Did you ever get one of those little signs from the universe that instruct you to do what they want to you to do. Ok now your thinking...hmmmm... Maybe Richard needs to adjust his meds, but hear me out. I think I'll make some sense.
Ever since I started this blog, I have wanted to write about my experiences going to Summer Camp. Now, it could be coincidence or the fact that it is summer, but this week I heard from 2 fellow camp friend through Facebook for the first time since the early 70's...now, if that is not a sign to blog about it, I don't know what is. So here we go...
To give you a bit of history, My family and Camp Powhatan went way back. My Father was a Counselor there in 1954 and loved the experience. So after a few years of disliking day camp...my Parents thought that my brother and I would love sleep away camp....428 miles away from home in Oxford, Maine... Now, my Brother was lucky enough to go first in 1970, I couldn't attend yet because I was too young. Sadly I had the unfortunate duty that summer of accompanying my parents on a Transatlantic Cruise to London for a month going over on the RMS Queen Elizabeth II and returning on the SS France. Fortunately my brother got to miss all of that miserable European trip...snicker snicker...:) Hey, I did bring him a souvenir beret.
Now that summer we did go up to Maine to visit my brother and I loved what I saw. Lots of boys running all over the place...It looked like a nonstop school recess. Now I hated recess in reality, but loved it in concept. I wanted to swim, but didn't know how. I wanted to place baseball, but couldn't really run. BTW, did I mention this was an all boys SPORTS CAMP!!!! Here I was, 3 years after my heal cord surgery and having learned how to walk again...So we got to tour the camp. The ball fields, tennis courts and beautiful lake didn't interest me...but then I saw it...A wonderful big building...The Arts and Crafts Hut...I could do that. I loved the perceived freedom I saw at camp and the unlimited FOOD! By the time we were ready to go home from visiting my brother, I was all gung ho on returning as a camper the next summer.
During the winter, my family met with the Camp Owner, an extremely knowledgeable and nice gentleman named Joel. He assured my parents that I would be well taken care of and would not be forced to do anything I couldn't. He would make adjustments for my disability. As the time arrived for camp, I was excited.. Now, I had never "Roughed" it in my life...When my Counselor told me to unpack my trunk and make my bed, my answer was "HUH...Where's my MOMMY!!!! The first time I had to use the restroom, they directed me to a building 3 blocks away, I opened the door and there were 5 toilets, no stalls and one trough...and it all stunk really bad. I had lots to read on the walls, but didn't understand any of it. I thought hmmm..they even do arts and crafts on the walls in the bathroom because there was some really interesting artwork.
Our bunks were pretty sturdy, but they all had no windows, only screens and tarps to lower in the rain. There was one bathroom in each bunk but that was only for doing #1...the pipes couldn't handle more then that. The first nights I think I cried all night. I was homesick, didn't like the night Forrest noises and I was freezing cold. June in Maine makes for beautiful days, but real cold nights. You try going to the shower room outside of the bunks when it's 30 degrees and your on concrete floors. I think I showered twice the whole summer...except for the times each week when we all had to run into the lake nude and take a bath in the cold lake. A true nightmare for a shy, chubby 8 year old who hated being nude, the lake and couldn't swim.
Now every day we were told which activities were available that morning..Of course, there were really only 3 that I could do...A&C, nature hut and fishing. Now most of the kids went fishing on the docks or from a boat, but since I couldn't swim, I couldn't fish with them, so I decided I would fish off the small "safe" bridge that was between my bunk and the mess hall. Now I knew nothing about bait. So I thought...hmmm...What would I eat if I were a fish? I decided I would go to the mess hall and get some bait...well, Sugar Pops looked real good and would stay on the hook. So off I went, with my new fishing pole and my Sugar Pops to the small bridge. Now there was about a foot of water under this bridge. I baited my hook, lowered my line and waited....for a whole minute until a 10 lb catfish was on the end of my line...WOOOHOOO1!!....Ok....NOW WHAT!..I wasn' t about to touch that ugly damn fish yet take it off a sharp hook. where's my brother, where's the damn Counselor. Finally I got someone to take it off the hook and we put it in our fire pail. I wanted to keep it as a pet (my parents wouldn't let us have a dog yet) That night at dinner, they announced the Camp had a new great fisherman..ME. I finally felt proud I had caught the first fish of the camp season. I did let it the fish go the next day because the Counselor said it looked pregnant. To this day, it remains my best day at Camp Powhatan.
More coming soon!
Be Superb!
R
PS...Ok, Maybe it wasn't ten pounds, but it looked huge to me!
Love that story Rick. You are a natural story teller! Denise
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