On the Water

Spend summers on a lake, and you get wet.
You slip off Phymouth Rock while switching dates
-- well not exactly dating, just four kids on a lark
after our supper duties done.
Jack and I, Dorie and Robin.
But I didn't really enjoy Jack, he smoked
and was gosh-awful homely,
not that that mattered, but still he was.
He'd been pursuing a reluctant me
and with guys in short supply I'd said OK.
But not that eve, that time was different.
We all knew each one was solo.
At this point the shore path skirted the lake and was
hemmed in by a towering bank, root encrusted,
camouflaged with trees and undergrowth.
In impromptu tag or hide-and-seek
Robin grabbed my hand, jerked his head upward.
We scrambled high behind a spreading shrub.
"C'mon, let's ditch Œem." and we did.
We hopped from tree to tree, always up
as sky darkened and night set in.
We laughed and walked and talked.
And that was it -- that summer and the next.
He was darn cute and maybe that mattered too.
Well -- tall, handsome, his dark hair waved,
a year and a half older, just right -- 16 and 18.
But that was early forties when war loomed dark,
and like the rest he too went off to battle.
Goodbye -- he lived his life and I lived mine.
And then the other year, surprise, he emailed.
He'd heard I'd written up my summer years
for a gath'ring of that long ago Camp Family
and would I send him one -- just for old times
-- perhaps wond'ring how he might make out!
I sent a raft of pages, he wrote back,
questioning some details he said he'd not recalled.
I returned specifics of dates and times and names.
Capitulating to my surer memory, he asked
"By the way, in those young days, perchance
did I promise ought, but fail delivery?"
Oh my! Imagine that! My retort was quick,
"What an opportunity! I'll think of something."

Eight summers at Conference Point --.
Work was the reason we got to be there
but pleasure was why I went.
It filled the days -- friends, satisfying work --
cottage girl, table waitress, salad girl --
swimming, tennis, softball, hiking, crafts,
walk and cycle all around the lake
band concerts, rollerskating parties,
fold dance, vespers, ice cream jaunts,
campfires, sneaking food, the Point Palaver
inspiration challenges, growing up.
boyfriends, girlfriends, mentors,
learning jobs and skills and life to make
the larger part of the who I did become.

The life was good and warm and fun
and sometimes funny too.
One year ten seated close at table mess,
announced a kinship loudly.
We were a family -- Gunn by name.
The eldest Gerry (teacher, oh so old)
was Pistol Packing Mama (a song, you know?)
with hillbilly offspring round about --
Tommy, Ack-Ack, Squirt, BB, and Ray,
and Sub-machine and Shot and Spray,
I was Gunn Moll, the married daughter. Ha,
We thought we were so clever.

Another time I walked with Cyn
along the Shore Path quite a ways.
A rowboat plied by friendly gals
showed up and offered us a ride
They tossed the mooring line. I caught
and pulled them close and stepped aboard.
Cyn, young, awkward, long and lanky,
tossed back the line and grabbed the boat
which then was moving back to sea.
Our novice oarsmen, girls, that is,
were inexperienced, ill prepared.
They watched Cyn¹s tootsies grip the pier
and likewise fingers claw the prow
and in between her body stretched
out parallel above the undulating ripples.
We laughed, we couldn't help ourselves.
We pointed, tittered, held our sides,
the tears rolled down, We roared as
Cyn cried helplessly, "HELP. HELP.
Hey guys, this isn't funny!".
But oh it was just that -- kersplash!

Herbie Naumann 6/16/08

Tipi Wakan in July?

It doesn't matter what time of day it is ----- morning, noon, or night. When you remember or talk about your stay at Conference Point it just has the MAGIC POWER OF EMOTIONAL APPEAL. You can be well into your later years of life and for a few moments you can revisit your days as a member of the kitchen crew or your membership on the work crew cleaning out TIPI WAKAN . No matter what job you had it did not take you into a real life straining situation and you had time to develop as a person. You had some fun and cultivated some life long friendships and perhaps found your ultimate destiny in life.

As our Reunion Of Camp Family comes up July 11,12,13 2008 please join us if you can. From time to time a little news has been sent out about some of the memories we all have about CPC. Some of the history about the first camping by Rev. Joseph Collie has been found and sent. That time frame was way back in 1868 according to church records of Dr. Collie. Those records still remain at the church he served in Delavan , WI.

Barbara and Edwin Goodwin have promised to join us this year. They were main stays at CPC for many years. Sue Kopp Chee plans to be there as well as Palmer Delap's daughter. Joe Angner plans to be there. Richard Seed and Rob Rowland are also on the possibility list. And that is just a few. And we can't forget the real DEACON OF CPC---- TOM ALLEN ---- Palmer's old friend.

CPC was a defining moment in the lives of many.

the old album guy don brandeau