Camp Days

Bob is from New York which explains why he says so many things wrong. For example, instead of pronouncing “celery” the way it should be pronounced which is, “sellery,” he pronounces it, “salary.” This is… not correct and now the kids are saying it all wrong, too.

In addition to mis-pronunciations, New Yorkers apparently attribute different meanings to words than the rest of us. Bob and I had an entire conversation one time that went like this:

Bob: Guess what? My sister and her husband bought a camp. In the Adirondacks.

Me: A camp? Wow! That’s a huge commitment for two people that work full-time. How are they going to run it?

Bob: They’ll go up there mostly on the weekends and holidays probably.

Me: Oh. Is it a camp for boys or girls or co-ed or what?





Bob: A camp is a house, Joanna. Like, on a lake.

Me: So, they bought a cabin? Is that the word you’re looking for? A cabin in the Adirondacks?

Bob: No. They bought a camp.

But, this isn’t really about how Bob can’t say things right.

Our kids have been at camp this month! And, not the kind of camp that’s actually not a camp. The kind of camp where girls and boys go to do fun things. There may or may not be a cabin on the premises. Or, a lake. I’m not sure. I’m not from New York. I’m from Indiana.


This past spring, I enrolled the kids in some half-day summer camp programs through our county’s parks department. We’ve never done camps before but Millie aged into some of the classes offered so it seemed like a really good time to start outsourcing our summer fun. Finding programs that all three kids could be enrolled in at the same location, at the same time took a whiteboard, an Excel spreadsheet and a logistics course from the local community college but I eventually figured it all out.


The registration effort was well worth it because they are having a fantastic time. I wasn’t exactly sure what to expect since this was our first ever camp experience but the program seems incredibly well run, the staff of high school and college student counselors couldn’t be nicer and the modest size of the classes makes everything seem super laid-back.


The camps the kids are in run a half day where they spend three or so hours every morning running around, playing games or making things (With glue! And, glitter!) which means I have no problem letting them spend their afternoons in front of a screen. Absolutely everyone wins in this scenario.

And, after last month’s vacation, we really needed a win.

Plus, a morning spent at camp makes for an afternoon of spent.


So, tell me. How is your summer going? How long have you known about these amazing camps? Why does Bob talk funny? And, most importantly, do you say, “pop” or “soda?”

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