we spent the summer, swimming, boating on a creek that lead to a river. on weekends we would take the big boat out to the ocean and go fishing. I remember going into like a channel or something and swimming off the boat. NOw I would never do that. but hey we were kids. I tried water skiing once or twice but didnt really like it. crabbing was my favorite. most of my cousins were boys. so I had to bait and hook my own line and also remove and gut my own fish. when we crabbed we didn't use cages. we used string and fish heads. did I say that was my favorite. WE camped mostly near the jersey shore. and would go into Ocean City now and then to the board walk. But, it was fun but it was just as fun not to go. I actually liked Brigatine the best.
I remember fishing off a train bridge and having to run everytime a train would go by. I also remember one favorite camping ground I think in Delaware that we had a cabin and a popup and tent. because there were like 4 families camping together. anyway, we had like this private dock to fish or crab off of. and in the woods we played all sorts of gang chace and man hunt type stuff. well anyway. I jumped from this bridge and landed on a board that had a rusty nail sticking up in it. oh my right into my foot and I think out the other end. my cousing a guy pulled it out of me board and all. then two of them carried me home(back to camp.) I had to go to the hospital to get a tetnus shot of course. but, I ended up being ok. don't remember any other tragedys in all the years we camped.
I know what you mean about college days etc. I stopped going in college. then when I had my first born and he was a baby we were both pretty sick. so we didn't go then either. then it was just to much work with babies. and by the time my kids were old enough to go and enjoy it. my mom had sold her trailer. she by that time had a big one and it was permanent at the camp ground they were then going to. they had moved from the ones we use to go to and did this seasonal thing at some strange one.(strange for me) there was no water there except at the pool. just not the same for me.
Also, I went snow camping in Lancaster area in Pa. with friends in High school and man It was snowy and cold. I like camping in the summer much better.
dh and I did go camping three times with our kids. twice in NJ and once in Pa. my dd only remembers once in NJ. We have a great tent. but, dh had medical problems and couldnt' be in the heat and couldn't breath. so we never went after that.
we went to a retreat center a few times. where you stay in a room w/air. they had lots of woods and a lake etc. but it just insn't the same as camping really.
WE hoped to go this year before ds went to college. but, it isn't happening. So, now I have hope for the future sometime Thanks to you!
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my dh was one of 7. they never went anywhere special for summer vacation and he really doesn't have the passion for camping I have. He would go because it is a great family time to bond etc. and becasue I like it but he doesn't really have a passion for it. and he hates the water. so boats are not his thing.
I told ds one regret I have is his never going out on a boat for fishing. he said he would do it on a charter boat one day and for me not to worry about it. isn't he great!
I guess really anything we wanted to do with them as kids or they wanted to do as kids and didn't get to do they can do themselves now as adults.
We used to fish quite a bit, and us kids would pull them out of the lake faster than my dad & uncle could clean them up! The cabin sits in a cove, so we would have almost the entire cove to fish & swim (the other cabins in the cove did mostly water skiing out on the main part of the lake, so once their boats were gone, we'd jump in for a swim. Now it's like eeeewwww, we swam in that? Never tried water skiing, although I always wanted to, but would go out into the boat to fish & dad had a canoe that we would paddle all over the place. After the weekend, we would all travel back to Hastings, NE (where my mom's from & most of her siblings still live) to stay for a week or so to visit Grandma & Grandpa & everyone who couldn't make it to the cabin. We'd get together at one of the local parks and have a huge fish/chicken fry with our fish catches from the weekend. My uncle is now in his 80's and my aunt in her late 60's and his health is starting to fail, so there's talk of selling the cabin since his boys don't live in the state. Kind of sad to think that such a wonderful place full of memories won't be in the family anymore. Some of my cousins who live in Hastings have talked of buying it to keep it in the family, but don't know how they'll be able to afford it...maybe if we all went together & uncle let us make payments... DH & I just don't get back there often enough to make it worth our money, though. And once Grandma's gone (she's 97), we'll probably go even less..... 
