I have had this photo on my desk for a while, and it never fails to make me smile. Hopefully E. won't mind, as that's his mother in the middle. They rule, these girls, in their rolled-up jeans, penny loafers, and saddle shoes.

The date on this photo is May 30, 1950. It's one of the summers my mother-in-law spent as a camp counselor at Glen Eyrie farm in Wisconsin. We know this because we have found all her letters from that period, faithfully sent every week on blue notepaper emblazoned with her name and that of the camp. A quick scan leaves us with accounts of cookouts and swimming, but no explanation of this photo. The letters don't start until late June 1950, so maybe this was some kind of orientation picnic ahead of time.

Some thirty years later, I would have died rather than go to summer camp. It seemed like the worst thing that could possibly happen to me. But these girls make it look like fun.