English 125
A Memorable Childhood Experience
One memorable childhood experience I recall happened when I was turning ten years old back in the summer of 1975. I was invited to go on vacation with my mother’s best friend Nancy and her two sons, Tim and Jeffrey, camping in the Sequoia Mountains south of Fresno. We lived in Los Angeles at the time. I had only been to a place called Big Bear, which is on the outskirts of San Bernardino. I don’t even remember why I was the only one invited since I had other siblings (an older sister, brother, and a younger sister). My guess is because my birthday was coming up, and my mom did not make any big plans for it.
My mom and I packed my suitcase with clothes for summer and some winter clothes as well. My mother did not know what the weather would be like at night in the mountains, so she packed me a lot of clothes. I told her, “I don’t need three pairs of shoes,” but she insisted for me to take three pairs. I remember that because she said, “I will be buying you some new shoes for school.” My sleeping bag was bigger than I was, but I remember it was a very warm sleeping bag.
It was kind of weird for me to be with Nancy and her sons without my mother or father. I could always depend on my mother for everything and anything. I was never afraid to ask my mom for anything. If there was something I needed or if something was bothering me, I always went to her. Nancy was very different than my mother. She was a smart educated lady in a different way than my mother. She was tall, had long brown hair, and wore some glasses that looked like cat eyes with diamonds on them. Nancy was a strong woman raising her two sons by herself. Her sons were nice to me most of the time probably because they didn’t have a sister. Timmy was twelve years old and Jeffrey was eight years old.
We all had a great time out in the wilderness, sleeping in a big tent beside the lake. We could hear the bull frogs and the wind in the trees throughout the night. The reflection from the moon off the water of the lake was like glistening sparkles; it was so beautiful. At night, there were so many stars we could see at night such as the North Star and the Little Dipper, and we even saw the Milky Way. I saw a few shooting stars as well and made several wishes, which I don’t remember. We went swimming and fishing during the day, but I don’t think we caught anything. We had bullfrog races and made fun of each other saying we were all going to get warts. Nancy cooked easy dinners for us like hot dogs, hamburgers, and sandwiches. We roasted marshmallows at night and had popcorn and hot cocoa sometimes before we went to bed. Nancy told us stories of when she was a child back in New York, and she also told ghost stories to scare us. It worked! We were on vacation for a week, but it seemed like we were gone longer, probably because I was missing my mom and family. Back then there were no cell phones and the closest phone was . . . well, I don’t even know where it was. So I could not even talk to any of my family, but I made the best of the vacation. Most of the time I was so busy having fun that I didn’t dwell on missing my mom.
On our last day of camping, Nancy asked me, “Rochelle, did you have a good time?”
“I had a lot of fun. Can I come back with you next year?”
Nancy laughed, smiled at me, and said, “I really do not like to go to the same place twice, but I will think about it.”
I told her “Okay. And maybe the next time my mom and family can come.” She said that sounded like a great idea.
When Nancy dropped me off, I said, “Thank you so much for letting me go camping with you, Timmy, and Jeffrey. I had a great time. I hope I can take a vacation with all of you again next year.”
Once I got inside the house, my mom and family asked me if I had a good time, and I told them, “I had so much fun! I loved being up in the mountains.” I told my family all about what we did, and that I wanted to go on vacation again with Nancy and her boys next year, but not for my birthday! I missed my family and that part was the loneliest birthday I ever had being without my family. My mother gave me such a big hug and smile that I knew she had missed me as much as I had missed her.
When I ponder back on that memorable vacation, I am able to relive my childhood. I never went back as a child to the mountains again with Nancy and her sons. The mountains were always on my mind from that summer on and still to this day. I loved the mountains so much that we were able to purchase a cabin in Shaver Lake, California, in May of 1999. Now the mountain lifestyle was just one hour away from our personal residence. I always told myself, “All things are possible. If you believe and have faith, all good will come.” Whenever we have the opportunity to go up to the cabin, we go just to get away from the ruckus here in the city. Now, we are able to create our own memories with family and friends in the mountains, all because of a great vacation as a child.