Camp Dogs

Today we will consider the camp dog.

I can see the number of people that check the news every day, and Saturday is the lowest number of the week… giving me a perfect opportunity to go a different direction. At this moment a foul smelling, 150 pound Bernese Mountain Dog is under my desk. This position (her favorite place to sleep and observe the world) makes me sit at an un-natural angle to the desk because there is not room for both the dog and my feet. It also gives me a bad reputation for body odor (visitors don’t see the source of the smell). My Golden Doodle is observing the camp from the sliding glass door that faces the lake, directly in my line of sight while sitting at my desk. Her attention to the campers is unwavering- an inspiration.

I say all this to just point out that my dogs are a major part of my day. They follow me everywhere, they share my experiences and delight in camp almost as much as I do. They love camp. They love the campers. Nothing makes them happier than leaving the house in the morning to once again enter into a world of adventure and love. They love the routine. They love the randomness. They reflect a everyone’s attitude about camp.

My Mother has a new dog (Honey), Laura has a Dog Camp Adopted Dog (Tilly who also teaches Dog Camp to the campers every day), Kelly has a Dog Camp Dog too (Luka, who vacations in Florida during the summer), Sarah also has a Dog Camp Dog (Georgia also teaches in Dog Camp every day), Lell also adopted a Dog Camp Dog (Lady who also teaches in Dog Camp). The barn has an assortment of dogs that stay with the horses… a lot of dogs now that I think about it.

Dog Camp has been one of those surprise classes… who would think that it would continue to entertain and inspire the girls after all these years? Puppies and camp… the two play well together.

I have been overwelmed by details this week. Details that kept me chained to my desk and to the events that Margaret and I hosted… but those obligations are changing for the week to come. I will be able to get out and see camp in action; what a place to be!

Today we will have the Birthday Ball and camper Talent Show: a quality ending to a quality week. Gervais serves roast pork loin, tomato pie, cheese ravioli, garden salad, and birthday cakes for everyone. The birthday girls sit at the head table with my mother and are served by the Head Staff. EP is the camper talent show, a real impressive mixture of music, drama, poetry, song, dance, and skits. It is overcast, just enough to knock 5 degrees off the temperature. Not hot enough for the “misters”, perfect.

Our dinner last night featured “chic-fil-et” chicken sandwiches. Not the actual ones, but our version (complete with the foil bag and pickle). Our new ovens are perfect for this application, able to keep the moisture level balanced with the temperature to hold the sandwiches till time to eat. We polished the meal off with “MoonPies”, a treat from my old UNC Fraternity Brother Tory Johnston (daughter Jan). Tory lives in Chattanooga and works with the MoonPie company, he sent us Chocolate Mint and traditional Chocolate “Mini MoonPies”: YOU HAVE TO TRY THE CHOCOLATE MINT MiNI’S. YUM. We played up the great city of Chattanooga (David Vining made sure we knew how great his hometown is). It was a fun night.

The days are getting shorter, the energy is picking up… the dogs and I can’t wait!

Jimboy