One week out of the summertime is always dedicated to camp. My mother went when she was a little girl. Then she sent me when I was of age and she went as a “chaperone”. And when my own kids were old enough they started going as well and I began coming as one of the adult chaperones. We just got back from a week spent in the hills of Napa County, singing songs and sleeping under the stars, battling 110 degree heat and killer mosquitoes, gathering around an imaginary campfire (no fires allowed while there are so many fires and fire dangers), making new friends, and becoming closer with the friends we already know.

I don’t even know where to start when it comes with camp. Each year it becomes just a little more special to me. There are some things in my life that I feel obligated to do and just can’t wait to get them over with. With camp it’s different. I look forward to it, get excited as the time comes, and just take each moment and embrace it as I experience it, knowing it will be a full year before I experience it again. And when it’s over, the feelings that ensue are a mixture of happiness and sadness. I am exhausted, I miss my bed, I can’t wait to escape the dust and mosquitoes and the never-ending work that must be done from waking to sleeping. But spending a week with a group of people day in and day out creates the feeling of family. This year was no exception. As the teen’s direct advisor for the third year in a row, I felt more and more like their mom. We had been through so much this past week, highs and lows that inevitably brought us together even closer. And goodbyes at the end were bittersweet. It will be months before I see them again when we start planning Camp 2009. And I knew that several of them would be moving on for good, this was our last goodbye.

Before goodbye, though, there is always hello. The kids and I arrived a day before the first campers, greeting the teen staffers and the other chaperones, along with a few other early campers. The kids went on an evening swim with one chaperone as I stayed behind to give huge hugs to all my old friends and set about unpacking my van. You are never aware of how many things you bring with you until you have them all laid out on a wooden plank. I knew right from the beginning that we had packed too many things. I was proven right by the end of camp when I realized we had only touched the top layer of clothes, and two-thirds of our clothing were left clean and folded on the bottom of our bags. That night something else became apparent. It is better to buy a real air mattress and not just use a swim toy to cushion against the hard wood planks we sleep on at night. The camps are set up so that boys sleep in one area and the girls sleep in another. But my son is still at a young enough age that he still doesn’t feel comfortable sleeping so far away from me. So I set up his bed next to my nice queen sized air mattress that I was sharing with my daughter. But his mattress was losing air rapidly, and it was clear that it wouldn’t work out. From the very first night on, all three of us snuggled up tight on my bed. If it were cold we would surely be able to keep warm. But with the 80 degree nights, we were sweating up a storm. Our new sleeping bags were rolled back up and we preferred to just use the single comforter to hide from the mosquitoes that lay in wait to make us their breakfast. Next year I will invest in real air mattresses for the kids so that I can enjoy a large bed all to myself. But still, after a day of hard work for me and camp life for them that kept us mainly separated, it was wonderful to be able to climb in bed while they slept and then wake up to them before beginning another day.

Camp life for me and camp life for my kids were two completely different experiences. They spent their days adhering to a schedule that had been created throughout the year at our planning meetings. They stayed in tribes preparing for the day’s activities, spent free time at the craft shack or the swimming pool, played games at the ball field at the top of the hill, and wrote letters and hung out at their bunk with friends during rest time. For me, I don’t believe there was even a resting point from the time I woke up. My usual bedtime at camp became 2 or 3 am, making mornings a little later than usual. I’d get the kids up and throw my son in the shower. After making sure that the kids got out of girls camp and with their tribes when the bell rang, I’d stay behind and tidy up our bunk in preparation for the Clean Camp competition. Then I’d grab a cup of coffee and some breakfast before heading back in camp for judging the camps. By the time that ended, it was usually close to lunch time. Any chaperones that were available would help out with prep work in the kitchen. After lunch was the adult swim where we would hold one of our daily meetings. Then it was the kids’ tribe meetings. During this time I would usually have to round up my son to ensure that he was with his group, tie up loose ends with any staffers or chaperones that needed it, and generally regroup. Then it was the teen staff meeting at the pool before heading back to help with serving dinner. After dinner was campfire. And then, after the kids went to bed, I’d stay up with the staff cleaning the kitchen and dining area, and end the day with a movie, a night swim, or just let them hang out until much too late just to allow them time to relax after a hard day’s work. I think the night swims were my favorite part. When I was a teen, the few times we were allowed to go swim at night were so special. There is something fantastic about being in a pool in the dark, the only light coming from a dim light in the corner and the green hue from the pool lights on each end, swimming at a time usually reserved for sleeping. And to watch the joy on the staff’s faces brought back memories from way back when, the nostalgia of hot summer nights when anything is possible and camp truly is magical. I would stay up late to allow them to swim at night again in a heartbeat.

We learned many hard lessons this past week, things we would do over in a different way were we given that chance, and realizations that there was no way that some of the best parts of the week could get any better. Tears were shared, as was laughter straight from the belly. We learned that my van will definitely hold 14 people going straight up a hill, especially when the guys got out and pushed the van up the hill as it overheated. I learned that even when I swear that I am not an overly emotional person, it is impossible to keep the tears completely in as I hug each staffer goodbye until next year, or until our paths hopefully cross again. Every one of them earned a special place in my heart.

I have spent the last two days sleepwalking through the weekend recovering from nights of no sleep and days of constant movement. Camp ended two days ago, but it felt like it ended today as I shared stories around my breakfast table with a few staffers for pancakes, sausages, bacon, and a melon salad, and then ended it with a glass of wine on my front porch with a close friend as I rehashed the week with her. The kids spent the day lounging around the house, none of us willing to leave the house but enjoying the friends who came to us instead. Tomorrow is the start of another work week, the usual activities for the kids at Day Camp. It’s always strange to come back into the real world after spending a whole week away from the media and news and all forms of communication except for the snail mail we all looked forward to. It’s good to be back. But each year I leave a piece of my heart right there on a rock overlooking the whole of camp, letting it remain there until I am able to come back and retrieve it.

Email me at winecountry.singlemom@yahoo.com