Where summer lived: Camping at Poe Valley
Before we ever reached Poe Valley, summer vacation began at Ron’s Fruit Market. That was where the week really opened. The car felt packed to the roof, even if it probably wasn’t. Sleeping bags, clothes, coolers, towels, flashlights, a lantern, food in grocery bags, things my mother said we needed, and things my grandfather said we wouldn’t. I don’t remember every item that went into the car. I remember how the trip felt before we got there. It felt like escape. The regular world had been folded up and left behind. School was gone. Bedtime lost some of its power. Shoes got ...