My Place

The one place that I consider the most constant in my life is Camp Magruder. Having moved several times, I was having trouble thinking of where I really felt a connection. Camp Magruder is a camp in Rockaway Beach, OR and I went there a couple times as a middle schooler for week-long camps. This isn't why it's special to me though. Camp Magruder is also home to "Grand Camp" which involves spending a weekend at camp with your grandparents. We stay in cabins together, go to meals together, explore, play, and just be together. My grandma would take my two sisters and me out there every year since 1996. We went to Grand Camp for 13 consecutive years. It feels like my whole life. I know the ins and outs of that camp. I know all the paths, where my favorite areas are, where the good beach views are, where to go when the tsunami bell sounds, where the lake becomes the deep end, where the bathrooms are and which cabins actually have bathrooms in them (these were the cabins my sisters and I would hope for). I know literally every part of that camp. Although sometimes my grandma would make me nuts, it was really nice to just spend time with her doing crafts, walking on the beach, and singing campfire songs. I also liked that I got no cell phone reception which made it really peaceful. There is one part of a forested area at Camp Magruder where I would sometimes go and sit. The average Camp Magruder visitor would not know how to get to this spot. There was a log that was perfect for just sitting and being alone. It's been a few years now since I was last at Camp Magruder and as I write this, I am realizing how I miss it and its familiarity. I guess that means I'll need to go back soon. :)