Friday Five: Summer Camp

Mother Laura of RevGalBlogPals writes:
We're settling into our new new apartment, and after a lifetime at Montessori Katie is having a fantastic summer at YMCA day camp. Meanwhile, Nicholas is packing up for a week at Camp Julian, shared by the Episcopal dioceses of Los Angeles and San Diego. His lists of supplies and rules--except for the ropes course available to the teenagers and the ban on IPODs and cell phones--bring back memories of my own happy times weeks at Y camp Ta Ta Pochon, funded by selling countless cases of butter toffee peanuts. So, in celebration of summer, please share your own memories and preferences about camp.

1. Did you go to sleep away camp, or day camp, as a child? Wish you could? Or sometimes wish you hadn't?
Yes. Starting about 4th Grade, I went every year to Girl Scout camp. It began with one week sessions, then two weeks, then four weeks as a C.I.T. (counselor-in-training) and then all summer as a counselor or senior staff member. After resident camp, I worked for a city recreation department as a day camp counselor.

As a family, we did "real" primitive camping: tents, lashed tables, dug our own latrines, cooked over the fire. With upwards of 5-7 kids. My mom is a saint. We've camped a little with the kids (when they were younger) and it was fun, exhausting, and a great way to test laundry products!

2. How about camping out? Dream vacation, nightmare, or somewhere in between?
Hmmmm.... I need to blog about this. I have "directions" on camping. Wise, prosaic ones that anyone who has ever camped thinks, "yeah. it's kinda like that." Another day.

3. Have you ever worked as a camp counselor, or been to a camp for your denomination for either work or pleasure?
Oh yes. C.I.T. for two years, camp counselor for three years, waterfront director for two years... Great memories! Bugbites. Sunburn. Lukewarm instant Kool-Aid. S'mores. What's not to like?

4. Most dramatic memory of camp, or camping out?
The time I was walking campers back from the shower house and we saw a tornado coming and had to take refuge in a ditch. And then, had to walk back to the shower house to get clean again. We were COVERED in mud and leaves!

5. What is your favorite camp song or songs? Bonus points if you link to a recording or video.

Gotta be the very spiritual, very edifying, very uplifting "Shark Song"!



Sorry it's short and sweet, but I've got stuff to do before ordination day! (And no. We won't be singing the "Shark Song" tomorrow...)

Deb