Mystic Memories

As a child I spent many summers going to Camp Mystic in the Texas Hill Country. It was a very special place with lots of good memories. A private Christian girls camp on the banks of the Guadalupe River, it wasn't too far from the ranch we lived on.

Your first night at camp, you draw a slip of paper, which decides what tribe you will belong to for the rest of your camp-life. I drew a blue slip, proclaiming me a Kiowa. Bug, my little sister, ended up becoming a Tonkawa when she drew a red slip.

You stay in cabins according to your age, but you also visit your tribe hill once a week under the cloak of night, and the locations of the tribe hills was secret. There were lots of competitions and events centered around your tribe as well, which makes for a lot of good-hearted fun.

My favorite activities that I always signed up for each summer were archery, horseback riding, drama, dance, arts and crafts, soccer, nature study, campcraft, rifle shooting, and swimming, but there were even more than that available. I think horseback riding was my favorite.

Here is a picture of the Guadalupe River where we swam every day.



Some of the cabin names were Bubble Inn, Chatterbox, Tumble Inn I & II, Bug House, Look Out & Look Out Nest. Below is a picture of Hangover, the oldest girls' cabin, named for obvious reasons.



On Sundays we had chapel service on Chapel Hill, which no matter what your religious beliefs, it was a spiritual experience being up high on a hill early in the morning in the country. We also had to wear all white on Sunday.

All our meals were served family style in Harrison Hall, pictured below.



I have many wonderful memories from camp, although I experienced a lot of homesickness as well. Yes, I threatened to run away from camp in many letters home to my parents...I'm dramatic that way.

Here's your introduction to Camp Mystic. I'm sure I'll be blogging about my time there much more in the future. :o)

Can't catch a break, even in my dreams.

I had a dream the other night where I was running through a warehouse...a scary, abandoned warehouse full of people shooting at each other. I was caught in the middle of gang warfare of some sort. I remember trying to hide behind walls as bullets whizzed past and climbing the rafters to get out of the line of fire. It was a stressful dream, so say the least.

And, I ended up getting shot. Don't worry, not fatally, but a leg wound. I kept waiting for my husband to save me but I couldn't find him. I think I had to save myself. Wonder what that means? Freud would have a field day.

BTW, I don't like gang movies or violent movies, so this dream was pretty strange.

It reminds me of something that I did back in high school though. Being a little bit of a prankster (as long as it didn't involve rattlesnakes!), I was with my friend and we had just parked in the driveway of my family's house, a nice, safe neighborhood in Austin. We got out of the car, carrying various things, can't remember what, and were walking inside, when all of the blue, I yelled, "Drive by shooting!" and dropped to the ground.

My poor friend dropped everything she was carrying and dropped to the ground also. I was very impressed with her reflexes. I think she was pretty irritated with my little joke, but it was fun at the time (and she laughed about it later, a very good sport). I don't usually go around pulling stuff like that, not sure why I did, now that I think about it.

This has all been rather random, but I shared a dream and a memory, so that's something, right? I read somewhere that chocolate before bed can cause night terrors...or very interesting dreams.