Gross Candy

Now that we're in the waning days of July, I've been thinking about summers as a kid.

I think without a doubt my girls' favorite summer memories would include our yearly camping trip to Lake Benbow, where we met their 'cousins' and spent a week swimming, fishing, roasting marshmallows, talking around the campfire and buying ice cream from the camp store.

But one of their best memories of all was sharing in Gross Candy wars. This time-honored tradition began when the parents (me and my two college buddies and our husbands) were reminiscing about the candy we loved as children. The more we talked, the more we seemed to remember that there was a lot of really disgusting candy available back in the day. And we laughed when someone would think of a truly baaad candy (like orange marshmallow peanuts or 7-Up bars) and someone else would say, "I loved those!"

And so it began. For the whole year prior to our week at the lake, each family would stockpile the grossest candy they could find. On one special night (sometimes at someone's home at the end of the week or sometimes around the campfire at the lake) we'd gather - the kids squirrelly with anticipation - and the moms would present their family's offerings. Candy was passed around. Gagging ensued. Several (usually boys) insisted they loved the Japanese ginger candy or the Mexican tamarind pops. No one loved the Harry Potter jelly beans with flavors of dirt or ear wax. Gross. It was always a memory-maker.

Although I didn't have anything nearly as fun as Gross Candy wars during my summer vacations, I do remember:

1. Sucking on 'colored ice cubes' (Kool-aid frozen into ice cube trays) that my mom put in big plastic cups


2. Sleeping in the backyard, either in our canvas tent or on the deck and waking up roasting to death when the summer sun shone on us in the morning
   
3. Weeks at Camp Namanu (Camp Fire Girls camp) where there was a wishing rock, counselors with names like 'Fern' & 'Tree-fairy' and a million camp songs that we sang until we were hoarse

How about you? Leave a comment with your 3 favorite summer memories! Please?