I went to summer camp. "Camp Avalon, a sailing camp for girls" was special, a place where kids from different parts of the country and world came each summer to live together and build shared memories. I was fortunate enough to attend for 11 years and it had a big influence on who I have become as a person. The camp has been closed since 1988 but this past weekend we had a reunion. I did a lot of reflecting on my time spent there during the weeks leading up to the event. Finding old friends on Facebook jogged memories and inspired the start of a series, "The Girls I Knew". The amazing thing is that everyone was just the same (with a few lines of wisdom around the eyes) and I found that our shared memories and experiences bind us still.
I was so sad when the camp closed. I had hoped to send my daughter there one day but this weekend I realized that Avalon lives on in each girl that attended, whether it was one summer or a childhood of summers. I'll share my memories with my daughter, teach her the silly songs and hope to find her a wonderful camp where she can enjoy a similar experience because it's not necessarily the place but the people that made it so special.
