A New Day
It happened last night at dinner. It was pizza night (wow… our pizza’s are good and the girls were impressed) and we were clearing the tables. The song leaders/dancers got up and chose “Smile” (a wonderful Greystone song, so simple it can drive a counselor crazy) and the girls shifted into another gear. If the campers really get into something, the power is remarkable… it is an inspiration. This is most easily noticed when singing because of the volume of 500 voices, a sound so loud it can be heard clearly at the Tuxedo gas station. It means that the girls are settled and ready for camp.
Community takes time to develop, trust is costly in that way. August Camp is fast… I am just sorry that we can’t “manufacture” this genuine appreciation with the girls quicker. August Camp is just long enough to provide the benefit of the long session, last night the benefit was felt by all and enjoyed for “dessert”. This emotion followed us to the EP, and the girls were treated to an amazing Counselor Talent Show. I got as much of a charge from the campers reactions before, during, and after each act… their enthusiasm was contagious. Instead of cookies, we served ice pops for a before bed treat (do you think the campers went wild when that announcement was made?). It was a good day.
Today will continue the good times, for the new spirit will be evident in the classes. I know it will be fun— the weather is the same (sunny, warm, chance of afternoon showers). Dining Hall songs will be loud and I will continue to work through my Breakfast Club plan with the girls. This little talk comes at the end of breakfast and is just 5 minutes long, but a lot of fun. I give a short talk on how to have a great day at camp and in life: it involves a balanced life with growth every day in 4 ways (Spiritual, Social, Mental, Physical). We start with Spiritual, that is now done. We move to Social (making friends) which finishes today. Physical tomorrow and Monday, Mental Tuesday and Wednesday, and Farewell on Thursday. The girls don’t need a lecture, so I give a single thought… yesterday was a quick primer on making new friends. We are surrounded by friends we have not met, go meet one today. I then finish with a joke, not a bad way to start the day!
Breakfast Club was invented by my father, and he did not miss a single one last summer. He loved Breakfast Club, it was a chance to share important life skills with the girls… a chance to have an impact on their summer. I picked it up this year and see the benefit as well. Too often we do not talk about important things in a casual setting, there is something powerful about the format and message of Breakfast Club; and the jokes are really good. Example: two cowboys are walking out of the desert hungry and thirsty when they see a tree shimmering in the distance… filled with sizzling bacon! One runs ahead the other stumbles after, both yearning for the tasty bacon. The first cowboy gets to the tree and is reaching toward the bacon when he is shot in the side! He whirls around and yells to the other cowboy “It’s a Ham Bush”. Feel free to use it today if you like…
Food: Breakfast featured bacon (how appropriate)! Honestly, the bacon was amazing… thick cut, slightly sweet, a hint of hickory smoke, slightly crispy. I ate nothing but bacon! The scrambled eggs and hash browns were good, but the bacon was the star of the show.
Lunch will also be a crowd pleaser: Hamburgers and Tots! Our hamburger patties do not come from a freezer, they are hand made one by one from fresh ground chuck (our local butcher loves us… we are his best customer, he takes very good care of us). The hamburgers are cooked over a wood fire (we have a monster sized “Aztec Grill”… this is a restaurant wood grill, you will find it in high end restaurants all over the country). The burgers are served separate from the “fixins” (Real Cheddar Cheese, local tomatoes and lettuce, slices of red onion). Not school lunch hamburgers (no offense intended). Dinner is a feast of smoked pork loin, pasta, roasted veggies, tomato pie, and birthday cake.
Yes, tonight is also the Birthday Ball where every girl who celebrates a birthday at camp will sit at the head table with my mother and have their meal served by Laura, Sarah, the Group Leaders, and me. The “servers” wear white shirts and black aprons, we keep their water and bug juice filled, and fill their plates over and over with whatever the girls request. They get party favors and blow out candles on a HUGE cake (it weighs about 40 pounds). The birthday girls wear nice camp clothes and love getting the special attention. It is really fun to have a birthday at camp, they celebrate three times (once at home, once on the actual day with their cabin, and also tonight at the Birthday Ball).
EP will be the camper talent show, featuring about 20 different acts: good singing, piano playing, guitar playing, skits, juggling, and other things too. A celebration of the camper skills that is an inspiration to all!
We are doing great, thank you for checking in.