Our First Day

Welcome Main Camp!

Some of you have never experienced Camp Greystone before. Some of you have made Greystone a part of your summer plans for a decade or more. Some of you have been a part of the Greystone family for generations… and now we are all one big Camp family! Welcome!

Today feels perfect. The weather is warm and breezy, the girls were very engaged at breakfast club (almost every person standing for the “How Do You Feel” moment), walking in small and large groups to class (not running… walking is better for socializing). Friendships are being forged in every corner of the camp today. Goals are being set in classes. New campers (there are 40 of them) are deciding if they “get” this place. Old campers are shifting back to “camp mode”. Another word for “camp mode” would be the “Bubble”: short for a world that works differently than the real world. A world of sincerity and unconditional love. A world where individuals are celebrated, and playing by the rules is cool. A world where real conversations about real subjects happen without effort. A world of exuberant hugs and hearts… a perfect world. This is what camp can provide; it is what we are trying to provide.

So are we real? Do we just put on rose colored glasses and call life wonderful when it really is not? Are you too jaded by the real world to believe that camp is like this?

I hope that we are actually very grounded in reality. We know that camp is not perfect… and actually, we think that many of the best moments of camp come from the very moments that campers think awful at the moment.

“imperfection” is actually OK. Life is not perfect, Adam and Eve saw to that. Every life will have a thousand little struggles, a hundred big challenges, a few major crisis events. The art of life is learning to deal with the imperfections of life with grace and confidence. To make the best of it. Camp is a great place to learn this skill. At camp we embrace life’s difficulties and find the good. This process leads to maturity and confidence: it is one of the best things about camp.

If your daughter was sad to see you go; don’t worry. In 93 years of camping, that is a feeling which many have shared. We are very good at helping overcome the initial butterflies and will always let you know if there is anything going on that is negatively impacting your daughters camp experience. She is in good hands!

Our weather is very nice… warm (high of 80), scattered showers, cool nights… regular North Carolina summer weather. The air is soft with humidity and a light breeze comes off the lake throughout the day, only becoming calm as the sun goes down. If it sounds too good to be true; that is about right.

The girls are getting settled in their cabins, are enjoying their first day of classes, and every one is having a blast getting to know each other.

The meals today are fantastic… We are leading off the summer with some REALLY GOOD “comfort food”.

Breakfast is that Greystone tradition of Fried Ham, Fried Apples, Cheese Grits, Biscuits. Add to it the “Never ending” fruit bar (whole strawberries, blue berries, fresh pineapple, cantaloupe, honey dew, Greek yogurt, steel cut oatmeal) and cereal.

Lunch is a new one (less than 10 years on the Greystone menu): Poppy seed chicken. It is a slightly sweet, creamy, crusty, very tasty dish. Served with fresh roasted asparagus, pasta, salad, fresh baked bread hot from the oven, and snicker doodle cookies.

Dinner is pork chops… we do pork chops VERY WELL… Pan Fried the Southern way. These are thick cut chops from our local butcher who LOVES us (we are the only camp to source our meat locally, a fact he really appreciates). You probably don’t have a local butcher, find one if you can. A friend to hand pick the right meat for the menu is very valuable: the difference is remarkable.

Tonight’s EP is Tentalow Lip Synch; Tentalows 1-12 will get on stage, one by one, and ham it up in front of a HUGE audience of 490 campers and 160 counselors. Imagine the impact of such a moment to a young camper (or counselor)… it is heady stuff! Every person is giddy with excitement after being on stage… it is quite a bonding experience for the cabins and very fun for all. Who isn’t impacted by a moment of anxiety followed by thunderous applause? Camp Magic!

Thank you for sharing your girls. It is an honor to have them at Greystone.

Jimboy

P.S. I encourage you to leave comments below… your words are helpful to all. I become a little obsessed with checking comments during camp, they are jewels of insight and a super encouragement. Parents hearing from parents is a wonderful gift… so if you have a thought, do share!