I remember Camp Madaca

M and I went to a cookout on Sunday, which took place in a camp on Lake Shirley. In the back of the camp were rustic bathrooms with cinder block walls and almost no lighting. Stepping into these lavatories has, for some reason, sparked a bunch of memories of summer camp. I've been dreaming of the place lately.

My brother and I went to a day camp in Wenham called Camp Madaca that was run by the Malden YMCA (hence the Madaca: Malden Day Camp). It was on Pleasant Pond, a beautiful piece of land. The camp was for 8- to 12-year-olds. There were crafts, daily swimming, archery (I was pretty damn good at that, being a Sagittarius and all), riflery and sports. Major fun.

I found out a few years ago that the land is now a corporate function center because the Y found the camp too expensive to operate. I had a pleasant email exchange with a staff member there, who promptly tried to get me to sign my company up for a corporate event. Ah well. My memories of swimming, shooting arrows, running around the field and bonding with my fellow kids, then running for the bus home like a bat out of hell and then collapsing in bed at night, will live on.

I'm hoping someone Googles Camp Madaca and has similar memories to share. I can't find anything about the camp on the Internet. It's sad.