The July outing was at a Corp of Engineers lake which is managed by the Ohio Department of Natural Resources. The trip was more of a summer social get together than an actual canoe outing and since the weather was hot and humid just sitting around worked great. Friday morning it rained as was the norm for the 2015 season. The rain ended around 1:30 pm as Tom arrived at the campground and had lunch. As he was finishing up in drove Tony and Alice with their son Aaron, 3 grandsons and one cousin. Next to arrive was Steve and his daughter Erica followed by Jock and Deb. There was a combination of tents and campers being used for the weekend and with 5 campsites reserved, there was plenty of room for everyone to set up.
Liz came, Harold and Laurie, then Ted and Connie, Chuck and later Coleen. Wil and Gloria brought their Tab camper to go along with a teardrop and standard camper. Larry and Sophia came to visit but they were staying in a hotel in Mansfield. Steve's other daughter Trisha and her friend Marisa rounded out the Friday night campers. Some folks went out for supper while others cooked on an open fire. Even in the hot, humid heat, a campfire is just like therapy and everyone finally found their seats around it. Sleeping that evening was hard due to the heat.
Saturday morning was the start of a beautiful summer day. A group breakfast was cooked consisting of mountain man breakfast (recipe is on website) pancakes and waffles. Everyone ate and relaxed. After clean up canoes and kkkayaks were launched onto the lake for a spin around an island. The water was still and the bright sun reflected back into their faces. A pontoon boat was rented for 11:00 am so everyone got off the water and took turns riding around the lake. Others played games while waiting their turns.
Member Jamie joined them from another camp outing she had earlier in the week and life member Paul K. also arrived. They were up to 25 participants for the weekend. Early afternoon some fished, others swam since our campsites were close to the beach and just sitting and socializing helped past the day. The potluck was the next big event and food started flowing every which way. There was pulled pork, ham, meatloaf, chicken, mashed potatoes, salads, just too much to remember or eat. Another evening campfire drew the folks into a wide circle to talk and laugh until bedtime.
Sunday was again a beautiful day but most everyone had to get an early start to head home. Milling around with small chit chat tents slowly disappeared and campers pulled away. Goodbyes and hugs ensued until the last OHCRA member was on the road.
