CHAPTER 2

Now that we know about all the places in the campground, lets continue with our story.

Around memorial day we set up our camp. The raft was usually still on the beach waiting for the park department to declare it sea worthy and put it in the pond for the upcoming summer season. I don't remember if the bathrooms were open at this time. If the weather was warm enough we would go swimming at some point in the day. Dad had put his order in for the bottled gas and it was usually delivered before our first trip for the summer. It didn't take long to put up the camp. It was done in a few hours. We always brought our lunch: egg and olive and tuna sandwhiches, Marjories punch, chips and cookies.

When Aunt Evelyn owned the camp we used it during Dads vacation and on weekends. When Ma was a kid she would go to Ev's camp during the summer. Across the road from us Phyllis and Chet had their camp. When I was in the first or second grade Ev wanted to sell the camp and take to the road in her apache camper. She gave Ma and Dad the opportunity to buy it. And fortunately they did.

Our first trip to fresh Pond was the day we got out of school for summer vacation if Dad was off. Shawn and I would go home from school with our report cards declaring us academically fit for the next grade, change from our school clothes, have lunch and pile in the car for what seemed like an endless ride to camp. One time Ma and Dad picked Shawn and I up from school at noon on the last day of school and we went directly to camp. We did not pass go but we did collect our allowance and Ma brought our lunch that we ate in the car on our way to camp.

I can still smell the pine trees as we drove in through the camp grounds to our camp on the waterfront. The sun was always shinning on our first day at camp. We could hear the voices of a few folks already enjoying the beach and the far off sound of a motor boat out on the pond. After unpacking the car and putting our stuff away, we would get into our summer uniform and go swimming. The beach was very clean, the water very clear. The bottom was sandy but not mucky in the swimming area as it was in the boating area. The buoys were out which separated the swimmers from the boaters. The life guard chair was in place. We were ready for the summer.

Our camp was very airy. We had windows which were screened but had doors on them to close. The kitchen windows had plastic insets to put in in case of rain or cold. Unless we had miserable weather the windows were always wide open when we were their.

Each morning we'd wake up and the first thing we did was go to the bathroom. When it was quiet in the morning or evening or even during the day, we could hear the bathroom door slamming closed. The spring on the door sprung in the late 40's and was never ever replaced. Going to the bathroom was usually a group ritual. Especially at night. Groups of folks would walk to the bathroom and then meet outside except if it was raining. At night we always had a flashlight to light the way. Shawn and I got flashlights for camp one Christmas. But by the time summer rolled around I didn't know where mine was. But as a kid who needed to see? I could trip over things and slam into obstructions in the day light as well as after dark.

The second order of business was breakfast. Some times we'd have to go to the store for milk or bread. Once in a while we'd have to wake the store clerk up to open the store. If we wanted toast we had to make it on the "camp stove toaster". This was a metal rack, pyramid shaped except it had four sides. It sat on the burner of the stove. The bread was leaned against the rack and cooked - one side at a time. Since their was no automatic timer on the toaster we had to watch it in order not to burn. For the longest time I thought toast was supposed to be black. I guess this was an early form of culinary cajun cooking. While we ate breakfast, we heated the water to wash the dishes.

After breakfast we did dishes and then dumped the dish water over the banking. our "disposal" system was a rock filled "dry well". It worked fine when the faucett was on a little but not for dumping dish water into. After dishes we cleaned up the camp, swept it out, if we had beach towels on the line from the night before we had to put those away. When our work was done for the morning we went swimming. It was great fun to splash around the beach. When the life guard was off duty we could bring balls or frisbees or other play things into the water. If the life guard was on duty those things were banned from the water. We always had to swim in front of our camp. Ma or Dad or both would sit on top of the banking and watch us swim. A lot of times Phyllis and Mae Hughes would bring their chairs to the banking and read the papers and chat while we swam.

We had lunch around noon. Their was no mistaking the noon hour. At precisely the stroke of twelve the fire whistle would blow signaling lunch. After eating we'd wait for the required hour before going back into the water. During that hour, we'd go to the store and spend our nickel and go to the playground. The hour seemed to last a lifetime but as soon as the last second ticked away, we were headed to the water. The beach was always crowded during the afternoon. But we still had fun. Most of the kids in the campground were at the beach in the afternoon so we had a lot of fun with all the other kids.

At camp we were on the same dinner schedule as we were at home: 4:30 if Dad had to work nights, 5:00 if Dad was off and 6:00 if Dad worked days. A lot of times we'd be at camp and Dad would go to and from work from camp. Our after dinner schedule was pretty much the same as after other meals. We'd heat the water for dishes while we ate. Sometimes we'd have sandwiches which eliminated a lot of after dinner dish work. After dishes, we'd do the trash detail. If it was Friday or Saturday night we'd prepare for the nights festivities. Other nights I'd go fishing then beat the crap out of some wise ass kid on the fish pier or occassionally we'd go swimming after supper. Sometimes after dinner we'd roam the campgrounds looking for trouble. Or sometimes for just something to do.

Life was pretty easy at camp in those days. We were out of doors in clean, healthy air. We'd go swimming and fishing and run around the campgrounds if we weren't in the water. Looking back, those were pretty good summers. Now, I spend my days, nights and weekends working and wishing I had a summer like long ago.

Dad had two weeks vacation in the summer and we always spent those two weeks at camp. We did our laundry at the Laundromat and shopped for groceries at Rogers Grocery store, which became Purity Supreme and has since changed to Stop & Shop. There are a lot of things to see and do in the area and we'd often go for a day or half day and see some of the historic things Plymouth has to offer. Over at the waterfront in Plymouth was a food stand that sold the best Fish n Chips ever. I haven't been there in a long while but I think the place is still their. They had picnic tables to eat at which overlooked the water. We'd watch the boats come and go. Their was always a breeze and seagulls overhead. As soon as their was food to be had on the ground those gulls dove in for the catch. Seagulls just do not know how to share. Often, they'd squabble over bits and pieces of fish. Not good doobys, those gulls.

On Thursdays was "Pilgrims Progress", which is a historical reenactment done in real time of the Pilgrims life and times in Plymouth. The participants wore clothes of the time and carried implements of the time. Their were kids as well as adults. These folks were from the "Pilgrims Progress Society". It was very historical and interesting for those interested in the history and heritage of the area. Once in a while I catch a blurb about Pilgrims Progress in the paper. So, I guess the Pilgrims are still in progrss after all these years. Ma and Dad took us once in a while but most of our trips to see Pilgrims Progress was with Mrs. Azalea and her sons. She went every Thursday and invited Shawn and I to go with them. After the Progress we'd get Fish and Chips which cost fifty cents and than on the way home we'd stop at Gellars for ice cream.

Once in a while we'd go to Manomet Point where their was a Fish Store. We usually got steammed clams and sometimes fish. It was always very windy at this store as the building was up on top of a cliff. We could look below and see the waves crash against the base of the cliff. The air was always salty and by the time we left my ears hurt.

Aunt Dot had a cottage at Whitehorse beach at the time. We'd visit her their if she was in town. She was not on the beach but just across the street. It was a great cottage. When the Michigan gang came to Whitehorse they stayed at Aunt Dots cottage. Even after Aunt Dot sold her cottage the Pratts and Browns rented the cottage for their summer stay. We always went over for a cookout at least once while they were there. Whitehorse beach is a very nice beach. The sand is white, white, white and hot. The water is very clean, salty and cold, cold cold. The cottage has a porch on the front. And after supper it was a pleasant place to sit and relax. The yard had tough beach grass which was not pleasant to sit or walk on. Their was a post and rail fence around the yard. which was a pretty good size. Their was a shower in a room attached to the house. Their was no hot water so it was a cold shower. The last time Shawn and I were in the area we cruised by the cottage. As we cruised down the street we were surprised to see the cottage gone. But soon realized we were one block short of our objective. Aunt Dots cottage was still their. We noticed the old Sands Motel. It is a big old building that truly is representative of a Cape Cod vacation spot. If I had the money I'd love to buy the place and revitalize it.

Another place we visited once or twice was Ellis Haven, which was another campground in the area. It was similar to our campground. A lot of Fresh Pond campers migrated to Ellis Haven. One of the migrators was the Chirillo Family. They were from Quincy and had the spot behind us. Mr. Chirillo was a Quincy cop. We went over to Ellis Haven to visit. Once while their, I ran into an old school mate from Hunt School. Debbie Cox and her family had a summer place at Ellis Haven. They were camp neighbors of the Chirillos. The last time I saw Debbie Cox, I was working at Dunkin Donuts. She was a nurse and had stopped in for coffee. She remembered who I was. I didn't think we got along that well in school. She had recently married a patient of hers from the hospital. Her brother Fred is my age and I haven't seen him since we were in school. I do check for his picture in the post office every now and again but so far haven't seen it.

Once in a while, Dad would take us to Sunday mass at Saint Marys Church. They had mass on the half hour. I noticed a lot of camp folks went to Saint Marys. Saint B's did not have the lock on the Sunday Fresh Pond crowd. During the summer Saint Mary's and Saint Boneveture both had the carnival. The last night of the carnival was topped off with fireworks. We could see the Saint B's fireworks from the banking in front of our camp. The church carnival was the predesessor to weekly Bingo. We usually went to both church events. I haven't been to a carnival in years. There are still carnivals around during the summer but not like years ago.

On the Fourth of July Fresh Pond held the "Horribles Parade" for the kids. The participants would dress in the ugliest costumes they could put together and assemble at the rec hall. From their we paraded through the campground and went back to the rec hall for hoodsies and soda. Prizes were given for the best horrible costume. Shawn and I never won a horribles parade award, but the thrill of marching around in the ugliest thing I could find ... is something I've tried to forget over the years.

Each summer the park department offered swimming lessons. They had classes from beginners to senior life saving. I took swimming lessons twice. I never got passed advanced beginners. It took me two trys to get through beginners. The second try only took half the time the class was in session. Shawn and I graduated to advanced beginner and got both classes done in one session. I hated the idea of taking swimming lessons. The first swimming instructor was Audrey Remick. She was one tough teacher. She was loud. How loud was she? She was so loud you could take swimming lessons from anywhere in the campground. When Audrey showed up for swimming lessons, people cleared the beach. If you were in her way, she let you know. And chances are you never got in her way again. The second swimming instructor was a little quieter. If I remember correctly her name was Barbara Henderson.

At the end of the summer their were the swimming activities. There were races and synchronized swimming. I didn't pay much attention to it as it was nothing I was interested in. All it meant for me was a day I could not go swimming as the beach was overtaken with this activity.

Each summer several of the older kids decided it would be neat to swim across the pond. They'd boat over to the opposite side of the pond and begin swimming from there. There was always some one in a boat along side the swimmers at all times coming across the pond. The only one I remember completing the swim was Richie Mackay.

Once in a while Ma would take Shawn and I for a walk to the ocean to go swimming. I think the beach was a part of Whitehorse.It was a nice walk. We'd bring our lunch and towels and spend a few hours in the ocean. This particular beach was never crowded but it was a nice clean beach. Their was a lot of big rocks. It looked like a beach from the movie "Summer Of '42".

There was an ice cream stand in town that we'd go to for ice cream once in a while. Gellars Ice Cream was a popular place for the ice cream loving crowd. If there was a Dairy Queen in the area they would't have had a chance against Gellars. My favorite was pistacchio. The cones were real old fashion sugar cones. The place was similar to Welcome Farm in South Weymouth. The last time through town Gellars was still their and I'm sure still a thriving business. It was a treat to go for ice cream at Gellars.

Some times after getting ice cream we'd go for a ride to the beach or just around town and eventually find our way back to camp.

Dads two week vacation was not the only time we spent at camp. We'd go for weekends and we'd spend time at camp while Dad stayed home or commuted back and forth from camp to work. Joan and Eddie were older and stayed home so it was mostly Ma, Shawn and me at camp until Beth was born. That was the year we got electricity at camp. Kerosene lanterns and Beth in the same room seemed like to much of a hazardous situation. We also got an electric refrigerator and gave up the ice box. There were no more stops at the ice house and Dad retired the ice tongs. Dad would come down so we could go grocery shopping and do laundry. Somes times we'd drag out the old wash board and scrub out a few things and hang them on the line in lieu of going to the laundromat.

During our tenure at camp we spent our days swimming and fishing but also managed to squeeze in a few other games. One was cars and trucks. We'd all assemble our cars and trucks in the designated car and truck area and proceed to build a town.

The soil at camp was very sandy on the beach, at the privys, the rec hall and a few selected roads thru the camp ground. Everywhere else the soil was black. It was almost like ground up coal. After playing trucks in the dirt we were filthy. And what better way to get clean but to go swimming.

Another game we'd play was "Initials". I don't remember the official name of the game but the object was to guess the initials. All the participants lined up behind a line drawn in the dirt with the official "draw in the dirt stick." One person would select a catagory such as television shows or movies and out line the initials of the show or movie in the dirt in front of the line. I beleive clues were allowed. The others would try to guess the name of the show or movie. When the right answer was guessed the answerer had to chase the asker to the goal line and back and try to tag the asker. If the asker was tagged, the answereer became the asker. If the asker was not tagged the asker got to ask another question. Their was one hazard that lurked in this game. No, it was not an argument about "I tagged you!" "No you didn"t!" It was the roots from the tree's that poked their little heads above the surface. Since we played mostly barefooted, their was always a toe stubbing casualty that went with every game. Imagine, if you will running down the road as fast as you can and suddenly banging your toe on a root sticking out of the ground. It hurt even if it didn't happen to you. The cure for a stubbed toe? Swimming, of course.

Every summer the cottage people behind the campground would challenge the campers to a softball game. The game was held in a field across from the fire station out on the main road. Dad usually went to play and we went along to. We didn't always watch the game as the playground had different kinds of equipment than our playground at camp and even at home had. Their seemed to be a rivalry between the cottages and the campers and it was almost always decided on the softball field. Sometimes the cottage people won and sometimes the campers won.

Did you camp at Fresh Pond? Blast me an Email!! I’d love to hear from you!! Proceed To Chapter Three – Chapter Four – Chapter Five or head back to the Beginning.

(Last revised 10 March 2007)