Having just returned from my nirvana to the north, the Eastern High Sierras, I came back feeling a little more mellow than usual. I am sure this is just a passing phase that as soon I have settled back into the daily grind will evaporate rapidly.
While at our cabin by the lake this year I witnessed a metamorphosis. At our special place each generation has developed its own bonding ritual that, in some cases, has developed into life long friendships. This, despite the fact that the likelihood of these kids ever seeing one another any place other than at the lake is slim. But for the brief pocket of time they are together the friendships are intense. As intense as any day to day relationships they have during the year. Perhaps it's the knowledge that they only have a limited time to share one another's company.
Many families do it in different forms and if combined with a strong family unit, it is a critical part of growing up. If you don't have a cabin or RV, get a tent and go camping, If you are not the camping type find a nice little hotel. It can be a yearly trip to any place that the family likes, but remember to let your kids interact with other kids while you're there, even if your stay is brief. It will not only benefit your kids, it will make the other kids' vacation a little more special, too.
I never analyzed it as a child and they, I am sure, are not analyzing it either. It just happens that way when you go to the same spot with any regularity, or travel in a group that involves the same group of people. I remember going on group camping trips to Mexico. The parents had all bonded through mutual interests but the kids generally had nothing in common, but we bonded anyway. It was kind of like being stranded on a desert island. You made the best time you could with who you were with. While Robinson Crusoe and Friday were friends while on the island, I just can't picture them hanging out afterwards.
Even though we went our separate ways once the vacation was over, the anticipation was always lingering until that next trip to see what new adventures we could add to the memory banks. The memories that you carry with you for the rest of your life. The kids don't even realize it at this point, but they will many years from now when they begin to reflect on these special times. I know I have. There were many times when these trips were happening that I didn't want to be there. Now as I look back I wouldn't trade a second of it for the next set of winning lottery numbers.
So as I sat by the lake watching this new generation of Lake Kids, I smiled and began to reflect on that pocketful of miracles that I had of the lake and could see a lot of them replaying themselves with a different cast of characters. The interaction between this generation was the same as it was with mine. No matter if it was two or three playing, or if it was a group of twenty, they all had a common bond, they were all in the same place at the same time.
During one of the birthday parties that happened while we were there, I watched as these kids played. Out of the 20 kids in attendance most were meeting for the first time, but you wouldn't have known it in watching them. You would have thought they had known each other all of their lives or at the very least played together on a regular basis. Even though some of them were first generation to our lake, where many of the residents are working on a 4th generation, it made no difference. They were now part of the group. They were the next generation of Lake Kids, know it or not.
Many of the old guard at the lake fought with, and some still do, the advent of any new technology. They feared that with the invasion of any of those “confangled” new inventions like the radio, television, and VCR that the special feel, the vibe of being in the Sierras, would be lost. But I can say from an eyewitness standpoint that nothing was lost and, if anything, it has enhanced the experience. What was good before is still good now and the hours that the kids would dread, the night, have been filled with pastimes they can relate to.
When I spent my summers at the cabin, when night would fall the choices were slim. There wasn't a commercial radio due to poor reception and the phonograph played only 78 rpm records. You could read the comic books that you bought on the way up, play cards, go outside and look at the stars, or go to sleep. The only difference nowadays is product updates; the comics have been replaced with videos, the cards with Game Boy, and the 78's with Discman. The stars will always be cool.
Some things will never change and even though it had not crossed my mind for 35 years when it presented itself on this last trip I couldn't help but smile. Cap guns.
Now I can just hear some of you self-righteous PC types out there saying “Oh I never let little Johnny play with any type of gun.” Well good for you, I do and while we were up there my son discovered cap guns for the first time and he was in heaven. He was experiencing the same euphoric bliss I did when I was his age and got my first cap gun. To me it was the perfect symmetry to the environment. He was reliving a part of my history and it was something we could both relate to and share.
My one hope for my children, other for them to be truly happy in their lives in whatever they decide to do, is that they pass it along. Pass along to their children what my parents gave to me. Summer times that were made special by family outings and bonding with the Lake Kids.
