On the south shores of the piankatank where it opens up onto the Chesapeake Bay, we pitched our tent and settled in for my sons first overnight in a tent away from home.

All of Mathews County was draped in a thin layer of fog. The ground was damp the from morning dew and a chill was in the air reminding us that autumn was here. Such things did nothing to damper the spirits of a 3 year old boy. He galloped through the large field and marveled at the vastness of the bay. He stared at the migrating ducks as the made their way down south. He watched the sailboats from afar as they came in and out of view through the fog.

He had been raving about this camping trip for weeks and it was finally here. He would get to spend a night in a tent away from home and under the stars. We got to work setting up our gear and started a fire with the damp wood around us.

As we setup our site, the unmistakable call of a loon filled the air. I was surprised to see several loons in the bay fishing. They must be on their way south, because I have never seen them in this area before.

We spent the day chopping wood, catching crabs and fishing. Minh was familiarizing himself with a lot of the camping gear. We were joined by my parents and brother in the late afternoon at which point we added more wood to the fire as the night skies surrounded us. I could sense my sons excitement as the darkness surrounded us and only the glow of the fire would illuminate the campsite. He had no trouble sleeping in the tent and slept like a rock.

The next morning we were greeted with the sun! He was eager to get back out and fish. We also took a stroll down the road to see some of the neighbors cows. This trip was also a great opportunity for me to play around with the my new telephoto lens, a sigma 100-400mm for Sony alpha cameras. So far it’s been a blast to shoot with. After I took some photos of the cows, we went on some walks around the area and then packed up and headed home. He did not want to leave. He fell asleep in car immediately, and upon awakening, he asked me with eyes barely open….”when are we going canoe camping?”