Of Times Gone By

This past weekend was an all time staff retreat at Camas Meadows, the camp where I spent every summer from the time we moved until I graduated from high school.  I have a LOT of memories there.  But it's also been about 12 years since I spent any significant time there.  The summer staff now were campers of the kids who were my campers way back when!

The people have changed, and sadly most of my friends did not show up.  But the place, the atmosphere, the feelings that camp brings up haven't really changed at all!  Oh sure, there are a few remodels here and there, the carpet is a different color.  But I can still find my way around in the dark!  (the camp runs on a generator which literally gets turned off at lights out time!)

After some getting to know you time on Friday night I needed to put my boys to bed (we were the only ones with children so we got the speaker's cabin - a little weird right there since that was always forbidden territory!).  I heard a ruckus start up downstairs and when I came out to the balcony here's what I saw.

At first I thought my worlds were colliding as my first thought was a Bruin Brawl from college!  But then I remembered that we used to do this as well and it's not exactly a brawl.  It's all the guys making a human knot and then the girls having to pull them off one by one.  From my vantage point I was unimpressed with the girl's teamwork.  As you can see there are plenty just standing around.  And from above I could also see when a guy's grip was tenuous, but I don't think they could see that.  And yes, that is my husband on the lower right, the flip flopped feet hanging out. (no girls would grab his feet because he started yelling that they smelled bad, so he was safe for quite awhile until they went and found some paper towels!)

 Inspiration Point

On Saturday after lunch I hiked my boys out to Inspiration Point.  I think this might have been the first time I'd ever been out there with really little people who we had to keep from "looking" over the edge!  It's such a cool place at any time of the day or night and not really that much of a hike either.

There wasn't a real set schedule for this camp, mostly we hung around and talked to friends we knew and made some new ones.  We enjoyed the fabulous camp food (you think I'm being sarcastic, but I'm not, it really is awesome!  and I didn't have to cook it so double awesome!)  Finally a couple of guys that were my age showed up!  Sadly, just before we were ready to come home.

Indy, Yogi, Gilligan, and Me

Indy and Gilligan were pretty much inseparable back then.  All the crazy antics that were pulled and stories I could tell... :)  Yogi is Gilligan's older brother and we actually see quite a bit of him around as he and Brian play games and do Bible study together (incidentally his name is Brian too).

And yes, camp really does bring out the wild side in me!  I was "impersonating" myself from a staff picture I'd seen earlier in the day.  Notice that on the edge of my shirt is my camp nickname... yeah, I got it for a reason!

Some day I hope my boys have as good of summer memories as I do!  Maybe not at this particular camp (I can hope though!), but some where making lifetime friends!