Hooked on Dutch Oven Cast Iron

Sanborn Camping Day 2

At 3 am this morning I heard 2 people walking and chatting.  Then I heard them stop at my picnic table and unzip my black bag, which I use for a double folding chair.  Wow, thieves of the night.  They did not open the locker.  It makes a big creaky sound.  It’s a good thing I don’t bring anything important when I camp or travel.  So I decided to move all things I want not using back to the car.  I ended up packing everything up except for the tent and sleep stuff. 

The day was spent in just feeling the sun, eating, drinking tea, snacking on crackers, contemplating on 2D art and hiking. 

I saw a wedding in the park this afternoon, of an elderly couple with adult children. 

 

I met a family with twin boys 5 ½ years old born 1 minute apart Galvin and Luke.  They invited me to hotdogs and s’mores. It was lovely they invited me to camp fire.  I actually roasted a beautiful marshmallow.  Then I watched the mom Amelia make a peach cobbler on an iron casket pot with hot coals underneath and above.  It was fresh peaches with a bit of sugar to season it and the cake mix on top with lots of butter.  It was yummy, super high in sugar and fat, super heavy and dangerous to eat more than a bite.  I am totally determined to learn how to use a Dutch Oven Cast Iron in this next year. 

In the evening I went to watch “The Merchant of Venice”.  It was cold again, I could see my breath at night.   A beautiful woman sat to the left of me who took up a part of my seat, which I did not enjoy.  I enjoyed the pretty costumes in the shoe.  I think I was a bit tired as I found myself zoned in and out of the play. 

This park allows dogs to camp too.  I like that. 

Sanborn County Park and Shady Shakespear in the Park

Sanborn Camping Day 1
I was gifted to a weekend of prepaid campsites to Sanborn County Park in Saratoga for two nights. I was super happy. Since I still had all my camp stuff laying around, I jumped to it. It is evident I am getting older, I see the camping gear and half of the luggage is for the comfort of sleep. I was too lazy to pack food. It was all instant noodles, crackers, and tea.

The entrance fee to Sanborn is included in the campground fee. I liked the place, the energy felt clean. Site #8 is great, so is #3. I didn’t know about the push wagon so I lugged it all in 3 trips, a nice workout. I don’t mind. I saw signs for Shakespear in the park. The “Shady Shakespear” company has been performing summer open theatre plays since 1999. It is free and donations are welcomed.

After setting up camp, I strolled around the campsite to see other sites and compare. It’s lovely here but in actuality, there aren’t a lot of site that are leveled in a way that is convenient for tent. In general I only see a tent for 2-3 to be possible set up per site. Each site can fit 8 people max. However I don’t know where the other people can set up their tent at, their tent will be slanted, going to wake up kissing the tent wall. When looking at tent sites, it’s a delicate balance of where the picnic table is, the fire ring, the walk path, the tree, sun light through the trees, and the tent in relationship to all of that.


I went to claim a seat at 6pm and watched “Much Ado About Nothing.” It was funny and fun. I love summers. I love plays, ballets, symphony, live performances. It was cold at night. I did not feel warm during the play. I will need to bring more clothes or blanket or both for tomorrow night’s play.

The meteor shower is this weekend. While driving through downtown Saratoga, I saw a giant sleep under the stars sign on the lawn to all be around to star gaze. The night is clouded over, completed blanketed. I was not ready to give up. I got up middle of the night to star gaze, no stars, lots of deer grazing the grass.