A Lake Trelipe Love Story
By Frances Richter
Not only did Camp Fire lead me to a rewarding career, Camp Fire even led me to the man of my dreams - and he would become my life partner.
As a young girl growing up in St. Paul, I was first a Bluebird and then a Camp Fire girl. I attended both Camp Cheewin and Camp Ojiketa, where I enjoyed great Camp Fire activities and made wonderful, memorable friends.
A few years later, in the summer of 1969, when I was a college student in need of a summer job, a friend suggested that I apply for a swimming instructor opening at Camp Tanadoona. I did. And I got the job. That summer I lived in the Governor's mansion with a number of the other staff members. It was a wonderfully fun summer. The next summer I decided to work at the older girls' camp - Camp Trelipe up near Remer, Minnesota, working that first summer as a swimming instructor. The next summer I became the assistant cook, a position I held 1971-1975.
But now let's get to the really exciting part of the story:
In the summer of 1974, after saying goodbye to our family campers, most of the staff was down on the the beach, enjoying an afternoon relaxing until the regular 7th-12th grade campers were to arrive the next morning. It was the 4th of July - a stunning day - and it was that day that the camp dish washer and the camp assistant director flagged in a couple of young men who were sailing by in a brand new 16-foot red and yellow catamaran. They steered into the canoe beach and the assistant camp director and I were the first two to get to go for a ride.
That was how my husband of now 35 years sailed into my life on Lake Trelipe. That summer we went for long bike rides and a special first dinner date at the Bungalow in Emily. We fell in love that summer and continued dating for 11 more months; we were married June 5, 1975.
Before and after my marriage I continued to work for Camp Fire from the fall of 1973 to the spring of 1977 - as a District Director in the Southwestern suburbs. In that capacity I worked with both leaders and girls, attending lots of meetings and doing training.
My life with Camp Fire was good. My life with the catamaran young man turned out to be very good, very very GOOD. We now have three wonderful sons, one daughter-in-law, and the middle son just got engaged in February 2010.
I will always cherish my Camp Fire days, but most especially will I cherish that summer on Lake Trelipe.
