I was very surprised and happy when the mail came yesterday and my yearly newsletter came from the camp I attended for 6 years as a teenager had arrived. Camp Mishawaka was probably the best experience I had as a child. When my father was a teenager he also attended this camp, which I thought was cool that I was going to the same camp that he once attended.
A year ago I had written camp asking them to change my address so I could continue to receive the newsletters. They had been sent to my parents house and for some reason my parents were not passing them on to me. I was very surprised and happy to see that in the alumni section for the 80's there was a small part in there about what I was up to these days.
With the newsletter came an informational DVD about the camp as well as pictures from this past summers sessions. Watching that DVD brought back so memories and it was fun spending 30 minutes in a time when life seemed so much easier and my only worry was did I have enough hair spray for my bangs and who was best friend.
Camp Mishawaka is located in Grand Rapids Minnesota. Grand Rapids is about 4 hours north of Minneapolis and 2 hours south of the Canadian border. My Dads parents lived in Outing Minnesota and were just 45 minutes from camp. There were many summers that my Grandma would drive in for the day to have lunch with me. I always loved those days when she would come to camp. A couple years she would pick me up at the end of camp and I would spend a few days with her before flying home to Kansas City. I wish now that I had been more appreciative of the time I was able to spend with my Grandma.
If we are blessed with a child I would want our child to attend this camp. The things I learned at camp I still use to this day. It was there at camp that I learned there was more to the world then my church.
If you are reading this Mom and Dad, thanks for allowing me the chance to experience the summer days of summer camp.
*The above picture is from my last summer at camp; 1989*
5 comments:
That camp looks like a slice of idyllic childhood that every child should experience!
Love the picture, btw!
Such a cute photo!
Your baby/childhood pictures are so adorable! Good memories!
sassy--it was exactly that; a piece of heaven.
ragged--it's the bangs you love isn't it?
lynilu--they were very good memories
Sounds like a lot of fun. I never attended any summer camps, but my brother, sister and I used to spend several weeks with our grandparents. My sister (the oldest) would spend 8-10 days with my maternal grandma while my older brother and I spent the time with my paternal grandma, then we would switch places. Since our grandmas only lived about 5 miles away from each other, there were plenty of lunches, dinners, etc. with all 3 kids and both (widowed) grandmothers. That was one of my idyllic childhood memories. EVERY kid deserves some of that...
Cheers,
6pence
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