My Life In Sevens - Part Two

I am fourteen. It’s a hot summer day in 1954. My mother, father, two brothers, one sister, and I Pile into our 1952 Chevrolet station wagon And head to Coady’s Creek in Perintown, Ohio. It’s actually called Stone Lick Creek But the Coady’s have a camp on it, So we call it Coady’s Creek. When we arrive, We all pile out of the station wagon And head to the shack they call a camp. Girls get to change first and boys second. When it’s our turn, We walk into the camp. One big room full of cobwebs, A stone fireplace at one end, Two cots, a table, a couple of chairs. It’s dark and stale wood smoke invades everything. We change into our bathing suits. Then we head to the crawl space beneath the camp. We run as fast as we can Stumbling over one another To claim our inner tubes. The door creaks as we open it And we stare through spider webs Trying to find the best one. I’m the oldest, so I usually get first choice. Running along the stubbly path Through the woods down to the creek, We can’t wait to jump into the cool water. Walking over the rough stones and murmuring riffles, We head to the cold, sassy hole; Our favorite swimming place. We sit down in our inner tubes And feel the cool water on our backsides. Using our hands, we paddle upstream - backwards, As each stroke makes us bob up and down Like horses on a carousel. The creek’s steep, wooded banks On either side enclose us, Making us feel sheltered. The overhanging trees fashion a tunnel As we make our way To our secret swimming hole. The three brothers and their little sister In a line, like ducklings, bobbing up and down. We are all splashing each other and smiling. Life is good.