Yesterday I drove to Camp Parsons to attend the Friday Night Campfire. While I avoided the traffic in Portland and Vancouver, I was held up by traffic in Shelton (?!?) and maintenance of the Duckabush River Bridge. As usual, it was a treat to drive up and down Highway 101 along the Hood Canal. When I arrived it hit me that with exception of the camp management, I did not know many of the staff members. I did get the opportunity to get meet some of the new faces on the staff, some of whom came up to me and introduced themselves. I also saw staff members walking around that were toddlers when I last saw them.
The skits and songs during the campfire were a nice mix of material that was old and new to me. There was one skit, Falling Rock, that I had performed long ago and since forgotten. During the evening shivers ran down my spine as familiar tunes and words triggered memories of times spent with staffers of my generation.
Just as important as attending the campfire was catching up with those that I know. The interesting dynamic is that I am a guest and they are on the job, so I appreciated the chance to spend some time with my fellows. It was good to see that the Kramers (parents and kids) are having a great time at camp. It is also refreshing to see the improvements the staff have made in the program since my time.
One interesting side note, on the way home I stopped at the Janzen Beach Shopping Center to take care of an errand. In the parking lot a troop of Boy Scouts from the Seattle area was debarking from a bus. When I asked them where they were going, I found out they were from my home town of Kirkland, returning from a week at Camp Meriwether on the Oregon Coast.
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