“Surprise! Your Family Moved Out of State While You Were at Summer Camp!”

I was 12. That was the phrase that would become the beginning of my world turned completely upside-down! Life was about to get difficult.


Summer Camp was always a Big Event in my life. I always came home with wonderful stories, memories, and new friends. But in the summer of 1980, the events that happened at home, while I was away at camp took away whatever joys, thrills, memories, and stories I might otherwise have carried forward from camp.

I do not recall Any of the details of that camp. I do not remember the place, the adventures, or even the friends I got to spend what would turn out to be the very last time I got to spend with them.

What I do recall is that when the camp bus returned us to The YMCA in Cupertino, California, There was nobody there to pick me up. This was not normal. Someone was always there to greet me when I got back. Even when Dad was on the same bus, as a camp-counselor, Mom always was there to greet us when we returned. And when he was not at camp with me, He, or Mom, or often Both would be there when the bus returned. I had been going to that same YMCA for my whole life. My whole family was known, and part of this tight-knit community. So, this time, when nobody was there to greet me, even the other parents, staff, and fellow campers were left wondering what had happened. We used to live just a few miles from The Y, but two years before this, we had moved to Modesto, which was 90 miles away. Because of this, none of the community was aware of what was always happening in our family any more.

This was long before cell-phones, so waiting was about all one could do. I waited, and watched as the other kids got happily greeted, told their stories, said their goodbyes, and left. I waited, and wondered. Nobody was terribly concerned, or worried. We were just waiting, and wondering.

After what seemed like forever, My Grandma showed up. She was dressed in her country-club best, and it would appear she had just left an important event. The country club was her Glamour Court. She was dressed immaculately, wearing pearls, heels, and a smile that said she was in charge, but everything was OK. It was clear that This was not a hurried decision for her to come and get me, but that she needed to finish her other business before coming here. As she approached, My mind went a million different directions.

-She was smiling, and walking confidently. That meant everything was OK.

-She is the one who was scheduled to pick me up, but I did not know why.

-Where is Mom?

-She is always on time, so her country club event must have run long.

All this was in just the few seconds it took her to walk to me. She also was well-known at The Y, so we all knew this was OK. She was all business, and never offered more than was needed in mixed company. She greeted me, and asked some about camp, then asked if I was ready to go. She never said a thing about what was happening that would keep anyone else from picking me up.

I knew the roads well, and could tell we were heading to her house. That made me really happy! I Always Loved going to Grandma, and Grandpa’s house! I convinced myself that for some reason Mom was there, too, and they thought it would be fun to have Gramma come and get me, then bring me back to enjoy the night there. That made sense to me. It was not unusual to spend time at Gramma’s. Mom’s car was not in the driveway, but Gramma never once looked as something was wrong, so I was ok with that. I just went and did what I always did at Gramma’s. At that age, and most of my childhood, Grandma and Grandpa’s house was ALWAYS safe, fun, and very relaxing.

I drank a Coke. Gramma always bought cans of Coke when she knew we were coming over. This was a treat, because at home, we had to split one can between three of us. Here, we got our own full can! I ate a banana, and Triscuits. She Always had fresh bananas, and the Triscuits were considered the Good crackers that we never had at home.

Then I went swimming. Yay! Skinny Dipping at Gramma’s! This is also a treat! (The only time we could be nekkid was when Mom was not there. But that is a whole story in itself, and I will tell that in another post. ) I spent the rest of the afternoon, and evening naked, swimming, and enjoying the sunshine, in what would turn out to be The Very Last Time I got to have that Joy. I Had absolutely no clue what was coming that would rock my world!

When Grandpa came home, we played pool, watched his favorite news program on TV, and ate dinner. I always loved having dinner with Grandma, and Grandpa! While eating, Grampa broke the news about why nobody else had been there to pick me up by handing me an envelope which contained an airline ticket to fly from San Jose, Ca to Portland, Oregon the next morning. Grandma said, with a big smile, “Surprise! Your Family Moved Out of State While You Were at Summer Camp!” They were both quite pleased with how they presented this, and found it to be quite amusing.

My mind was going berserk. I had so many questions, concerns, and things I just did not know! But Gramma and Grampa were confident, calm, and happy. They had no trouble showing me that everything was alright. I knew from them, that everything was OK, but I still had hundreds of questions. How? Why? What happened? Where is my new home? Where am I going to go to school? What about all my friends, here? What about all my things? Did my room get packed, and moved? What about my bike? What happened to all my treasures, and junk? So many more questions. The only thing I knew for sure was that right now I was safe. Grandma and Grandpa are calm, happy, peaceful, and convinced me it was all OK.

We finished dinner, and I helped clean up, while Grampa went to smoke his pipe, and and watch his favorite golf Highlights show on TV. I Loved the smell of Grampa’s pipe! Later, they took me to Baskin Robbins Ice Cream for dessert. We came back to their house, and played some pool, and went through every single one of Grampa’s magic tricks he kept in his bar. I picked-up every single item in their house that ever meant anything to me. I looked at every single item on every single shelf, and in every drawer. This was the very last time I would get to experience as a kid at their house.

I was happy, sad, excited, and confused. There was so much going through my mind. Grampa settled down in front of the TV for his usual night-time programs, and would soon doze off. At this time, I would usually go out and swim one more time before bed. Grandma would usually do some of her office work, some laundry, and then head out for her nightly snail-removal patrol through her garden. I Always enjoyed being naked at Gramma’s, and did so as often as I could. I went out, and instead of swimming, I just lay there naked on the soft clover lawn, and watched the stars. After a while, I went around the front of the house to go climb my tree. I was still naked. Occasionally we went out in the front yard naked, but not very often. Nobody in her neighborhood ever thought twice about seeing one of us kids, or one of their own outside naked. It was not a concern, just a freedom. I climbed all the way to the very top of The Best Tree I had in all my life! This tree towered higher than even the second-story of the neighboring houses. From here, you could see every street in all directions, and every house, and every back yard, too. Most people left their curtains open, and there was never any shame, or feeling of the need to hide behind closed drapes. Here, you never saw anything unusual, because it was all common, and we saw it all the time. To me, it was daily life. People did that without shame, or the need of hiding. I watched the neighborhood as people did their normal nightly things. I marveled at how all these people had stable, normal lives, and while my world was taking twists and turns, the rest of the world went on in a calm, peaceful way. After dark is when most would enjoy the yards, and gardens without the heat of the day. People watered their lawns, their flowers, and their gardens. It was not unusual to see people in their yards doing these things naked. They never looked around to see if anyone was watching, because this was just normal daily life to them. People put their kids to bed. People took out the trash. People took one last swim before bed. Gramma went out and did her normal nightly gardening, watering, and snail-patrol. I wondered what she would think if she discovered I was up here naked, and not in bed. I did not worry, but I just wondered, because I had never climbed the tree nekkid, and seldom climbed up here late at night. As she made her rounds across the front of the house, she paused below the tree, looked up, and smiled. I wondered if she would know I was up here, or was just smiling at the fact that this was my tree, and she often saw me climbing it. After a while, I saw her go for her nightly swim before bed. She, too, always skinny dipped. That meant she had already rousted Grampa from sleep in his chair in front of the TV, and she would be heading to bed after her swim. Normally after her swim, she would go inside through her bedroom door, still dripping, letting herself air-dry. She would usually go and transfer one more load of laundry, put on a fresh nightgown, and go to bed.

After she finished her swim, instead of going into the house, she came around the front, to the base of my tree. She had a huge grin on her face, when she looked up at me in the very top, and said “Are you going to stay up there naked, all night, or do I have to drag you down?” I laughed. She Never went out front naked. (not that her neighbors had never seen her naked, it was just that she kept it to the back yard.) I told her I would not make her drag me down. She offered me one of her massages to make me sleep soundly if I was down, had my teeth brushed, and was in bed in five minutes. That was all the further urging I needed. On the way down, I asked how she knew I was up there. She smiled, and said “Grandma’s have magical powers.” That caused the neighbor who was just out of my view to laugh. I realized Connie, the neighbor had told Gramma I was up there, but that she probably would have figured it out on her own, too. Once I was down, Connie came and gave me a big hug, and said “Have a good flight, tomorrow! Get some rest.” I wondered how long Connie had been out there.

I hurried inside and got ready for bed. Gramma stayed and chatted with Connie until I was in bed. She came and gave me the promised massage, and I was out-cold, and slept solid until morning. (Gramma’s massages were magical, and I learned how to give the same magical massages from a childhood of having received them myself.

I woke to the wonderful smell of bacon. I knew I had just enough time for a shower before breakfast was ready. I enjoyed one last shower, the very last time as a care-free kid in my favorite bathroom! I was scheduled to fly out in a few hours. When I got out of the shower, I was pleasantly surprised to find that sometime during the night, she had washed all my dirty camp clothes. I expected that I would have to wear old, dirty clothes to fly to Oregon. They were all folded and stacked on the bed I had vacated just minutes before!

We ate breakfast. We always had cranberry juice, eggs, bacon, bananas, and English muffins with fresh jam. Anyone who has ever had my eggs, can thank my grandma for teaching me how to make perfect eggs! Grandma, Grandpa, and I shared the comics, and shared laughs over breakfast. Then it was time to go. I packed my duffel-bag, and Grandma took me to the airport, bought more film for my camera, and made sure I had snacks. She told me my Dad was going to pick me up at the airport in Portland, and that my mom, brother, sister, dog, and cat were all driving up. Then I boarded the plane.

So, here I was, 12 years old, on a plane to Oregon. My only possessions were in a duffel bag from the last week at camp. I knew that in a couple hours, I would be landing in Portland, Oregon. I Knew I had just left behind everything. I knew I had just said goodbye to my childhood. I knew I left behind all I ever knew. Everything I had in life. My friends, freedom, community, and almost everything that I ever knew was now gone. I Knew that having spent my last night as a kid totally naked was significant. I knew that Gramma did not come out front nekkid for just anybody. I also Knew there was no way Grandma would actually climb the tree at all, let alone while naked, but it was perfect, and very fitting that she threatened to do that. She always managed to find ways to connect with me when most others in my life could not. I knew life was about to change. I remember the pilot announcing when we crossed the California state line into Oregon. Just like that. I was a Californian. Now I am an Oregonian. I remember looking at the tiny roads below to see if I could find Mom’s car.

In what seemed like no time at all, the pilot announced we were coming in for our landing at Portland. I could not get enough of the views out the window. I wanted to learn all about my new home. I wanted to see where I would be making my new life. We came in along the Columbia River Gorge. I was absolutely amazed at the beauty I was seeing in Oregon! I knew that no matter what else came at me, there was always My wonderful Nature to escape to! As the plane landed, it appeared it was going to land in the water of The Columbia River. There were people in boats, and waterskiing, and enjoying the last of summer. Then the runway met us at the edge of the river, and we landed.

My head began to go a million directions at once again. I could not have asked for a better ending to my childhood as I knew it. Last night at Gramma and Grampa’s seemed almost like it was precisely planned. While it was filled with so many emotions, and uncertainties, It was absolutely the very best way I could spend the very last night of my childhood, and the beginning of a brand-new part of my life. I was still amazed that I was Now In Oregon, when less than a day ago, I was a carefree kid in California at summer camp.

“Welcome To Portland, Oregon.” That was the announcement the pilot made as they opened the door for us to leave the plane.

Welcome to Oregon. You just left your childhood in California.

Your World just got turned upside down, and life will never be the same.

( Sept, 5, 2011 update: I just posted the follow-up to this story, detailing all of what happened to make my family move out of state while I was at camp. You can view that blog post, titled "welcome to Portland,Oregon", here: http://enterwithanopenmindorclosedeyes.blogspot.com/2011/09/to-portland-oregon.html )