roughin' it

We went to West Virginia for Memorial weekend. 3 day weekends are a good time to head down there to hang with the family. My parents (and other family members) own a lot of land. My dad has a hunting "cabin" that we refer to as "the cabin". It's not really anything like a cabin. It's a mini-house that was expanded from 12' x 12' with a loft to 12' x 36' with bunk beds for all and a giant back porch. (This means my husband and sister-in-law can listen to my entire family snore at once!)

We ride 4-wheelers, snap pictures, play cornhole, take little hikes, and most importantly: build a bonfire and drink! We have s'mores, pizzas, cherry pies, and South Dakota pheasant cooked in the embers at the bonfire. Theresa has discovered that wine in a box travels well on the 4-wheeler with some tie-downs. We use the 4-wheeler as a buffet . . . very ingenious of us. Bill caught some fish at our little pond, but none big enough to cook. (Dad claims these are disease and chemical-free fish.)

So after a weekend like that, I'm shocked that I am not scorched. It's no secret: I'm pale. When I buy make-up, it's called "Dead White Pale." So I spent the whole memorial weekend out in the sun playing cornhole and riding the 4-wheeler in a tank top. I used a generic brand (aka $4) sunscreen that contains Parsol, which blocks UVA rays (in addition to the UVB rays that most sunscreens contain). I'd heard this on some news program, but I'm happy to report that it is true! I may have re-applied only once. (I wasn't swimming, so I can't speak to that.) WebMD has more information on sun protection, including a better description on Parsol.

There is much more to tell, I'm sure. But it will have to wait for another time. I must finish uploading the pics and then off to bed.