San Clemente camping, temporary blindness and a bum knee

Months ago we planned a family camping trip in San Clemente. When the date rolled around we found ourselves packed and ready to go, but plagued by such injuries that Mark and I together barely counted as a single functioning adult. In mid June I hurt my knee badly enough to need an XRay, MRI and visit to the orthopedist who said I'd need surgery to repair a torn medial meniscus. I gimped around as well as I could.
Then early in the morning the day before our trip Mark began experiencing horrific pain on his left eyeball. After a trip to the the emergency room we found he had a serious corneal abrasion that required steroid and antibiotic drops, lots of pain medicine, lots of rest, and an eye patch for 4 days. It was in this gimpy, half blind state we made our way to San Clemente State Beach for the long-awaited getaway.
We might have been better off staying home, but my difficulty tolerating disappointment and Mark's determination to muddle through got us there and we did the best we could. We got our tent up so Mark could rest and I took the kids to the beach - it was beautiful. I felt bad for him stuck at the campground and bad for myself hauling two kids, an umbrella, beach bag, beach chair, and sand toys down the switchbacks all by myself. The girls had a great time. Sleeping together in the tent was a fun adventure and our kids did actually sleep so that was a relief. We ate out all our meals - at restaurants, not outdoors - the cooler sat untouched. And we returned home early for Mark to see the ophthalmologist again. It was a crazy trip but I am glad we did it.
Fortunately, Mark's eye is completely healed. It was a scary experience for both of us. I was very worried about him and it was extremely difficult to see him in so much pain and keep my cool. Once the pain passed, I think Mark was mainly bored and frustrated by his limited vision. We are lucky it turned out all right.
My knee is also doing better. I just started physical therapy and am going to put off surgery as long as possible. We are having a great summer and have another camping trip in less than two weeks. I really hope the four of us can enjoy it together with good health and all the important parts of our bodies working correctly.