Well she had her first year...
Year of boarding school behind her...
Everyone was busy getting her ready...
Ready for camp...

Aunt E's friend owned and operated the camp...
They had two weeks to get her there...
It was in the N.C. Mountains...
Uniforms were exchanged for blue jeans...
“Big Blue” suit case was filled again...
Off she went...

She would be there for two 4-week sessions...
Camp was a new experience for her...
Arrived with Aunt E and Uncle A...
Arrived in Aunt E's little Studebaker...
Big house in a big valley...
Little houses around the big house...
Horses in a big corral...
Oh yes this was a good idea...

She was nine and there were several girls her age...
There were lots of girls older...
There were counselors...
There weres Moms and Pops, the owners...
Moms and Pops were a warm friendly couple...

Cars all left at the same time...
She was taken to her assigned bed...
She put away “Big Blue”...
Off to the big house for a great meal...
They all ate in a large room at four large tables...
Tables that looked like picnic tables...
They had fresh milk...
Milk kept cold in the mountain stream...
The stream behind the big house...
Fresh vegetables from the large garden...

In the kitchen was a rope...
The rope was attached to a really big bell...
Bell was on the roof...
Looked like school bell in an old movie...
When it was rung you could hear it everywhere...
That was important...

Each child was given an index card...
Each card had a schedule on it...
The bell rang every 30 minutes...
That told them where they needed to go...
That way everybody got to do everything...

There was no electricity in the smaller buildings...
They all took baths in the lake...
Everybody did everything...
There was a basket weaving instructor...
There was a pottery instructor...
There was a rug weaving instructor...
There was a cow milking and gardening helper...
There were no empty minutes...
Hiking up the mountain to spend the night...
Sleeping in blankets under the stars...

There was a huge truck...
Fresh hay in the truck to sit on...
All the girls and counselors loaded in the back...
The truck rolled down the road with songs...
Songs filling the air...
There was a trip each week...
She is 80 now and she can close her eyes...
Smell that hey and hear all the voices...
Voices singing silly songs...

God blessed her with three of those summers...
Play the piano...lol...
But she was the only kid that was not...
Not a Catholic at the Catholic boarding school...
She got used to being the only one that was...
Was not something everyone else was...
But it did not stop her from enjoying...
Enjoying her wonderful life...
No child had more fun at camp than her...

Wonderful memories are priceless...
They build a foundation to help...
Help with the hard times in life...
She was away from her family for three years...
But they filled those years with love...
Love is powerful stuff...
She knew she was loved...

More About Judge Rembert: WWII made Judge an only child when her half-brother was killed in the war. She lived in a tiny town in South Carolina until she was eight and her Mother went to work. She was sent to a boarding school in Belmont, N.C. From that time on she has lived back and forth in the two Carolinas. They are both home. She was born dyslexic and did not know what the problem was or that it had a name until she was about 45. She was unable to spell so she never put words on paper until she was 65 and had a computer with spell check. She comes from a long line of story tellers and a Mother that taught her much by telling stories. Stories about people and how they faced life and how they dealt with problems. If you read what she writes you may hear her Mother and her Grandmother talking to her. She is thrilled to know that anyone reads her words and finds them interesting. Oh, she is 75 now and she now makes her home in Aiken, S.C. If you like Judge’s writings or would like to comment on them let her know by emailing judgerembert@bellsouth.net.