Captain of the sea

Wake up at 3 AM, jump on a flight at 6, camp at Holiday Shores in Dells, jump back on the flight at 8 PM and back home by 11, isn't that insane? Not really. There is a gap of 2 days between the flights. Our annual fourth of July vacation at my brothers'.

It was a first for quite many things. First such an early flight and more important first such an uneventful flight. First camping trip for the boys and more important first successful, relaxing, and happening camping trip for us. First holding fireworks for the boys. The boys' First chasing and capturing fireflies in ziploc and then letting them go "live free in the wild". Manav's first sleep in the camper with hands on his ears (due to loud fireworks). The boys' first golf cart Fourth July parade. Our first fireworks display from the airplane, was awesome to say the least. I will add to the list as and when I remember more.

Firecracker Time

Inside the camper

Breakfast

Beach

 Manav is manipulating Arnav's innocence to the fullest now. The only change is sometimes it works sometimes it doesn't. One morning I woke up in the camper to hear Manav negotiating a deal with Arnav for the cars (disney pixar)

"Arnav lets play a matching game" he said

"Ok" Arnav demurred

"You are small so you match with the small cars, here take Chuki and Antonio and King"

"And I am big so I will match with bigger cars like DJ, MCQueen, Mater and Jeff Gorbett
(dunno his real name, but thats how it appeared on the Walmart receipt)." he continued

Please note that Manav's choice of cars have nothing to do with size (except for Chuki, which is small all other cars are similar sizes), just that he wants the new and flashy ones. Another time to dissuade Arnav from letting King go in the race

"Arnav, people who are watching the race will get confused if there are two blue cars. See here, DJ is blue and so is King, so let King rest and DJ race" case rested.

There was usual water park activities and here is another first. Both Manav and Arnav went in huge high water slides all by themselves. They would start in a sitting position but the speed would build up so rapidly in the twists and turns that they would automatically flip on their tummy before reaching the bottom. My heart would lurch seeing this from the top but they would come back again and again for the thrill. Then we graduated to the beaches and boats and lakes. We rented a pontoon for a ride on the Wisconsin river and moored on a beach for a quick swim in the lake. Manav made up a song

"I am the captain of the sea, You all have to listen to me"

and thwarted "alligators" (Bablu Mama and Wendy Mami) and rescued "poor swimmers"(me). The entire time we were on the boat Arnav slept with his life jacket on.

Captain of the sea.

  

Arnav woke up on way back and decided to be at the helm of affairs.

One evening we went to Denny's for dinner (:-). Manav was very sleepy but wouldn't let go of an opportunity to order.

"I will have spaghetti with sauce"

"And what will you have for side?" and the waitress rattled off a list of sides.

"I will have some crunchy goldfish" with a flourish that got all of us laughing hard.

Before leaving for the flight back home the boys were playing "ice hockey" (sliding on the wooden floor with their socks on). Wendy said

"Boys why don't you slide some more near the kitchen so that it gets cleaned too"

"No, that's the job of the Zamboni" Manav surprised us all.

And I must not forget to mention that Manav knows his numbers in Chinese now and also doing a great job with Chinese words (or are they alphabets).

  

Yes, Chinese.

  

 Had to end with campfire, reminiscing the hours we spent together huddled around it. It was actually therapeutic to just stare at the fire and hear the crackles. Bliss.