Lake "Treasures"

1964

Many years ago my dad bought or was given a double bus seat and he put it at the end of the long lakefront dock. He thought it would come in handy for relief from standing when fishing from the dock, especially for older adults. He didn't attach it as it was very heavy. It was there for a short few days and then one day it disappeared! Completely gone! There were many suggested reasons as to where it went. The wind blew in into the lake. Someone pushed it into the lake. The entire thing was stolen. Although it was never spotted even when the swimmers tried to find it through hundreds of underwater searches, the conclusion is that it is there, way down deep. The end of the very long dock was over deep water. The fear was that someone would hit it during a running dive as the board was removed several years before the seat was placed there. It never happened. 

When a large float was launched further out into the water, it was put in place each of many summers. It was taken out each fall season. "What held it out there?" you ask. There was a heavy and thick long chain attached to a very heavy idler iron wheel from a dozer at the bottom.  One of the family men, usually Mike, would carry the chain, its end secured by a rope at the shore, out to the float, dive deeply underneath it and then attach the chain to a fixture on its bottom. There came a time when the float was disintegrating and the process was becoming difficult so the structure was pushed onto the beachfront for its last days. The wheel remains at the bottom.

A friend lost her 14k gold bracelet one year, a daughter lost her necklace and another guest lost her ring.  Several fishing poles were lost when large hooked fish grabbed the bait and swam away, eventually taking the poles out of the children's hands. There are at least one pair of sneakers down there that were bumped off of the dock and floated away to sink later. This was only in "our" area, and I wonder what other items are bottomed. I do know that a couple of neighbor kids recently lost their phones, but one retrieved hers and the other's is gone for good. This is what prompted me to write this story.

The "Mister" is mowing the dam and my brother is in the rowboat with his wife and a couple of our kids swimming.

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Dust

I had to scour my old computer to find this poem. I KNEW I had saved it (about 20 years ago) but had misfiled it and the search drove me nuts! I finally found it. I have way too much old stuff that I have transferred, first from an Apple LCII to the Y2K model, and then to the very large screen 2009 tabletop iMac. The last transfer was to my laptop. This poem was really lost in all of those transfers that I did the "long way." No trickle uploader or any other file transfer was ever used. The main point here is that it wasn't on the laptop and I wanted it!  Silly me. My brain is slowly turning into dust!

"Why Dust?"

Dust if you must, but wouldn’t it be better

to paint a picture or write a letter,

bake a cake or plant a seed.

Ponder the difference between want and need.

Dust if you must, but there is not much time,

with rivers to swim and mountains to climb!

Music to hear, and books to read,

friends to cherish and a life to lead.

Dust if you must, but the world’s out there

with the sun in your eyes, the wind in your hair,

a flutter of snow, a shower of rain,

this day will not come ‘round again.

Dust if you must, but bear in mind,

old age will come and it’s not kind.

And when you go, and go you must,

You, yourself, will make more dust!

Dust if You Must was written by Mrs. Rose Milligan from Lancaster in Lancashire, England, and first published on September 15th, 1998 in the 21st edition of The Lady ("in continuous publication since 1885 and widely respected as England's longest running weekly magazine for women").

Memory of Girl Scout Camp

I'm writing this because my memory was jogged by another blogger - Thanks Cindy!

My Girl Scout Camp adventure began when I was around 10 years old (1946). I was a first Girl Scout Brownie for a few years but I went to Camp Mogisca in Sparta, NJ as an older Girl Scout for just one year. I remember it well; mostly for the "incidents."

I also remember being involved in the making of a Girl Scout promotional movie in a historic place called Jockey Hollow. I felt honored that I was only one of three girls to be selected to make the movie. It was a big deal. I went there several times on one-day camps. The annual weekly camp of Camp Mogisca for my troop was just too expensive for my parents. I would have had a big tantrum if they thought I was going again to that camp anyway! I understand this camp was sold in 2010. 

Well, back to my one week for one year at Girl Scout camping. I first remember being dropped off and then registered in. I was assigned a tent and tentmates. There was a camp orientation session soon after and we were told when and where things would be happening. I think we were also told to look at the posted maps to find every place we needed to be and when we were to appear there. So off to my tent and to meet three other girls I went.

Now you must be made aware that I never had much of a structured daily routine when at home. I just got up, ate breakfast, went out to play, and came home for lunch when the fire whistle blew the noontime siren. The same activity was repeated for the rest of the day after lunch. Also, I'm now and was then, pretty much a loner preferring my own company over others, especially groups. Maybe that's why I was sent to camp. My parents were most likely hoping that I would become more social. 

I never did fit into the structured sessions. But the "incidents" were fun for all  others except me.

#1:  The smelly wooden outhouse was just down and around the corner from my tent so my brand-new green Girl Scout flashlight was put to use to find my way in the dark. Wouldn't you know it rolled into the hole when I put it down to pull down my pants. I had to find my way back for evermore with no light!

I found it on the web. EXACT Light!! (Eveready Circa 1940's) Whooppee! 

#2:  I couldn't swim so I was put in the beginner's group. When it was our turn, I refused to put my face in the water and was sent back to the bank to watch the others. Every day it was the same. I never got to go in the water!

#3:  I had no idea (because I probably wasn't paying attention when told) that we had daily assigned tasks. One night when I climbed into my bed I couldn't get my feet to go down under the blanket and my bed was wet! Then I discovered that there was a heap of corn husks in my bed. It seemed that I was supposed to go to the dining hall that afternoon and help shuck corn. After everyone stopped laughing they told me why they had put the husks into my bed - as punishment for not helping. 

#4:  Someone stole my brand new Girl Scout knife. I reported it to the counselor in charge of our tent and she wouldn't believe me. She kept telling me that I must have lost it. I didn't loose it!! I DIDN'T. See??

 Found on web.

#5:  I skinned my knee quite badly when I tripped over a tree root on the way to my leathercraft workshop. The nurse made me stay in her care throughout the whole time, and then when the workshop was finished for the day, she let me loose; with only a bandaid over my knee! I hadn't even cried.

I never did tell my parents that I lost both of the items because I knew they had sacrificed to buy them when they were listed as necessary to bring. I never told them that camp was a bad week for me.

The only things I liked about that camp was being able to have "free time." We had to stay in the tent and I would lie on my bed, pulling the mosquito netting all around me and then read. I liked the campfire at night with singing. 

Oh, by the way, I don't remember taking a shower or brushing my teeth or even combing my hair. I wonder where I did that????