I’m thrilled to be sharing with you a little sneak peek into my new picture book, WILD ABOUT CAMPING, coming out with Nimbus Publishing in spring/summer 2022!
Look at these two cuties, bobbing in the lake, not a care in the world – oh, how I would love to be right there with them! We’ve had such a blisteringly hot, dry, dusty summer, nothing sounds quite as delightful as a refreshing dip in a cool, clear lake.
Funnily enough, the last time I went camping was in the Maritimes, in New Brunswick, with my partner on our last great pre-baby holiday. It was September, and the weather was glorious – sunny but not too hot, clear skies at night, and more stars than I could even imagine possible. My clothes smelt like campfire smoke for days afterwards, always a sign of a successful holiday! We haven’t had a chance to get out overnight since welcoming our kiddo, but we definitely plan to introduce him to the joys of camping soon.
I was always a waterbaby, and no matter where we camped, I was always first in the water and last out. And as we mostly camped in Canada and along the Pacific Northwest, that water was typically c-c-c-COLD! But as a kid I never seemed to mind, and would only reluctantly come in at my mother’s bidding, goose-pimpled and teeth chattering. What fun memories!
I do have a funny childhood lake story to share with you – it is a bit gross, though, so folks with more sensitive constitutions might want to skip this paragraph! One summer I stayed with a friend at their grandparents’ house on “the island”, as we call Vancouver Island, and we all went out to a local lake for a day of swimming. While in the water, I notice something dark clinging to my leg. Turns out the lake was full of leaches!! Apparently leaches are not uncommon in lakes in my part of the country anyway, and no one but me seemed all that surprised or grossed out. In true child form, I quickly got over my initial shock, and after being shown how to use sand to rub the leaches off, I happily plunged back into the water. I don’t know that I’d be quite so carefree as an adult!
Do you have any fond memories of swimming outdoors, either in a lake or in the ocean? I grew up on the west coast, and was more likely to be found swimming in the mighty (and mightily cold) Pacific than in a lake, though any body of water was fair game for this wannabe mermaid.
Check back over the next few months as I share more snippets from WILD ABOUT CAMPING, coming spring/summer 2022 with Nimbus Publishing.