Camp Memories

I was reminded of a wonderful summer memory the other day when a friend posted that she was dropping her twin girls off for summer camp at Green Cove.  As a Green Cove alum, my heart swelled with pride and excitement for her girls.  Oh!  They have no idea what wonders are in store for them over the next few weeks.

Did you ever go to summer camp?  I went to Camp Toccoa, a Girls Scout camp, in Toccoa, Georiga for two years.  I was a Blue Bird during grade school and our troop loved our summers at Toccoa.  The first summer I went for one week and the second summer I went for two weeks.

The following two summers were spent at Green Cove for seven weeks each.  It was thrilling!

 People always raise their eyebrows when I say I spent seven weeks at summer camp.  Y’all it was the best thing!!!  It gave me an opportunity as a young girl to make decisions for myself and learn life skills that I never would have learned had I stayed at home.  Days at Green Cove were very structured.  You could do whatever you wanted but you had to do SOMETHING.  They had swimming, canoeing, horseback riding, sailing, tennis, hiking, arts and crafts – the list goes on and on. 

My grandfather (Daddy’s Daddy) served in WWII with a man by the name of Frank Bell (aka Chief).  After the war, Chief returned to his home near Hendersonville, NC, and opened a camp for boys.  Soon after, his wife, Calla, opened a camp for girls across the lake.  Mondamin was for boys and Green Cove was for girls.  My grandfather immediately enrolled the Clark boys – my father and his two younger brothers.  And of course, Daddy sent my older brother.  When I came along, Daddy was insistent that I go to Green Cove.  This is actually pretty amazing since my Mother wanted to send me to another camp where all her friends sent their children.  But Daddy insisted on Green Cove and off I went.  Daddy didn’t get his way very often (errr – ever) so you can be sure he was pretty darned determined to carry on this Clark family tradition.

Today I find myself living 2 hours north of this wonderful camp and I’ve longed to go back for a visit.  Check it out here: http://greencove.com

The video is long but doesn’t it make you want to go!!!!  They offer a family camp and I plan to enroll us as soon as Thing 2 learns how to swim.  And while extended camp is only 5 weeks now, I can’t wait for my boys to carry on the tradition and be the 3^rd generation to attend this amazing camp.

xoxo,

TSS