First camping trip with the whole family (dogs included)

DutchmenSport wrote:
You must have edited your original post some more, there's much more detail now than what I could read earlier today.

I see your wife brought along a surprise bottle of wine! That's really special of her to do that.

We have a "tradition" after some 30 plus years of camping, from the back of the pick-up to tents to the pop-up to 3 different travel trailers.... on the first camp out of the season, we always bring a bottle of wine and some cheese and crackers. The first night we arrive at the first camp of the year, we have the wine and cheese and crackers for supper. It's the only time we camp where we attempt to make things a bit more elegant, with wine glasses --- real glass, and nice plates. We make a first toast to a happy and successful camping season and say a little prayer for happy blessings with each camp out we do for the year.

This has just become a tradition for us. Sometimes that first camp out of the year is the week of March 10 (our anniversary), when we have become accustom to going to South Carolina for the week. Or it may be later in the year, whenever the "first" for the new year is.

Another tradition we've done for the last 30 years is the first MORNING of the first camp out of the season.... we always have T-bone steak and eggs and hash browns for breakfast. We've not missed this in over 30 years now.

Your wife has started a new tradition for you too. First camp of the season, bring that really special bottle of wine and enjoy the success of the start of a new camping season!