Hot, Daddy, Hot

The sounds of insects are everywhere right now. Their choir surrounds us as they chirp in the treetops, it is a sound that always reminds me of July. Birds RULE the morning, their songs fill the air from about 6:00 till 10:00; then the insects take over… the background roar of every hot summer day.

We are currently in a hot weather pattern, a pattern that promises to break tomorrow as this high pressure system moves out and gives a more comfortable combination of temperature and humidity return to fill our world. The blessing of hot summer days is sometimes not fully appreciated… like yesterday at EP.

Decade Dance is wild… so Decade Dance is popular… high energy… but it was just not as joyful as normal yesterday! Hot weather saps the energy. It was a fantastic EP, but the energy level around camp is just a little lower right now… I noticed it at dinner yesterday when John John arrived for his first meal in the dining room. He got a “Hi There” song, and we were thrilled to hear his announcement (that he flew half way across the country to make). Next year he will once again officiate a Jimbolympiad! He reveiled the official shirt, and got a big cheer… but I could tell that everyone was just a lanquid in their responses due to the heat.

Things are certainly warm: about 90 degrees, humidity is about 90%… put the two together and you have a very good recipe for slow days. Decade Dance requires activity, activity makes us sweat, sweat makes us sit, and so it goes… the dance was fun but not wild. That is the place where we are right now… just takin it slow!

That is why tonights EP is perfect: Corn Roast! A celebration of Southern food, good music, and sitting with friends and having a 2 hour picnic by the lake. Music will be provided by Cat Williams, a wonderful artist who has come to camp for about 10 years now. She was a finalist in “America’s Got Talent”, we met her at a wedding reception where she was the entertainment. Wow… she is unreal good. She works a crowd and she LOVES to sing at Corn Roast. We will eat ribs, chicken, brisket, smoked turkey legs, roasted corn, pasta salad, corn salad, ice cream, cookies, candy, etc… and sip ice cold root beer served in frosty cups. The sun sets behind the Waterpark, turning lake Edith into a blanket of glittering diamonds and providing some of our best photographs of the summer. It is a gloriously relaxed EP, perfect for this point in camp.

I got a ton of pictures yesterday and was once again struck by the quality of the programs. No point in going into the details at the Fine Arts Center, I wrote tons on it last week… suffice it to say that our Arts programs are exceptional. The quality of the teaching was amazing, the conversations were engaged and interesting… I love this area of camp.

I did get down to the High Ropes course yesterday for the first time this session. It was really great. This amazing facility is called a “Discovery Course” and it is a really impressive structure. Rising 55 feet, it provides a ropes course with 22 stations on four levels. It looks like a pirate ship (to me). Tons of rigging that tie together in an enticing way. It is perfect for our camp. You can get an entire class up on the course in a matter of minutes (there are express paths to every level from ground, very unique way to quickly get to a new part of the course). The counselors were joking and laughing with the girls dispite the heat of the afternoon sun. The girls were doing tons of things, and having a blast talking amongst themselves while playing. I even saw a girl climb to the “crows nest” and lie down for a short rest! That looked VERY COOL to me… feet dangling from a 55 foot high get-a-way, nothing else visible. I imagine that it was quite inspiring.

OK… I think I will be going. Bungalows 3 and 4 will be coming to my house for a rest hour play time. Margaret and I will serve ice cold soda, sour patch kids, sweedish fish, chips, dip, pretzels, and pretzel M&M’s… why am I so popular?

Thanks again for reading and for supporting this wonderful place.

Jimboy