Tuesday Forecast

We awoke to overcast skies that promised rain.

This was a surprise, it seldom rains in the morning around here. Most days have a predictable movement: Fog, blue skies, warming temperatures, gathering clouds at 2:30, rain at 3:00, partly cloudy skies replace rain about 3:30, and the clouds go away by 6:00. Today God decided to mix it up a little. As I start this update a heavy rain is falling at Greystone. This cell should move past us soon… but today is going to have scattered showers throughout the day. So let me tell you how we handle rain at Greystone.

As long as it is not thundering, we CELEBRATE in the rain! We wear our rain boots and stomp in mud puddles, we play “Ultimate Foam” at tennis, we swim in the lake and in the pool, we play mud soccer, mud softball, mud football… we have fun.

Do you remember the last time you played in the rain? So much fun! I am happy the girls will get a taste of it today… good times indeed. The girls will be hungry at lunch, tired at rest hour, and excited about EP tonight.

Food at Greystone is a big deal. You probably know that we have a good kitchen (if you tried the scones yesterday you know what we are capable of)… you probably don’t realize how great the food is. Our bakery makes all of our bread and desserts from scratch every day. We have a HUGE fruit and salad bar that is always open and always an inspiration (don’t be surprised if your girls learn to love humus at camp). Our cooks do not use any frozen “prepared” dishes… everything we serve the girls is made from scratch the “old fashioned” way, then cooked in the most technologically advanced equipment available (our kitchen was fully renovated with new equipment 4 years ago). We celebrate the work of the kitchen and appreciate their accomplishments every day.

My father taught me the importance of the kitchen, I have taught it to my children (three of whom have worked in the Kitchen). Good food makes for a happy camp. The happiness today is as follows:

Breakfast was our traditional fried ham and apples, served with grits and buttermilk biscuits. You old campers out there are groaning right now… this meal is amazing and so very satisfying. A great way to start our first full day of camp. Breakfast Club focused on making friends… I encouraged the girls to work at making friends (smile, be interested in other people and ask them questions about themselves). Simple stuff, but life is pretty simple here!

Lunch will be the top rated meal of Main Camp (I just got the survey results from Kelly)… Poppy Seed Chicken Casserole with a lovely strawberry spinach salad with poppy seed dressing. Comfort food personified.

Dinner will be pan fried pork chops, cheese grits, roasted broccoli, and Key Lime Pie! These pork chops are amazing thick cut chops from our local butcher. We season them with salt and pepper and give a light flour dredge… crusty, moist, and delicious. Reminds me of Sunday Dinners at my Grandmother’s house.

EP (Evening Program) is Tentalow Lip Synch… every tentalow group has chosen a song and done a choreographed dance or skit to go along with the song. They perform their act for the entire camp community in the Pavilion… with authentic stage lighting and special effects in front of an audience of 700 screaming fans. It is a wonderful experience for all… we love it. Bungalows and Cabins go tomorrow…

Thank you for reading the update. It is an honor to do this work, the best job in the world! We are grateful.

Jimboy

P.S. 11:30 and it is still raining. Raining HARD! Forecasting the weather around here is not a precise business.

P.P.S. 1:00 and the rain has stopped. Cloudy, but the radar is clear! Hurray!