June 11th, 2015: Bus Day
Driving to camp with dad.
I took the 10:30 bus to Moncton from Saint John, which got in at 12:50.
Mom picked me up in the BMW wagon, which had been in Mom’s possession since 2011.
Then we went home and had lunch...and then headed to Jennifer’s to see Brennan and Connor and congratulate Brennan on his graduation, and tell him my regrets that despite his efforts to get me tickets to the graduation and see that I get there I wouldn’t make it to the ceremony.
Brennan, if you see this Blog, I want to, once again, express my congratulations on the graduation and I am sorry I could not make it to the ceremony and I enjoyed your yearbooks and the jam session with your friends.
Then we looked at Brennan’s and Connor’s yearbook from 2015 and it had some great pictures, not only of him and Connor, but of the musical they put on before Christmas, sporting events from Saint John High School and the home games, news flashes about trends, like Top-40 songs, world news, commercialization, and TV and movies.
Tonight we decided to celebrate Father’s Day with Dad, a week before the actual day since I would not be in Moncton then, with fish and chips, San Pellegrino, and berries and yogurt.
June 12, 2015: Arrival Day
This morning Mom and I drove to Champlain Place so as I could get my haircut at Cut 2000.
Construction workers were working on Crystal Palace, which used to be an indoor amusement park, but closed down and was making way for a Bass Pro shop.
While I got my haircut I had a long chat with the barber about Camp Wildwood and she said she was there before many times.
Then we went to HMV and Mom bought me the Men in Black collection, which had MIB and MIIB. (1 and 2)
On the way home we tried to get Brian a birthday gift of a Cineplex gift card but they were closed.
We took a quick stop at a new Moncton store that specialized in outdoor/hunting supplies like guns and outfits, and Mom and I had to steer outta there after a quick browse because of the cruelty in the store, like moose and deer on the wall and statues made out of real bears and wildlife!
When Dad got home we packed things like my backpack with books and camp supplies inside, my suitcase with the clothes, my sleeping bag, and my 12-string guitar, all into the back of Mom and Dad’s new car.
Then we went into the car and headed for Camp Wildwood, and I enjoyed the drive in this new car.
I was hoping the Mason & Risch upright piano would still be there which I played in the summers of ’95 and ’96.
Unfortunately, it was gone.
On a happy note, though, my co-campers were co-workers from METS and one classmate from Riverview High from my grad class, named Carla. And as an added bonus, 2 people there had a Golden Retriever/Husky mix dog named Max, who stayed with me for most of the weekend.
I set up the sleeping bag in one of the new refurbished cabins.
They had the same names, but were in new cabins.
We played games such as “duck, duck, goose” and musical chairs.
Then we had Vespers, snack, and campfire with camp songs and songs, and then we went to bed.
June 13, 2015: Day 2
We woke up to a gourmet breakfast with pancakes and cereal. Here we sang graces like Johnny Appleseed, a grace in the tune of the Superman theme, and a grace to the tune of the Spiderman theme.
In the summers of ’95 and ’96 we would sing these graces too.
When I went to Camp Centennial when I was just a young kid and we had just got the gray Jeep Cherokee and PBS was playing Lamb Chop’s Play Along and kids would, out of nowhere, sing The Song That Doesn’t End from that show, we campers would sing Johnny Apple Seed loudly for lunch and yell “JOHNNY APPLE SEED!” at the top of our lungs.
Then we used Play-Doh to do some artwork. Then we had a campfire during which we made S’mores, and I had mine minus the chocolate.
We had lunch together in the lodge.
Then we had some relaxing time during which I planned my songs for this evening’s talent show and to practice them in the basement where another Mason & Risch piano which was badly out of tune also used to be in ’95 and ’96, but this was also gone.
Here I knocked around a bunch of ideas, like Mud on the Tires and Find Yourself by Brad Paisley, In Summer from Frozen, Dancing Queen from Mamma Mia, The Hockey Song by the late Stompin’ Tom Connors, Twist and Shout, Brian Wilson, and other songs I had learned since the last time I was here.
Then we swam in the pool, which was very different from the one pictures of me there in ’95 and ’96, and this pool had basketball nets, so I took part in a game.
Then after I changed from my bathing suit to the clothes I had on before swimming, the tuck shop opened. I had Ruffles Sour Cream & Bacon chips.
After this I went back to the basement of the lodge with my guitar and practiced my songs for the Talent Show tonight.
After practicing supper came.
Then the Talent Show came up.
Here when I came up, I played The Hockey Song for the Stanley Cup Playoffs watchers and fans, and Dancing Queen from Mamma Mia the musical and movie.
Then we had Vespers.
Then we had campfire with singing, snack in the lodge, and bedtime.
June 14th, 2015: Home Day
Relaxing at mom and dad's house.
Today was Home Day. We had breakfast with cereal and bagels and yogurt and fruit.
Then Praise Craze came and then we played more games like Duck, Duck, Goose, Simon Says, Dance Freeze, and other fun camp games.
Then we had lunch.
Then we packed up our cabins so when the parents/caretakers came to have supper with us and take us campers home our things would be ready.
Then we played more games.
Then parents and caretakers came and joined us for supper and dessert.
Within minutes Mom and Dad showed up in their new car. They joined us for supper and dessert...and grabbed my things, packed it in the car...and took me home and then we went to Jen and Brian’s for a time with friends of Brennan’s, who was graduating from Bernice MacNaughton High School, quite a short time after the year I graduated from Riverview High School and then got Molly, during which Brennan was a toddler, making fire truck and train sounds and filling in the blanks for songs and stories.
Among the friends were Heath, who was in my grad class from Bessborough in summer ’95, and a few other school friends.
We got Brennan and Connor to play guitar while I played for a jam session. Then I played a song for the guests.
June 15, 2015: Border Collie Time, The Journey Home
Border collie bliss.
The next day Jen’s friend Charlotte showed up with 4 of her Border Collies, and one of them, Bliss, and Ella, really love each other. They were hilarious together, and Jen, Charlotte, Mom, and I took all of them, Danny, Bliss, Ella, and Charlotte’s other 3 Border Collies, for a walk.
Back in Thanksgiving Weekend Charlotte lent me a movie called Away to Me, and as any Border Collie lover who has read Nop’s Trials, Nop’s Hope, and Eminent Dogs, Dangerous Men, can tell, it’s about sheepherding trials and when I watched it I loved it. Weeks later she had Jennifer mail it to me.
Charlotte, if you see this Blog, I would like you to know I am still enjoying that DVD.
That night, with a packed lunch which included a chicken wrap, an apple, a banana, Fruit to Go bars, and a San Pellegrino in my backpack, I took the 5:00 bus back to Saint John and when I got home I got out my Riverview High School and Harrison Trimble High School yearbooks and looked at my class photos and photos of me with the guitar and at sporting events.
Then I had Hampton Bible Camp, Quebec City, some family time including seeing Stephanie, Glen, Erin, Christopher, Oliver, Melody, Matt, Emily, Clare, and Uncle Bill, and Faith and Sharing, all to look forward to!
Bill, if you see this Blog, I am sorry I cannot make the Treasure Hunt to read the clues and finish the night with guitar playing and music.
To the rest of my sisters, I look forward to seeing you in the summer months, and I hope I get to swim in Upper Cape and stay in the cottage and/or see it, since I never made it there last summer.
Then I sent a story of Dad to Stephanie for the Blog, which appeared on it with a video of me interviewing Dad and singing one of our Dump Songs and Dad giving the advice about Datsun or Nissan, that “hoods fly up.”