We helped unpack the party boat and then quietly gathered our belongings and trucked back upstairs. Radio Acorn was playing full blast. We threw everything in our room and changed our clothes. I would unpack later. I splashed some cool water on my face in the bathroom. I gazed at my reflection in the mirror….

The Deer Hut campers were wakened by Rob banging a ladle on a pot. He marched around the tents, banging and singing a most aggravating song. “Wakey, wakey! Eggs ‘n bakey! Biscuits flakey. Brightening sky. Breakfast gonna stick to every rib! Rise and shiney! Don’t be whiney. Move your hiney! Sun is high and time…

It was a tortuous night. Despite the mat Shawn had given me for under my sleeping bag, I still felt like the princess in “The Princess and the Pea”. I could feel every acorn, stone, and root. My hips and shoulders ground into the unforgiving bedrock of the island. What was the use of the…

When we returned, the campers were headed down to the campfire. Sunset was minutes away. We followed along. Shawn motioned for me to sit beside him on the log bench. I happily did so and Patrick climbed up into my lap. The girls sat on the outside edge of the circle but I noticed campers…