Any of my friends that have known me for a long time know that Dinkey Creek is near and dear to my heart. I decided to do a memory post of Dinkey Creek because not only did I run into some old friends that I know from there, but this is also the month that we would go every summer.
Dinkey Creek has an interesting history with our family. It started with my grandparents when they were in the Compton California ward. My mom will probably need to correct me, or add more to what I know, but they had some sort of club and the club from the ward decided to vacation together up in the Sierra mountains in a City called Dinkey Creek at a camp called Camp Fresno Jr. I guess it was so much fun they decided to go every year after that. So my mom grew up going to Dinkey Creek every year with her family and the same groups of people went every year. No matter where people ended up living years down the road they would all meet up during the summer for a week at Dinkey Creek. My grandparents passed many years ago, but my mom continued to go and take our family. So I grew up going to Dinkey Creek every year since I was a baby. The love of Dinkey Creek was passed through the generations. The people at camp became like family that you see once a year.
The camp is a blast! Everyone stays in the same two cabins, separated by little room dividers. The teenage girls get their own cabin and the teenage boys get their own cabin. So you can only imagine how fun it is for the teenagers. There was always some romance with the teenagers. The hire a cook for the week, we are served breakfast, pack lunches and then a big dinner. They have craft time for the kids, everyone goes out and swims all day at different parts of the creek or goes down to Shaver Lake. Then at night after dinner they have game nights (everyone gets really into horse shoes and ping pong) and they have skit night and there is always a camp fire where many gather around to chat a relax before they go to bed.
I have so many great memories there. Sadly they can't get enough people to go anymore. So in the past few years it has been cancelled. In fact I don't know if anyone will try and make it happen anymore, which breaks my heart. But I really hope Dinkey Creek lives on through my family. Hopefully we can at least get our family up there a couple times. I truly love it there. The smell of pine, the beautiful Forrest, the candy store up the road, the historical bridge, all the fun places we would swim and hike to and of course all the great people that I know from there. Dinkey Creek, I love you!
Everyone at the camp
Lolly came up to see me from when she was home in Fresno! We had some fun at Shaver Lake
Skit Night! We were singing Man of Constant Sorrow from "Oh Brother Where Art Thou?"
7 comments:
Almost made me cry...I miss that place too.
Amazing. I just found your blog looking for anything about Camp Fresno Jr. I also spent a week there every year of my life beginning about age 6...1960! I don't go any longer but some of my kids and grandkids are up there right now.
I totally recognized your pictures. I have similar pictures on my blog. If you go to my blog and look up last year...July 23, 24, and 29, 2009...you will see lots of pictures similar to yours!
I will also be putting this years Family Camp pictures on in a few days....just as soon as my kids get back in town with them :)
Just wanted to thank you for your blog on Dinkey. Been going there since the late '50s as my grandparents had a cabin there for many years. Cousins own the cabin now so I don't get up there but for a day trip from when we're camping at Shave Lake. Lots of memories!
Mark
Believe it or not, I'm in that group picture holding my oldest daughter and that was the last time I was there, 7 years ago. My sister, Connie has organized a family trip the first week in August and I am so excited to be going and sharing the Dinkey experience with my two little girls now that they are old enough to appreciate it (I hope). Although my parents wont be there, I hope it will be full of the magical, family fun that I remember with such fondness.
Aimee's folks miss it too. Unfortunately there aren't many of the old folks left and some of us can no longer handle the altitude or the irregular ground. I've been scrapbooking Dinkey Creek pictures and was searching the web for others pictures and ideas when I ran into this site, which I feel a part of since you have the Dinkey Creek shots.
Hello to you Watson descendants.
Jim Brown now 81, and I was one of the youngest of the Compton senior group.
But Al Kreipl is still going at 90, so are Selma,and Clyde Miller. Betty Oliver and her family also went this year. Maybe there is enough of you youngsters to fill up Fresno Jr.next year.
Thanks for the copy of the '03 group. I don't think that I ever got one. I do now since I downloaded a copy off of yours.
Old Jim Brown
So fun that you guys have found my blog! Good to hear from you guys. Thanks for the comments. :)
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