Diary Friday: “Betsy and I are gonna enter the talent show with a tap dance to ‘Stray Cat Strut’.”

In high school my friends and I all went to a summer-camp in Rhode Island which was really special, still exists, and now my friends’ kids go there. It’s a tree-farm, it’s basically a religious work camp. Sounds fun, right? You work the land, and you go to church and Bible study. We LOVED camp. It was Episcopal – but obviously they let Catholics like myself in. The camp had one week every summer called “Music Camp” – where the entire camp takes drama workshops, theatre workshops, and the week ends with a big blowout called Music Camp Madness, with a variety show of all of the stuff you’ve been working on over the week (along with working the land and cutting down trees, etc.). I always went to Music Camp – but there were other weeks during the summer that were just work-weeks. The kids who go to the camp work on the tree-farm. Yeah. I went to a religious work-camp during the summer. Good times, good times.

Cabins in the woods, getting up early to go to church – which was in a big drafty barn … I loved church at camp. My friend’s father was the priest there. He also performed the wedding for my sister Jean and her husband Pat in 2008. A day none of us will ever forget. And we will never forget his sermon. He was such a huge part of that day.

Here are a couple of entries. I am 15 years old here and (as should be obvious) am absolutely boy-crazy. I also clearly have some misconceptions about what “punk” is.

JUNE 26

I’m here at camp now. It is 11:30 and we are all settling into our cabin. We have a really good cabin. I met this hysterical girl named Selina who, I’m sorry, she looks anorexic. [Sheila, you actually don’t sound “sorry”. You might want to work on your tone.] She is a riot though. It’s so cozy in here! It’s raining, so it sounds all soft and stuff. [What a poetic description. “Soft and stuff.”] Very campy.

I have a good workshop – Dramatics. Jane (the leader) is funny, and I think I’ll get a lot out of it. Betsy and I are gonna enter the talent show with a tap dance to “Stray Cat Strut”. [hahahahahaha] It’s great here – hugging people, making new friends, singing.

Ted and Jay came up to visit. God, the guys here are exquisite! Lew and Josh and Brian – I swear Brian is better looking than James Dean. I’m sorry, Jimmy. [I just apologized to James Dean. And I called him “Jimmy”.] Already today I have had one experience – I don’t know. You – as a diary – may have noticed [That cracks me up. No, I don’t think the diary “noticed” anything, because IT’S A NOTEBOOK.] that out of big situations I always seem to pick out minute details or little expressions. Well today after a gathering in the barn, it was dark out, and rainy, and our cabins had to go gather in certain places for chapel. Discussion groups and stuff. [what’s with the “and stuff” theme?] And our cabin was with Fiske and since it was raining instead of meeting on Robinette’s porch, we went to Eric’s haven. [I literally have no idea what I am talking about. It sounds like a map of Middle Earth or something.]

We all squooshed into the back porch with no lights, and we all sat on mattresses on the floor in the dark. And for just a moment no one spoke. It was beautiful. Hushed with the drizzling rain, and just silent thinking kids. Josh is a God. God, is he gorgeous. He was perched on a windowsill in his white shirt, punk purple tie [excuse me?], tight jeans and checked sneakers. [Can’t you just see this look? It’s VERY Rick Springfield, and …Sheila, it’s not “punk” at all.] With his groomed hair – not slicked or anything – but nice – and his eyes – when he squints into the light, he’s GORGEOUS. Anyway, just half of his face was lit up from a light bulb – so he looked – he was all serious, with squinting eyes – when he’s serious, his lips are small – sort of puckered – When he smiles, it’s this little grin. Anyway, just looking at him in the dark made me feel really peaceful. Looking at gorgeous guys is a religious experience. [I am glad that I was getting in touch with God in my own way during my week at a religious work-camp.]

There are times when I look around and say, “God, is this camp-y.” Like when it was 11:00 and we were all settling in, I looked around – and the radio was on softly, and all of these cleanly showered girls were sitting on beds in nightgowns, murmuring to each other, some were brushing their hair, and there were towels hung over the beams, and the counselors have bureaus with their prom pictures and perfume bottles on them. There’s a brass-bound trunk overflowing with clothes, and three Jimmy Dean pictures up. I didn’t put them up either – they were already here!

JUNE 28

It is pouring. It has been all day. What a day. First of all, NONE of the girls cabins heard the morning bell – so we were all snoring down here and we missed church and everything. Dawn came running in in her raincoat, laughing, saying, “Uh … girls … church is over.” We couldn’t even take showers. We went crazy – pulling on sweaters, jackets – The heat wave is broken at least. It’s really cool now. All the girls in the camp came dashing, all wet, into church just as it was ending.

Rainy days at camp are a blast. First of all – no work projects! Right now, instead of chopping down trees and clipping briars under a boiling sun with sweat dripping down my back [oh relax, you’re not a sharecropper in the Great Depression, calm down], I am curled up on my bottom bunk with you. Beth is sitting on the bunk over me, feet dangling down, playing her flute. Tiffany is sitting on her top bank with a gangster hat on, writing a letter. Julie is sweeping. Selina is daydreaming (she is so pretty) and Lisa (counselor) is bopping around to the radio. [I actually like that little section. I can see it!]

Man, is it raining!

Today in Chorus, when all the guys were standing up and beling out “THERE IS NOTHING LIKE A DAME” in all these low voices, and I was just putting myself in the shoes of an observer. The picture is so warm and friendly. I love the feeling here. I wish things could be like this all the time.

JUNE 30

It is really hot today. Tonight is talent tnight. Beth and I signed up to do “Never Say No” – a song from Fantasticks – and a few days ago we were practicing it in the barn, and Greg stood there, staring at us, and he told us that he and Craig were going to do the exact same thing. So we decided to join forces, and now we’re all in the show. In about 15 minutes, Beth and I are going up to rehearse with them.

Today for work projects we had garden with Joel’s cabin. Pulling weeds with Joel, we got talking, and we talked the whole time! It was so great. I have always wanted to be friends with him. Unlike so many others, he is exactly the same at school as he is at camp. Which is excellent. [Good observation. I always noticed people who were nice to you in only certainly situations and then ignored you when at school.] So us two SK people had a great time talking.

Oh and yesterday Lew told us this puzzle having to do with a missing dollar and where’d it go, etc., and I’d been thinking about it so today at lunch (we had it outside – a cookout set up) I went up to him and told him what I thought the answer was, and he sort of grinned at me, and said, “But …” and proceeded to confuse me even more. I thought I had had it! And I just stood there blankly, like, “Help!” and he started to laugh and I was saying, “I bet you love the expression on my face now!” He is so funny. He is such a smooth dancer. [I think we’re missing a segue there.]

And after Tuesday’s campfire, I sat next to him in Compline, and during the part where we all can say outloud who we want to pray for, like the dead, or our friends, he’s kneeling there next to me, murmuring, “For Paul, George, John, and Ringo. For the Ramones …” and everyone around him is trying to swallow their giggles.

And tomorrow is Music Camp Madness so we don’t have work projects. I don’t know if Mum and Dad are coming up. They might, they said.

10:58: [Wow, you’ve got your entries down to the millisecond, Sheila!] The show was GREAT! Guess who showed up. Ted! I had sent him a picture of the two of us – really bad – but the only one I had. I look like a simpleton in it and he has a doofy smile [I know the picture of which I speak and this is an accurate description], but I love it. Anyway, when I ran up to him he went, “Great picture! Great picture!” [So nice!] His hair’s been cut shorter and it looks so cute.

Beth and my number went really well (Craig and Greg dropped out.) It went so fast! But when we were madly tangoing across the barn floor, everyone was laughing and stuff. [“And stuff.”] I wish I were a professional actress so I could do the stuff I love over and over and over until I got sick of it. I WISH I WISH! [Ouch.]

Jan S. wrote a song (music and lyrics) and everyone cried – it was something like “will you still love me a thousand miles away.” It was gorgeous, but so sad – because one of the singers – Karen – is Ted’s girlfriend, and Ted is leaving on Tuesday for Annapolis for college, and Ted was sitting in the audience. I glanced at Ted and he had his head crooked in his elbow and when he looked up his face was streaked with tears. [He was such a nice person.] Debbie sat behind him squeezing his shoulder. After the song and a standing ovation, Karen came over to Ted and they just hugged and hugged and walked off together. Betsy didn’t stop crying until the end of the show. Good-byes hurt so so bad. Missing people is the worst feeling.

Josh and Lew did the beginning of Mission Impossible with Josh mouthing it and Lew acting it out. It was hysterical. First of all, Josh – I can’t explain his face [Sheila, but you already did, when you talked about his “punk” tie.] – he looked like a gangster. He had on a fedora and mirrored sunglasses and a tie and a jacket, Oh – I just CAN’T put it into words. And his face was deadly serious. And Lew was so cute – his smile is so cute!

After the show, I went to the store and was served by Mike – a counselor who looks like James Dean. [I think you’re hallucinating, Sheila.] No really. There is a resemblance. He’s got blonde feathered hair, and beautiful liquidy eyes and it’s his mouth that is Jimmy Dean’s. Sort of pouting. He is really cute.

And guess what he said to me?? I said, “I’ll have some M&Ms.” and he said, “Do you want feminine ones or ones with nuts?” I almost died.

I know we go to church every day here, but this place is filled with dirty jokes. Kevin – I HATE EATING MEALS WITH HIM – he is always holding up his glass of red punch and saying, with a smile, “Hi. I’m Cathy Rigby …” or saying to me, with a roll in his hand, “Want a bite of my bun?”

Today, he yelled down the table, “EXCUSE ME. I’D LIKE A MASCULINE NAPKIN, PLEASE?” He’s so gross. But we can’t stop laughing when we sit at his table.