No Boys in the Girls Tent! (Except Charlie)

My parents were friends with other families that all had children the same ages. All the families usually went camping together in tents in the summer.

One summer, someone found this neat little trailer court hideaway near a lake in Idaho. So all the families decided to buy Travel Trailers and store them at the hideaway at the lake. I think, at the time, “Terry” was the popular brand of Trailer. I had seen travel trailers before, and remembered that they usually didn’t have toilets. Well, my parents got one WITH a toilet! Cool! We were modern, uptown! However, my parents wouldn’t allow us to use the toilet. I think it was because the trailer court had water and electric, but didn’t have sewer holes. We were told we had to use the “community” bathrooms and showers at the trailer court. But when you are a little kid, you don’t comprehend technicalities, all you can think of is…. “Our trailer has a toilet, I should be able to use it.” I do remember the few times the toilet DID get used, the flush mechanism was very loud! If you were the one who used the toilet, it was quite embarrassing because EVERYONE knew you used the toilet.

When my parents and the other families would go to the lake together, the parents would all sleep in their respective trailers, but the kids had to sleep outside in tents. There was a boys tent and a girls tent. One night, one of the boys decided to sneak into the girls tent. Well, this boy was….. “the sort of guy that nobody would ever take seriously.” I’ll call him “Charlie.” We girls let him in. One of the parents heard the male voice in the girls tent, and came out to inquire as to what was going on. Every girl in the tent, in unison, said, “Oh, it’s JUST CHARLIE.” The parent walked away, because nothing was going to happen if it was “Charlie.”

I haven’t seen “Charlie” in years and years. However, my mother has! She said that “Charlie” had become quite a handsome and attractive man. Mom recalled the “tent” incident and said that if it were today, “Charlie” would definitely be kicked out of the girls tent!

Submitted by JJ Dippel of Anacortes, WA as a part of the RV Centennial Celebration “Share Your Favorite RV Memory” contest.

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