Camp

The smell of an open fire. Pine trees swaying in the wind. Owls hooting at night. Tranquility everywhere.... Except the 200 other girls gathered singing around the campfire.
Camp! I spent two weeks of every year for three years of my life attending church camp in the summer. I started when I was about 10 I think and stopped when I was 12. My parents got new best friends out of the whole situation and I got a new friend as well.
Let me explain. My parents had decided to send me to church camp. We live in southwestern Ontario and the camp was located in central Ontario. My parents were informed that another girl from the church was also going. She was a year old than I was so I didn't know her. As it turned out we became close friends and are to this day over 45 years later. Her parents met my parents and it was "love at first sight". I jest. They met and decided one set of parents should drive us there and the other should drive us home. That way neither set had to make two round trips. My parents drove us up on the Friday night, we spent the night in a motel and then on to camp for Saturday. It may have been Saturday up and register Sunday. I can't really remember. The return trip was with her parents. A few times we spent the night with her grandmother who lived near the camp. She had owned a farm and the house was a big yellow brick house with a wonderful bannister that we often slid down. Once we ended up scattering her aunt's purse full of stuff all over the floor as we slid down and reached the end where the purse had been placed. Another time we woke in the middle of the night (it was to us anyway) smelling something awful. We crept downstairs past the first set of doors in the hallway and towards the back of the house to the kitchen where the doors were also closed. It was limburger cheese. Her grandma and company were sitting in the kitchen eating limburger cheese. The smell had permeated the house. I was amazed. There was an arena nearby where we went roller skating. Or should I say my friend, C. went skating, while I watched. I had seen someone split their head open and was none too eager to try the experience despite the fact that I rollerskated at home on the streets all the time.
I remember stopping for a picnic along the highway and C.'s mother pulling out fried chicken, potato salad and a pie for dessert. It was different that what I was used to living in a European household. I remember trying olives for the first time and liking them. Her mother made a potato salad with all kinds of things and mayonnaise. Mine made hers with oil and vinegar dressing. Her mother made deep fried chicken; mine cooked hers in a bit of oil in a frying pan. They lived in a big two story old house in the city. We lived in a ranch in the suburbs. Differences sure, but we had lots of fun together over the years. She was in my wedding party and I was in hers. Today we compare grandkids.
I digress. Back to camp.
There was a big pool for swimming. The cabins surrounded a central green area. There was a canteen next to the pool where we could spend our money on candy and stuff. We brought money and it was taken from us and a tab was set up at the canteen. At the end of camp any money left over was returned to us.
Meals were served in a large barn like structure with long tables for each cabin. We had kitchen duty regularly. Cleaning the tables and washing the dishes. We had hot cocoa and cookies there just before bed.
There was a small structure that held all sorts of supplies like plastic lacing. I learned to make plastic bracelets. Another cabin was the nurse's headquarters. I went there once when I didn't want to sleep outside one night. I faked a sickness and got to stay there for the night. There was a large building with toilets and showers.
We built an outdoor chapel for our cabin. A few logs for pews and an alter and that's where we had our prayer service each day.
On one occasion we slept outdoors (I didn't). We travelled through the woods and across a creek to a higher area where we ate over a campfire and slept in our sleeping bags. I remember walking with them there and then another girl and I walked back to the main camp later in the evening. It was dark by then and we were scared. We had only our flashlights to guide us back. The hooting and other noises made us move a lot faster.
We went on hikes through the area to little towns nearby.
It was a lot of fun and I learned a great deal. I became more independent. I got a great life long friend and my parents had wonderful friends too until C.'s parents passed away a few years ago.