2012: Bar None
The Monday Listicles topic for this week is “10 Clues That You Are Living in 2012″ courtesy of Anja at Cocalores. However, we are fresh off of a five family Big Love cabin camping trip, so we are leaning slightly in a different direction.
Erin: Slightly is an understatement. We were on a mountain with no television, no internet, and no cellphone. NO BARS, people!! We were out of this century, let alone this year.
Ellen: Instead of tweeting about a moment, we actually had to be in it. I mean if fun happens and you don’t tweet about it, did it ever really happen?
Erin: Melodramatic much? We did have our cameras and between the five women on this trip we have about 4,765 photos memorializing those precious moments.
Ellen: Digital photography was definitely allowed, much to our offsprings’ chagrin. So we weren’t doing it completely old school.
Erin: Close enough. So we are going to spin this Listicle as:
10 Ways We Opted Out of 2012 on Our Summer Vacation
1. We were reduced to antiquated modes of communication.
This is a phone booth with an example of a 20th century version of a conference call. It was like a living history museum display for our kids.
2. But we took it even more primitive.
This is Erin signaling to the others in our group that she had found the trailhead when we were lost in the woods. We call this “How to Signal When You Have No Signal.” The video is intentionally on its side to give it a gritty Blair Witch Project feeling. Orrrrrrr…in Ellen’s haste to capture the moment, she turned her DSLR the wrong way. Either way you look at it, it’s funny.
3. We went without GPS.
We only got slightly lost, but Erin saved the day. (See above. If you haven't clicked on that 10 second video, do it now. Now, we said!)
4. Our kids had to whittle their own toys. (Okay, it might look more like a weapon, but no squirrels, let alone children were harmed.)
Don't worry about these boys using knives to whittle. They are card carrying Boy Scouts!
5. We had Chicken Fights. (I swear we are not a violent people.)
Yeah, these sort of things are usually safer in water.
Speaking of water…
6. We canoed.
Erin is a professional at assigning canoe teams. It's her Super Power.
7. We played in waterfalls.
Another totally safe activity.
Then we had more dry land fun…
8. We recreated our own Scooby Doo Cartoons.
Rut-Row Raggy.
9. We learned about nature without tuning into the Animal Planet.
Okay, the owl did not sign a release form to be in this picture. Be a pal and don't turn us in.
10. We had one-on-one time with our kids.
Why, yes, Erin does talk with her hands.
BONUS: We recapped our day around the campfire instead of on Twitter or Facebook.
So if homemade bows and arrows, waterfalls, slippery rocks, and chicken fights in parking lots was not dangerous enough, we added fire.
And the answer to the question, “If your friend jumped off of a cliff, would you follow?” is…
YES!!!
By Ellen Williams Erin Dymowski
I have never laughed so hard as hearing Erin’s call again on video. I might have her do that once a week. Great blog ladies.
Thank you. I thought it was actually better sideways. It kind of captured the essence of lost in the woods. Ellen
Oh this is such an awesome anti-2012 list, great idea! I am not sure what my kids would do to me if I made them go camping without the internet….
Stacie @ Snaps and Bits recently posted..The Pet Cube
We were so without technology that we couldn’t think of any other list. We had the most anti-2012 weekend ever. Ellen
I love, love the picture of the hand-holding leap. That’s what it’s all about, isn’t it? I bet in all those pictures, if I were there in real life, the air would smell sweet and damp and green. Bliss. Looks like a great week & congrats for figuring out how to go internetless in 2012. Sez moi, the woman who brought a fleet of ipads to a freaking safari in Africa. Sigh.
deborah l quinn recently posted..politics in the doctor’s office: if the doctor is late, blame … the president?
You are correct on the cool, clean smells, Deborah. It was so nice to have a break from the heat wave.
We went without technology because we had no choice, If we could have checked our smartphones, we would have. We get twitchy.
But your iPads worked on safari?? At one point on our way to western Maryland, my phone asked if I wanted to incur roaming charges outside of the U.S. We weren’t THAT far out there. Ellen
Visiting via Stasha’s Listicles.
Wow–what a great trip! It’s been a while since I’ve been ‘unplugged’ like that–sounds like it was good for you all!
Lisa C recently posted..Ten clues that tell you you’re living in 2012
I love the waterfall — and chicken fights. I had forgotten about those. Looks like a wonderful time.
Jamie@SouthMainMuse recently posted..She’s still preoccupied.
I am a little jealous. This looks so awesome. But all that hiking must have brought you to a higher ground where there were some bars to be found???
Go Erin, that is the best mating call ever. I can see wild turkeys lining up from here!
Stasha recently posted..Monday Listicles
I really want to come on vacation with you next time. Is boxed wine allowed on the trip?
Bridget recently posted..Monday Listicles
Now, that’s an interesting twist to it =) Leaving 2012 might be kind of interesting for a week or so! Loved your list!
Anja recently posted..Who are you?
That is one great vacation! Congrats on have a back to the future vacay!
Wayne recently posted..Monday Listicles
you guys are so funny! I love your idea of a cliff!!! Trips that allow for total disconnect are awesome. And I realize just how attached I was to my “interwebs” Every time we go visit Irishman’s childhood town we are disconnected. Our stuff doesn’t work down in the Ozark mountains. It’s glorious!!!
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I don’t know what you are talking about with the cliff. I told Erin it was a bad camera angle. It was MUCH taller in real life. Kinda like what the cliff divers go off of in Acapulco.
Ellen
If I could figure out how to make that video my ringtone I totally would! It was that awesome! This is a great list, and I have to say y’all always impress me with your hiking and being woodland creatures…I want to hang out with you someday…in a hotel!
thedoseofreality recently posted..Sharing Is Caring, Right?
That you for the marketing idea! Sisterhood Ringtones! We’ll be rich! Mwahahaha! Ellen
BTW, Ellen is VERY fond of hotels.
What a great list – love your take on it, and I’m SO JEALOUS of your trip! One more week of summer break here – I’d better hurry up and connect with those dang kids of mine…
hollow tree ventures recently posted..What year is it? Get a clue.
Love it! It is a great vacation for that and so many other reasons!! Except for the part that it was the worst weekend for my husband to be sans 2012 – lol!
Thought about mentioning that, but didn’t think it was our story to tell. However, we had no qualms about using the phone booth picture.
Ellen
Holy crap!! You guys went seriously old school and lived to tell about it! It looks like it was an absolute blast. Sometimes it feels great to disconnect.
Stacey recently posted..SuperMom Syndrome
No GPS? That’s just crazy.
Joe (from Kellie’s World) recently posted..Inside Cabin
Great list and pictures!
Love the photos and seeing you all!
Emma @ Your Doctor’s Wife recently posted..2012 – It’s a Strange World
I love all your pictures, the phone booth! It looks like youre getting ready to time travel or something… and the jumping off a cliff, I never wouldve done it alone!
(please excuse lack of apostrophes but am using new keyboard for ipad and its set weird so cant find apostrophe!)
BonnyBard recently posted..Monday Listicles – we’re not in kansas anymore, Toto
love love love all the photos.
OK now I am jealous.. I want to play in waterfalls. The lost in the woods not so much but I can definitely disconnect for some place like that. I am not sure my kids would make it though.. coming by from Monday Listicles
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OMgoodness…this is hliarious. wait…gotta pee. back in a jiff!
ok, loved it all! And I can relate to it all because we are campers too. 2 weeks without technology. 2 weeks of fresh air and all thing natural. it was glorious. I didn’t even miss my blog…that much.
hubby on the other hand was sneaking out to charge his Blackberry in the car at night. I thought he was just very, very concerned about the coolers Always needing ice.
He swears he can stop whenever he wants though
RoryBore recently posted..Monday’s Music Moves Me: Club 90′s
That trip looks like a total blast. I loved this anti-2012 list!
Marie recently posted..Monday Listicle: 10 clues you are living in 2012
That looked like a such a fun day! Perhaps, we need less 2012 and more ‘antiquated’ stuff.
Mama and the City recently posted..Looking Back
Couldn’t agree more. This was a great day! Erin
Love it! I always want to find a way to “disconnect” for a while. I am way to attached to my Twitter and FB. I think the only way to do it would be to totally detach, like you guys did. Love the cliff jump!
Ali recently posted..I Stalked a Journal. It Broke My Heart. And Changed Me as a Mom.
What a wonderful camping trip! Its awesome! I love that you jumped off a cliff together
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It was so fun, and all of our kids jumped too. Total blast! Erin
I’ve actually been dreaming of a weekend that would force us to disconnect. Despite all the ‘dangerous’ activities and getting lost in the woods, it looks like a blast!
Ally recently posted..10 Clues This Is 2012
Even though I’m not exactly an “outdoorsy” kinda gal…your tripped looked like a ton of fun!!!
I thought about phone booths too! Hardly a single one to be found these days and not sure if I’d want to use one if I did.
You did have s’mores around that campfire now didn’t you???
Diane
Diane recently posted..2012 …My How Things Have Changed #Monday Listicles
Hellz yeah!! Of course we had smores and we were psyched because the fire ban meant that we couldn’t make them earlier in the summer. Erin
Seeing this post really brought me back to my childhood and the good ol days when we used to camp a lot! Thanks for sharing
MamaCassie (@FotoFriendlyMom) recently posted..Party Like It’s 2012
I grew up doing exactly this thing (I grew up in Western MD), so I love the nostalgia and sharing it with my kids as much as the things we do! Erin
I couldn’t help but notice that in the shot with the owl there is a grill in the foreground. What exactly were you guys eating on this trip?
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Oh my goodness, I never noticed that, but we ate great this trip! No owls, of course. Erin
I laughed when I read this: “Instead of tweeting about a moment, we actually had to be in it. I mean if fun happens and you don’t tweet about it, did it ever really happen?”
Yeah, you rocked this list and camping. That bow and arrow? Very Hunger Games except, of course, without all the killing. And the mine is awesome. It IS Scooby Doo!
I’m glad you guys had such a good time.
I’m slowly emerging from my blogging exile and will be back sooner this time.
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Thanks, and we missed you. Glad to hear you are emerging from your exile. Erin
So glad you stopped by, we miss you. And the kids were totally playing Hunger Games, it just wouldn’t fit in the list because that is soooooo 2012.
When the kids were peering into the mine, it just cracked me up, too. I’m glad you appreciated it. Ellen