Laura Snelgrove is a Camp Big Canoe Alumni, both as a camper and staff member. She is the first of our #Whatsyourstory blog entries and we are so thankful that she decided to share it with us.
A few months ago, my husband Marc and I welcomed a third little person into our family in the form of a baby named Theo. He’s an excellent guy and we’re thrilled to have him.
In the months leading up to his arrival, it became impossible for me to ignore the curious fact that lots and lots of other people we knew were suddenly in the same expectant situation. Thanks to Facebook, I was aware that, in particular, at least five (off the top of my head… there may be more!) of my fellow Big Canoe alumni were also expecting babies in 2013 or ‘14! I eagerly followed their progress, and love seeing new pictures of these babies now that they’re here and growing. I live in New York City, far from most of my old friends, but this allows me to still feel connected to the camp community as some of us reach this generational milestone together.
Because I have a fair amount of time alone with a baby these days, my mind can get to wandering and daydreaming, and one of my favourite things to think about is the day, a few years in a future, when we all bump into each other dropping the kids off at CBC for their first camp adventures.
What will his favourite activity be? What tent will he sleep in? Will he love his counselors with the same devotion I always did? Which campfire songs will he still be singing weeks later at home? Which of my friends’ kids will become his friends for life? How many times will he groan as I launch into another story of “when I was your age at camp…”?
For my own part, I can’t wait to breathe that air again (he better believe I’m driving him all the way to camp, and don’t care if I embarrass him!), to feel that amazing feeling that happens every time I set foot on camp soil, where all the time since I last left melts away and there’s never been anything else but those trees, that sky, that lake.
Camp Big Canoe is undoubtedly one of the most important, special, and fun parts of my past. It’s incredibly exciting to imagine this role in might play in my family’s future.
If you liked Laura’s story, please share the link on Facebook! If you’re on twitter, tweet about it! Don’t forget to use the hashtags #Bigcanoe #keepingthespiritalive and #whatsyourstory
Most importantly if this story made you start remembering your own, we’d love to hear them! Contact us here or on Facebook if you’d like to write your own. We can’t wait to hear from you!
1 Comment
Rosemary Gray-Snelgrove · April 2, 2014 at 4:35 pm
I’m writing as mother of Laura, who has written above. I want you to know the experience of being a CBC parent. It was great. Starting at the end, I remember the non-stop laughter when Laura’s counsellor friends – many of whom had been campers together – were hanging out together on weekends-off in the city. The hilarity, the creativity, the energy that was generated in their time together at the camp was a cauldron of positivity that they were steeped in over the years. Laura first set off for PeeWee Camp, at age 8, sitting quietly by herself at the camp bus window, looking a little solemn. She returned in a swirl of other kids tumbling off the bus, calling to each other as they joined their waiting parents, vowing to stay in touch. Which they’ve done! So many happy summers. I think the best decision my husband Dave and I ever made was to register our daughter at Camp Big Canoe.