The Vegas Voice 9-20

Summer Camp
By: Liz Breier / This & That
Did you ever go to Summer Camp? Not day
camp, not a bungalow colony but a real,
pack a trunk, sleep in a cabin, spend the summer
with friends and counselors camp? As summer
draws to a close I waxed nostalgic for those days.
Those memories are priceless and there are social media groups
solely dedicated so the alumni can reunite and share memories.
Memories of jacks on a bunk floor, color war, inter-camp competition,
Friday night socials, morning flagpoles, parents on visiting day, raiding
the boys or girls camp and, if you went to the same Camp I did, stories
of Chesty and his waterfront cabin.
Sleep away camp was an experience unlike any other. Living in
one room with 7 other girls and 2 counselors (barely more than kids
themselves), a “back room” with rows of cubbies in which we stored
our clothes.
We were each assigned a bed “bunk”, which we were expected to keep
neat. We all shared in the responsibilities of cleaning – which usually
meant sprinkling water on the floor in order to sweep and not have the
dust fly everywhere.
I know this sounds a bit military, but Camp is where you learned to
play all sorts of sports; including some no one else heard of - like deck
tennis, (where you learned to get along in close proximity with various
personalities), made lanyards, how to make something delicious out of
rye bread, ketchup and lemons (don’t ask), drank bug juice (definitely
don’t ask) and most importantly, learned to appreciate what you left
behind for 8 weeks in the summer.
Here I am, more years later than I care to admit, and can still sing my
Camp song which we belted out with pride as an opposing camp arrived
to compete against our members in various activities and sports. “In
strong array the Blue and Gray again….”
The memories of summers in the country provide a treasure of
experiences to share. If you too had eventful summers, I hope this
jogged your memory to remind you of good times.
Liz Breier is an ex-New Yorker who retired to Florida for 24 years
before deciding that Nevada means home to her. You can contact
Liz at: bluesky090372@gmail.com.
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