Ilus, ilus, ilus on maa!

Canadian mini-camp. The bench doubled as a xylophone and you could climb up to the little platform behind the flag.

After the first family reunion in 15 years, I spent a week at a camp in the backwoods of Estonia (literally, the place was called tagametsa). It was great seeing old friends who were at the maailmalaager at Kotkjärve last summer (international Estonian camp in Muskoka), as well as meeting new ones. I only got one tick, but don't worry, it was removed properly and I have all the necessary shots! Tick-bourne encephalitis is a growing problem in Estonia and I met a number of people who had experiences with it. Anyway, camp was great! I was there as a leader, but was still able to enjoy the activities. We had campfires with the other leaders every night where we sang and ate great food! French toast on made on a fire is really yummy. It was funny, because we (the Canadians) were singing all these old Estonian songs that the Estonians didn't know. In 4 years, I'm going back to do the 24 hour race - hiking, canoeing and biking. Time to start training!

Climbing at camp. I am absolutely terrified of heights.

After camp, I went to Tartu. My cousin Jaanika and I met up with two of her friends one afternoon for cake, and then ended up crawling around in sand caves under a field! The entrance to the old mine was in the middle of a grassy field. There was a metal hatch labeled "koobas" (cave) in spray paint.. We also did a few other things, like watch the sunset from the roof of the anonymous apartment building that happened to be next to the Vironia house. Maybe I'll be back in 2 years as a rebane for volber.. who knows! (It's an Estonian thing, ask and I'll explain it to you in person.)