 All Good Things… Posted by Susan Sey Jul 29 2012, 12:10 am
What goes up must come down. RWA 2012 Anaheim has come to an end. I’m flying home as you read this–exhausted, worn out & happy. I’m probably snoring on the guy beside me or reading one of the new-to-me authors I picked up at the conference. It’s possible I’m happily scribbling away on a fresh inspiration I took away from a workshop, or texting my new besties. Because it’s not a conference unless I’ve found myself a new bestie.
But I’ve decided that this yearly meet up of beloveds works for me on another level. It satisfies a deeper need than just seeing people I’ve missed. And why? Because when I was a kid, I was a die-hard summer camper.
For me, Camp (and, yes, I do capitalize it on purpose) was akin to Prom. A thing so important and defining that it doesn’t require a preceding the. We went to Camp, not the camp. Just like we went to Prom, not the prom. And I lived for those two or three weeks in the summer. Why? Because of the homogeneity. And not racial or socio-economic or anything like that. No, we were all different colors and creeds. There were rich kids and poor kids, city kids and country kids. But we were truly and uniformly nerdy. It was like Camp was a dog whistle for geeks with good hearts who wanted to do goofy skits and sing songs and dance in the chow hall. Only we could hear the siren song of Camp, & boy did we turn up. I made friends I have to this day at Camp, people I love & understand though we haven’t spoken or seen each other for dozens of years. Here’s me in 1985 (see if you can pick me out!), when I first shared a cabin with my best friend from middle school. My counselor that year on the far right went on to room with my sister in college. I’ve hugged both of them within the last calendar year.
So tell me, were you a Camp kid? What kind? (Mine was a low-budget, liberal-minded church camp with a lot of spontaneous singing. As if you couldn’t guess.) Did you love it? Or did you–like my sister–hate every buggy, dirty second? Share! Tweet Posted in RWA conference, RWA12, Susan Sey Comments36 thoughts on “All Good Things…” |
   
12 Bandita Days of Christmas
Anna Campbell
Anna Sugden
Aunty Cindy explains it all for you
Australian Authors
Bandita Booty
Bandit Booty
Beth Andrews
Caren Crane
Cassondra's blogs
Cassondra Murray
Christie Kelley
Christina Brooke
Christine Wells
Christmas
coming attractions
contest winner
debut
Donna MacMeans
guest blogger
historical romance
Holidays
interviews
Jeanne Adams
Joan Kayse
Jo Beverley
Jo Robertson
Kate Carlisle
Launch Party
movies
paranormal romance
prizes
prize winner
Romance
romance bandits
Susan Sey
Suzanne Ferrell
Suzanne Welsh
T-shirts
Tawny Weber
travel
Trish Milburn
Uncategorized
writer's life
writing life 
|
|
 |
||
is he coming here
Barb, looks like the chook is going to have summer camp (well, winter camp down in the Southern Hemisphere where we are!) with you! Get him up early in the morning doing calisthenics!
don’t know about getting up early Anna….. going by the weather forcast it might be a day for staying in bed with a book to keep warm lol…. how do you think he will go
Freezing here too, Barb, although I’m sitting in a pool of sun with my office door closed which is helping. Didn’t even get out of bed to check emails this morning – usually that’s guaranteed to get me moving. Just too darn cold!
Hey, Barb! Congrats! The GR is camping at your place today, looks like! Are you going to let him roast marshmallows?
Oh yes Barbara I will have to come down for a cuppa LOL
Susan
Love the picture we don’t have camps here in Australia like you do in The States but of course I have seen lots of movies about them and I think they would have been fantastic I too would have loved them making new friends and having a lot of fun.
These days mine favourites are ARRA Conventions and when I can get to the RWA Conferences yep meeting up with old friends and making new ones way to go
Have Fun
Helen
I’d definitely prefer conventions to camp, Helen – much more civilized fun! Wish I could make ARRA – maybe one day when I’m published!
I can see the appeal of switching out camp for conferences. The clothes *are* much nicer, & we get a GH/Rita ceremony instead of a closing campfire. More dessert, less bug spray. I’m in.
And I’ve love to check out ARRA someday when travel time & budget are unlimited….
I didn’t do camp as a kid; did several years as a counselor as an adult, and now my kids are campers
I can well imagine disliking it as a kid–I didn’t like dirt or bugs or crowds or forced activities, so that rules out a lot
Glad RWA was a blast, Susan!!
I’m with you on the bugs and forced activities, Fedora. Actually, I’m still like that. Good thing Tawny and Beth are still at conference or you’d be hearing some raucous laughter … although I’d like to point out that one of those two is my partner in crime, while the other is Ms Sensible!
Oh, it was *such* a blast. And I honestly can’t explain why I loved Camp so much because I don’t care for forced activity myself. And yet…my inner geek yearns for campfire skits. I simply can’t explain it.
Hi Susan
Glad you had a great time at RWA
Last year I went to ARRC in Sydney and met authors and readers that I knew from the internet … it was great putting faces to names and we had a great time …. going to the next one in Brisbane next year ….
I never went to camp as I was young a long time ago and lived in the UK and they didn’t have them as they were getting over the Second World War
Isn’t it wonderful to meet authors, Barb? Especially ones whose writing you love. I’ll never forget meeting my favourites for the first time and finding out that no matter how big they are, they’re always charming and nice … and so thrilled to hear you love their books!
Barb, I love putting names to faces, too! That’s one of my favorite things! I always feel a bit self-conscious, though, because I have very cute hair in my author photo which I have NOT kept up. If you ever need to find me, look for the sloppy ponytail….
Susan, I’ve just been following the RITA awards. Great to see an Aussie, Fiona Lowe, bringing one home. It’s been a while since we caught that particular fish down here! So glad you had a wonderful time at RWA. We don’t actually have summer camp as such in Australia – I love the cultural differences we all have as Banditas. Makes us all seem interesting and exotic!
So thrilled for Fiona – I read Boomerang Bride after her visit to the Lair, so am not surprised she won!
Oh yes, love being interesting and exotic!
Hey, congrats to Fiona! She made a really, really charming speech & I’m delighted for her. It was a lovely awards ceremony–missed you all!
No camps here in England either, though I remember going to one when I was at school in Virginia. All that stands out, apart from the log cabins, is trekking through the woods to see a Civil War site where a uniform remained on the wall – two brothers who fought on opposite sides … one helped the other escape with a uniform from his side and the brother left it behind to show he’d made it our safely.
Missed conference – definitely Atlanta next year!
Looking forward to seeing you in Atlanta, Anna. I missed my friend fix this year!
Me too, PJ!
We missed you dreadfully, Anna! There were some extremely fabulous shoes but I *know* you’d have been up to the challenge.
Atlanta, here we come!
That’s a GREAT Civil War story, Anna!
I loved camp! At age 7 and 8, I went to Girl Scout day camp for a week in the summer. It was a four-hour morning camp where we learned cool things like how to make braided key rings and suck juice from fresh oranges through a cinnamon candy stick.
My 9th summer began two weeks away at Girl Scout camp every summer. We slept in platform tents in the woods, learned all kinds of crafts and camping skills, hiked, swam and canoed in the lake, make s’mores and banana boats over open fires. Told stories and sang songs around the same campfires and made friendships that have lasted decades.
I missed being at this year’s conference too. Can’t wait to see everyone in Atlanta next year!
I like the sound of your day camp, PJ – that’s definitely my kind of thing. Camping … not so much!
Roll on Atlanta!
We missed you, too, PJ! It’s just not the same without all our friends. We’ll just have to make up for it in Atlanta….
And I had a hilarious experience involving a raccoon, a sleeping bag & a platform tent that I only ever tell over drinks. Meet me at the bar in Atlanta & I’m sure I could be convinced to share it….
It’s a date!
Everything in our house was judged by my older sister. She went to day camp and hated it. I would have loved it but never got the chance. My girls were in girl scouts so as a co-leader and as a mother, I went to camp with them and loved it. My oldest didn’t like it as much as my youngest lol.
Isn’t it funny how that works, Catslady? My sis would have loved camp – she was into all that sort of stuff. Me, not so much!
Oh, now *that* I can sympathize with. I was the third of four girls. I never got to pick out ANYTHING, from the TV channel to my clothes. (Hand me downs, you know.) Infuriating! But missing out on camp because of somebody else’s taste? Oh. Boooooo. Come to a conference. We’ll make up for it!
Oh Susan – I see you in that photo! Isn’t it amazing how we can look back as an adult and see the elements of our adult self in those young faces – but just can’t manage to do the reverse? See the adult face we’ll become when we’re so young?
I was a girl scout well into high school and we girl scouts camp. When I see a bag of charcoal I immediately think of making fire starters – you know cardboard egg cartons, charcoal and parafin.
And while I wouldn’t think of taking fire starters to RWA
, I certainly see your correlation. The love, good times, and occasional need for a simple first aid kit are all there. I sure missed RWA this year – but I’ll be there next year for sure.
Have a safe trip home!
Doesn’t Susan look cute, Donna?! Not aged a day!
I could see plenty of use for fire starters at RWA
I’m laughing at the line about the occasional need for first aid kits at conference … oh the tales we could tell!
We missed you tremendously, Donna! We were comforted by the idea that you were having a fantastic vacation but we still raised a glass to all our absent banditas & felt perfectly justified in belting a few back because we missed you.
No camp for our crew! I’m the eldest of
nine, we had enough for our own camp.
Our own reading camp! Our summer best
fun was a weekly trip to the nearest Car-
negie branch library. The older kids read
their books and took turns reading to the
youngest bunch. Thanks to our mother
we have all been voracious readers all
our lives!
Pat C.
That’s the coolest perspective, Pat! Nine kids = camp every day! And library camp! Sign me up!
Great post, Susan! Glad you had a wonderful time at the conference. I sorely missed being there and even got teary on a couple of occasions.
I unfortunately wasn’t able to go to camp when I was a kid. Just wasn’t in the cards, no matter how much I wanted to go. The one time I went to a nearby Girl Scout camp, I only got to stay maybe a day, maybe not even that. My little sister evidently cried so much that I wasn’t home that my dad came and got me and I had to go home. I don’t really remember that part, but my sister brought it up recently. I’ve always loved the idea of summer camp though.
Trish, I have to admit, it was *weird* not seeing you at an RWA conference. You’ve been such a fixture on the board & the contest circuit. I just expected to see you there and was surprised every time I remembered you weren’t. I hate that it made you sad. Next year?
And re: camping & sisters–sisters are just a bag full of pluses & minuses sometimes, aren’t they? On the balance I give ‘em a plus but sometimes…man, they’re inconvenient.
And it sounds like your camp experience was one of those times.