Derby Day

The final days of camp are a whirlwind of wonderful moments. They come quickly, one right after another, so many good things it is hard to see them all… then it is over. Applause.

We are in it now, with so much going on in so many places it is impossible to see it all. I went to the Cross Country course yesterday, it is beautiful and my daughter is riding. By going there I missed two big things: the archery tournament and the Art Show. Both of these are worthy events, with archers who can hit the center of the target from 200 feet and art projects on display to fill the heart with joy. Everything happened in the same 90 minute timeframe… and everything was over and cleaned up in an instant. A shame we can’t be in multiple places at once.

I can say that the girls and the horses were magnificent. I told Justine that her course looked fantastic (takes a lot of work to clean up a 50 acre field with hundreds of trees to mow around), and her counselors were perfect (every jump has a judge, every horse a couple of grooms… it felt like a big time show). There was a thunderstorm just 4 miles away (we could see the lightning dancing in the distant clouds) but it did not rain on the course. In fact, it rained in camp but not at the pasture (it is all one property, how amazing is that?). The girls rode beautifully and the horses were perfect. It was an inspiration.

Marilyn Bailey (who runs our Metal Jewelry program) was going to take professional photographs of the art show… hope to get those today, I will put them in their own gallery if I do. I asked her to do this because I really wanted to see the finished projects this year. Every time I check in at any of the Arts classes, the quality of the camper projects is breathtaking. Some of these works make you do a double take, go back for a closer inspection which reveals the amateur status of the work and inspires even more. This is genius on display, raw talent that is just beginning to be polished. The heads of these areas are professionals themselves, coming to camp every day out of passion for their craft. Passing on such skill is an obligation these women take seriously, and camp is the perfect place for that inspiration to occur. Main Camp is when it is in full bloom evidence, for the campers are old enough to have come into their prime learning stage. At an annual spring event at UNC Chapel Hill in 1961, Robert Frost told the students that inspiration is most powerful between the ages of 15 and 25. I agree. Campers and counselors alike are inspired at camp, the art show is a great place to see that fact in evidence.

Now on to present excitement… Derby Day. It starts with food: a $50,000 event if it were being catered! I am ALMOST serious, this buffet is amazing. Served on Linen in silver chaffing dishes under towering pines. The girls get dressed up (sun-dresses with lots of hats, like the Kentucky Derby), they practice good manners (no rushing the food, eat slowly and enjoy the event while socializing with friends), and they are amazed. How can this be camp? Prime Rib carving station with crusty rolls and three kinds of sauces. Poached Salmon on a table… very dramatic (the head is still on) and delicious (this is a house specialty, we serve it every year at catering events in the fall). A huge Pasta Station (three kinds of pasta, each unique and very tasty). Omelets cooked to order by 5 chefs who ham it up (ask for anything, they can make it… flipping the ingredients in the skillet like the Pro’s they are). And lots of Pastry tables with desserts of various temperatures and shapes… very lovely and tasty. To top it off, Ronnie (resident artist) is working all day on a 300 pound ice sculpture! Beautiful flowers everywhere… amazing.

While eating, the best riders in camp are competing for the title of “Champion”… dressage and stadium jumping scores are added to their Cross Country scores from yesterday. It is very exciting. The horses are lovely and perfectly turned out (braided manes and oiled hooves). The facility is manicured and the jumps freshly painted. Justine gives a running commentary over the PA, letting us in on the finer points of dressage and stadium jumping as the campers fly around the ring one by one.

Finally the Play, “Annie Get Your Gun”. Especially exciting this year with the hard work of Mary Ellen Stebbins on display. Mary Ellen has been coming to camp for 12 plus years, graduated from Harvard (yes, I drop names sometimes), and is going to work for a top Broadway set designer this Fall in Manhattan. Needless to say, her skills have added a lot of detail to this years production… I can’t wait!

I got a feeling, that tonight’s going to be a good night!

Jimboy