Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah

Now I don't want this should scare ya,
But my bunk mate has malaria.
You remember Jeffrey Hardy?
They're about to organize a searching party.

You know the classic Allan Sherman song about kids having a miserable time at summer camp. Well, last weekend we sent our own children off to camp. They didn't write us anguished letters, though, because they had a great time. So did we... We were right there with them.

Yes, it was Family Camp! More specifically, it was the You and Me, Kid weekend at Camp Sweyolakan. This 85-year-old camp sits on the shore of Idaho's beautiful Lake Coeur d'Alene, where lakefront property is quickly being gobbled up by developers for million-dollar vacation homes.

It wasn't very long ago that a middle class family could actually have some hope of buying a little cabin on the lake if they worked hard and saved their money. Now, however, the land has been priced far out of reach of the local working class and the lake is ringed by mega-mansions that sit empty for all but a few weeks of the year.

And that makes Camp Sweyolakan a very special place. The camp has 5,000 feet of shoreline, two sandy beaches, and 300 acres of forested hillsides criss-crossed with trails. And for $150, the four of us spent three fun-filled days swimming, hiking, boating, shooting archery, and eating way too much good food.

If you ever have a chance to go to camp with your kids, I highly recommend it. Get there before the greedy developers do.

Here are a few of the great memories we made last weekend:


Our little cabin in the woods, complete with cots, mattresses, and... that's it. We brought our own sleeping bags and lanterns. Bathrooms were about 50 feet away.


My daughter had some trouble sleeping. Maybe it was a bad idea to tell her the story of Jason Vorhees?


The view from our cabin. My daughter filled her backpack with toys and stuffed animals. You know, basic camping essentials.


My son demonstrates one of the laws of cartoon physics. Actually, he used the diving board so many times (over 50) in a row, the nearby lifeguard dubbed him "The Jumping Machine."


My wife and daughter kayaking on the lake. Not long after they returned to shore, my daughter stepped on a yellowjacket. Suddenly Jason Vorhees was the least of her worries.


S'mores around the campfire every night. What's better than that?