John recently reconnected with a friend of his from high school (how fun!) and we spent a few days visiting Richard and his family at their summer cabin on Pocono Lake in Pennsylvania. Being here evoked a nostalgia for summer camps that I never went to but heard friends’ stories about, an entire summer spent in a singular world. It reminded me of my favorite movie, Moonrise Kingdom, complete with auditions for the summer play. A tiny library, a nature center, weekly activities posted to everyone’s mailbox. Friday night dances in the dining hall. War canoe races and a blue team/red team rivalry that spans generations. Ingredients for magic summers.
From my journal: “It’s been a beautiful visit. Three days of rain and sun and walks and making photographs, and reading on the giant porch, and working on my poem book layout on the chaise lounge with the candy-striped cushion. Ferns and ferns and ferns and pine trees and maples. Richard’s homemade bread and fabulous pesto and lively dinner table conversations. The butterfly Alex found is still alive but not for long, which makes me sad. But a nestful of baby juncos flew off into their forest world just yesterday and we were lucky enough to see it.”
