strawberry fields forever

I’d like to think that everyone has their own special place. A place they know that no one will judge them and they can really be themselves. A place they love to go to, and hate to leave. I know that my own special place is at my camp on Lake George.
If you walk down our driveway, and turn left the next four or five driveways you turn into, you will always find someone who knows you and cares about you. I really feel safe here and although I may not be technically related to all of these people, I still consider them family.
The hot summer days are my favourite, just like today. The parents sitting up on the deck with assorted snacks, watching the kids swim as they discover new rocks or come up with new games. Eventually, the kids will all come up, wrapped in towels and we can always find someone’s lap to sit on. Supper time is also fun. The plans are made, and everyone goes their separate ways. Then one by one, everyone appears with their own contribution to the meal. Once all the food is on the table, it gets pretty hectic. Everyone reaching for something, and filling up their plates. Once everyone has their food, we start to chat. There are rarely any serious conversations at the lake. Mostly laughing and remembering old times. Then, we all move to the other side of the screened in porch, when someone will go out and start a fire. On nights when the bugs are especially bad, the women and kids will stay in the porch, while the men usually sit around the fire. Most nights, we all try and pry ourselves a seat around the fire and we end up sitting in a tight little circle. Some of us sitting on beer coolers or on each other. After the fire has died down a little bit, marshmallows are broken out and it’s a scramble to find a good roasting stick. Some of us roast our marshmallows until they’re perfectly golden on the outside and melted on the inside while the rest of us wait for the next available roaster. The parents try and keep track of how many all their children have had and the kids always try and sneak in a few more without being noticed. Once all that’s over with, we sit back down and chat. I love it when one conversation ends and everyone just stares at the fire, not saying a word. One by one, the women head off to bed, and take their children with them. After a while it’s only the men left. I love going to sleep with the sound of them laughing. It’s very comforting.
I love my camp, but I think the thing that makes it my favourite place on earth are the people. These people have no idea how much they mean to me. I know that no matter where my life takes me and what happens, I will always have them to fall back on. They are my family and I couldn’t live without them.