of the house has always had a traveling job, and they came to our neck of the woods ten years ago when our neighborhood was just starting. We moved in about five months before they did, so we literally watched their house being built and their visits to look at the house from their move from Texas.

Our children grew up together, being stair-steps in age (now) of 15, 14, 13, and 12. They were the perfect neighbors for so many reasons, but mainly because my children have a thousand childhood memories of creative play, games, and miscellaneous who-knows-what all outside with these two girls for an entire decade. That is a lot of quality time spent together growing up.

As a result, there was a little piece missing to 4th of July this year ~ the family of five who always seemed to be the life of the party was no longer there, and in that house has moved in a very kind and sweet family from the UK with two little boys age 5 and 3 with the best English accent and slang ever. Absolute cuties that enjoy sharing all the differences between America and the UK. 

Our neighborhood block party continued in tradition of the Dads vs Kids Kickball game, a fantastic barbecue, and then of course Fireworks (which are still legal to set off in neighborhoods). It was a beautiful, sunny, mid-70's day. Not too hot like the days prior when we reached 97, but just warm enough for shorts without a jacket. It was perfect.

My son enjoyed setting off the fireworks, while my husband relaxed to take great photos of the night. We only had one incident of mishap - and luckily no person was harmed, but a large firework (the kind that shoot up high into the sky and then explode like the pros) did not make it off the ground. 

My son had lit it correctly, and had made it across the street to the crowd in plenty of time, but instead of the firework display in the air, it was right before us. The ground shook, and sparks flew quickly but again - nobody was even close to being hurt. We were all just a little shook-up as we were not expecting that explosion whatsoever. 

The night ended with sweet lanterns taking flight for numerous important people; each person on our block seemed to have someone special they were thinking about while the lanterns floated away. It was a very neat, quiet moment on our street as the firework battle continued-on in neighboring streets and blocks and neighborhoods. 

We know that it was never a final goodbye to our neighbors who returned to Texas, but just simply a new chapter in friendship. We have plans to visit them and check out their new neighborhood and town, and keep our friendship blooming through a lot of social media channels. 

This 4th of July was bittersweet - a fun evening celebrating America with the best neighborhood ever. We are a close knit street, and I am very grateful.