26 (by the skin of my teeth)

A very long day.  Awakened in Virginia, drove two hours to Maryland to pick up boys and pack up stuff and then drive to West Virginia.  We had a long weekend at Cacapon State Park with my family -- cousin time, for the kids.  The way it was for me when I was a kid at this very same park.

Not to be confused with Codorus, though confusion would be certainly understandable if you're not me, or a member of my family.  My cousin Val and I spent a great deal of time this weekend comparing and contrasting different memories of the various state parks that served as our family's low-budget getaways throughout my childhood.  Val and I have similar fetishization of state parks as a result -- he can relate the entire history of the WVa state park system, for example.  And I'm equally a geek, listening in open-mouthed fascination.

Anyway, all the driving and packing and unpacking was exhausting, and by the time we got the cabin set up and air mattresses inflated and bedding found and kids actually in the beds, a photo had most certainly not happened.  To make matters worse, I had been looking forward to making photographs during this weekend -- taking time to be deliberate, to work through situations to the image I actually want rather than settling for what happens -- but in all that packing, my camera bag did not make it into the van.  Arggghhh.  So it was a weekend of iPhoneography, and even so I still almost forgot to make Friday's photo.  It was nearly midnight and I was about to collapse into my own bed when I remembered.  I crept over to turn out the lamp where Val's daughter Nancy was sweetly sprawled,  arm outflung where sleep had finally found her after all the excitement of arrival.  And there was my picture.  The weekend gets better, picture-wise.  I promise.