4th of July

As a kid, we were removed from our suburban Boston home with our tvs, radios, etc and sent to a trailer in NH. And we loved it. From the last day of school to the first, we were barefoot and sunburned, playing with friends and creating memories. Some of my favorite memories were of the 4^th of July… fireworks, organized games, new people at the campground (us ‘seasonal’ kids were enamored with new people) and tons of ice cream. My dad usually stayed with us for the whole week (normally he was up Friday night, left Sunday night/Monday morning) and we just loved it. We had a medium sized camper, 3 kids, 2 adults, 2 dogs, 1 4-wheeler, 1 dirt bike, 3 BMX bikes, 2 canoes, 1 motorboat… and a whole summer on the pond.

It shaped who I am and what I will be. I need water in my life. I crave it. So many times I am feeling cagey and stressed and ready to run and I head for water. It calms me. I want to spend my summers with my feet dangling off a dock, looking for fish.

So, today, I start planning. Planning for my ultimate retreat… someplace near the water, someplace in the woods… where a campfire crackles and my heart grows full.

Sometimes I forget what Mom & Dad really gave us when they took us camping for the summer: freedom to be kids, run around, live in our bathing suits, catch frogs & crayfish and learn to swim like fish.

I don’t think I’d trade a hundred Disney vacations for one of those summers, with mom’s blueberry pancakes, begging to “walk around the pond”, visiting FrogLand, and eating marshmallows.

The campground has been turned over to new owners and they will be trying their best to get it up and running, but it’s not going to be the same, and that’s okay… I’m just happy with my memories. Who knows… perhaps PC and I will find our own little slice of heaven in the NH woods… a small seasonal site, with a cracklin’ fire and a view of the lake.

(photos taken from the campground website)

View of the “beach” with the playground in front. First dock is to the right.

Kids in the annual tug-of-war on the 4^th of July at the campground.

Those trees were a sure sign that it was time to pack up the camper for the last time and spend the rest of our weekends at home.