Take a Collins Lake Break!

I must be in a story-sharing mood this afternoon.

I just got off the phone with Mommy (For those of you unaware of the distinction, she's the one who gave birth to me. Katie came up with the mom/mommy monikers to ease confusion when we were kids.). She told me that she, my aunt Julie, and her kids are headed out to camp at Collins Lake for the weekend. I was instantly overcome with jealousy and nostalgia. When Giselle, Frankie and I were little, our family didn't have a ton of money to take fancy vacations over the summer breaks we spent together. Every summer, we went on multiple camping trips, and our favorite destination was Collins Lake. That place had it all...tent sites that were rustic, but had running water and comfort stations just up the road to make long stays more enjoyable, a big lake for swimming and floating, even a general store with homemade ice cream. I could have lived there. My mom had camping down to an art. She had a computer-printed checklist of all our supplies and pre-packed bins that held essentials (tents, cookware, first aid, etc) and fun stuff (pool floats and Yahtzee). When we got home from a trip, everything was washed, counted, and repacked so that we were ready to go again.

We did the whole shebang...yummy camp dinners, s'mores, and campfire songs. Nature hikes, fishing, and swimming. We always made friends with the people at neighboring camps and often shared meals and campfire time with former strangers. When I think of adolescent summers, I think of Collins Lake. I would give anything to be going on that trip this weekend!