Lair of the Golden Bear

Maybe it was our niece B’s idea to relive carefree family camping times with the next generation. I was there with her, her brother, and her Grandpa in 1988.  Maybe JG got a burr in his bonnet. Maybe enough time had passed since our last visit in 2008 for me to want to visit the Bear’s Lair again. July 2022 found B’s family, S’s family, M, JG and me in Pinecrest, CA, in California Alumni Association’s family camp. From the hot blur of general schmutz with a side of dreck, only a few memories stand out. So many fresh-faced young camp counselors made eye contact and smiled at me that I remarked in wonder about it to our nephew. “Probably because they’re paid to,” was his blunt rejoinder. The six year old seemed to be having a blast, roaming around the camp, joining pick up games of Gaga Ball or Red LIght Green Light. The two and a half year old played happily with other kids’ wheel toys in the dirt, or in the sand at Kub Korral. The two year old was more overwhelmed by the general commotion and quietly explored her world with a parent very close by. I have a happy memory of the 2 1/2  year old clambering around on boulders, self-narrating “Me c’imbing! Me c’imbing!” I enjoyed the time with family. I drove to Pinecrest Lake in the afternoons and that was very pleasant. It is possible that a golden squirrel left behind a golden pine cone for the six year old to find and gleefully show off. It is rumored that B. wove a lanyard. It is confirmed that M and S threw pots on the wheel. It is completely true that the six year tried many new activities and even more new types of dessert. It is an impressively manifest truth that the older children were able to polish off entire ice cream novelties without losing a single drop down their shirts. JG kept his clean sheet of “never having given Cal a nickel” since I bought the ice creams.