Has this ever happened to you? You see something, or hear a sound, or smell a scent that takes you back to a place in your memory that you may not have consciously thought about for awhile. It’s almost as if your memory is triggered by that something and you are “transported” back in time. š
Well that happened to me yesterday! Zach had been asking all week to go to a soccer field in a town about 10 minutes away. With the weather being so beautiful yesterday, we decided that it was the perfect day to go have a family game of soccer (or at least kick the soccer balls around for awhile). After we were done, (and sweaty, thirsty and exhausted) we drove around town for a few minutes. We were in the middle of a conversation about something I can’t remember now, and as we were going down this one road, what I saw stopped all other thoughts and all other words coming out of my mouth…I couldn’t believe what I saw!
“Oh my goodness! That looks like the EXACT camper we used to have growing up!” I became so excited! Bill slowed the car down for me to get a better look. Wow…I hadn’t seen a Concord camper in years! I asked him to turn the car around and drive by it again…this time with my camera and my camera on my phone in hand…I had to send a picture of this to my brother Pat! I knew he wouldn’t believe it either!
Growing up every summer we would spend many weekends camping together as a family. We would go to a few different places to camp locally, and we also took the camper on vacations to Colorado, Minnesota, South Dakota and Missouri. Some of my fondest memories as a child are of us camping! It bring tears to my eyes in thinking about some of them…
Dad didn’t cook very often, but he would run the grill. I can remember one morning camping he was using his new camp stove and was trying to make either sunny side up or over-easy eggs. He brought the plate of eggs to the breakfast table and said, “There’s twelve eggs here…somewhere.” It looked like a pile of sunny side up eggs with the yolks all broken and running down, in and under the pile of eggs! We all laughed…but I have to say, those were some of the best tasting eggs I have ever eaten! š
I remember how the camper looked on the inside. When you walked in the door, the bathroom was to the left which had a toilet, sink and shower. We never used the shower that I can remember…it took too much water. To the right when you walked in was the rest of the camper. The table was first and was surrounded on three sides with a bench-type seat. The table could be lowered and that area could be converted to a bed. Across the from table was the stove, sink, cupboards and refrigerator. As you kept walking to the front of the camper, there was a pull out sofa that would convert to a bed, and above that was a bunk bed that would fold up to meet the ceiling.
All six of us could sleep in the camper…until Marty and Steve grew. Mom and Dad would sleep at the table area, Marty and Steve slept on the sofa that pulled out to a bed, and Pat and I would sleep on the bunk bed above. I remember what it sounded like up there when it would rain…it was a little scary being that close to the ceiling, yet the sound of a gentle rain would be very calming, all at the same time.
When Marty and Steve became too big to sleep together on that sofa, Dad bought a topper for the pickup and they would sleep in that. I always thought they had it made…having their own camping space…just the two of them!
I have so many memories of our camping days tucked way back in my memory that have surfaced after seeing that camper yesterday! Too many to mention here. I am enjoying reliving them in my mind though! I plan to take some time to look for some of the photos of our family camping days this week. I know they are somewhere, either with me or with my brothers. When I find them, I’ll probably share them in a post! š
Life was so simple then…just the six of us camping and spending many weekends together as a family. Do you suppose those family times bonded us together in a way that has kept us four siblings so close today? I think so! Mom and Dad were never too busy for us to go away camping for the entire weekend…that’s a good reminder for me as a parent today!
Today I’m thankful that God created us with the ability to have a memory where we can go back and appreciate the memories of good times that are there! And I am so thankful I saw that camper yesterday! By the way, after sending brother Pat the picture of the camper, his response was, “Where did you see that?” I haven’t talked to him in person since, but I hope that picture caused him to remember some of our great times growing up camping together too! š
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